How to cook pad thai – recipe - MW

Although they are one of Thailand's most famous culinary exports, these fried noodles are not traditional, even special, of Thailand, but a Chinese-influenced dish. created in the 1940s as part of a campaign to promote national unity. Tasty to eat and cook fast, it's easy to know why pad thai has been so successful in bringing back a country.

Prepare 15 minutes, plus soak
Cook for 5 minutes
Serve 2

120g rice noodles, ideally 2-3mm flat rice sticks, but anything will do
60ml fish sauce, or light soy sauce mixed with a little lemon juice or rice vinegar
60ml tamarind juice (or concentrated tamarind juice diluted with a little water)
60g of palm sugar, or maple sugar, maple syrup reduced until caramel, or dark brown sugar
1 pinch of paprika, tasting
2 cloves garlic, peeled
100g super hard tofu, drain
8 big shrimp
2 large eggs
25g preserved pickled radish (optional)
4 Chinese chives, or green onions
50g roasted peanuts
80ml peanut oil or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon small dried shrimp (optional)
100g cowpea
Lemon wedge, chili flakes, fish sauce and sugar, for garnish

1 Soak the noodles
The thai pad cooks for a few minutes, so it's essential to have all the ingredients prepared and ready before you look at the pan. Start by soaking the rice sticks in cold water for about half an hour, until they're soft but still soft, instead of soft. Drain well and set aside the cooking stove next to a small glass of cold water.

2 Make sauces
While the noodles are soaking, make Thai pad sauce. Add fish sauce, tamarind and palm sugar to a small saucepan and heat gently, stir until melted, then turn off the heat. Season with peppers, then taste and adjust the balance to suit your taste.

3 Prepare the rest

Prepare the remaining ingredients and place them near the stove in the order they go into the pan (as shown below). Chop the garlic and cut the tofu into bite-size pieces. Shrimp devein, if necessary (I prefer to leave them uncoated, but it's BIG for you), and break the eggs into a small bowl. Chopped radish (if used), shallots and peanuts.

4 Start cooking
Before you turn on the stove, have your dishes, cutlery, side dishes, and any food companions ready, as the cooking process is fast. Put the pan on high heat and, once hot, add half the oil, followed by garlic and stir fry for a few seconds, until fragrant.

5 Cook the noodles

Add drained noodles to the pan, along with a drop of water from the glass, toss to break any lumps. Fry until they start to dry, then add the sauce and cook, stirring constantly, until the noodles are almost done (they should still be slightly bitter, ideally, but it's a matter of taste, just remember that they will cook a little more before you finish).

6 Fried protein

Push the noodles aside, so they don't get too hot directly, then pour the remaining oil into the pan. Add tofu and shrimp, and cook, stir, until the shrimp are pink and the tofu starts to color, then push them to the side of the pan along with the noodles.

7 Add the eggs

Pour the eggs into the wok, then break the yolks with your spatula, or whatever implement you’re using to stir-fry. Once the eggs are beginning to set on the bottom of the pan, scramble them roughly and cook until they separate into dry curds.

8 Bring together and serve

Push the noodles, tofu and prawns back into the middle of the wok and add the radish (if using), dried shrimp, beansprouts, chives and peanuts. Toss together, until everything is well combined, then serve up either in individual portions or on one big platter, along with the garnishes for diners to add as they wish.

9 And to veganise…

This is an easy dish to make vegan, if that’s your preference: fish sauce substitutes are fairly widely available these days (as are gluten-free ones, incidentally), and you can add extra tofu to make up for the animal products (scrambled soft tofu can stand in for the eggs), or add a vegetable of your choice instead, cooking or blanching it first, if need be.

MW