Pad Thai With Shrimp And Tofu

If you have ever been to Thailand or even a Thai restaurant, you must be familiar with Pad Thai. Which is a stir-fried noodle dish that is widely available and is probably the most low-entry option to Thai cuisine. In Bangkok the sidewalks are flooded with small pad thai stables and they all have their own special ingredients or sauce. But they have one thing in common; they are all noodle dishes served with a wedge of lime, ground peanuts and an array of extra sauces on the side of the cart. Everybody can flavor his own Pad Thai the way he likes. 

Pad Thai is a dish that needs to be prepared in a really hot wok and therefore it is impossible to cook more than 2-3 portions at a time. If you fill up the wok for 5 people it will be impossible to fry and you will end up with a semi-boiled mushy noodle dish. So gather your two best friends and try this Pad Thai recipe! This recipe will serve 2-3 people. 

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Step 1
‍First we start by chopping all of our ingredients as seen in the picture. With any kind of stir-fry it's important to have all of your ingredients prepared, because the actual cooking part goes really fast. So chop your shallot, preserved radish (finely), tofu, garlic chives and set aside. Then we mix the fish sauce, sugar, tamarind concentrate and water into a small bowl. If you like it spicy, you can add a teaspoon of chilli powder/flakes to the sauce. And we also soak the noodles in cold or hot water according to the directions of your package. Make sure the noodles are not completely soft because they also have to absorb the sauce later on. 

Step 2
‍Now we put the wok or frying pan on medium-high heat and start by adding half of the vegetable oil. Fry the shrimp approximately 2 to 3 minutes, so that they are half way done and remove from the pan. We add the tofu, preserved radish and shallot and fry for about 3 minutes. Now it’s time to add the pre soaked noodles and the sauce and fry for about another 3 minutes or until the bottom of the pan gets dry and the noodles a bit softer.

Step 3
‍Reduce the heat to medium and move the noodles to one side of the pan. now ad the oil on the other side of the pan and crack in two eggs. wait until the eggs are halfway cooked and then start to break them up and stir them in to the noodles. Now we add the shrimp, half of the garlic chives, half of the beansprouts and half of the peanuts. Mix thoroughly and fry for one more minute. It's time to plate the Pad Thai; divide over 3-4 plates and add some beansprouts, a wedge of lime, garlic chives and ground peanut on the side. if you like the heat, you can also add some extra chilli powder. Enjoy!

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Chefs tip
"Pad Thai can be made with all kinds of protein or completely vegetarian or vegan. You can experiment by replacing half of the shrimp with chicken breast or add a lot of tofu or veggies."