Pad Thai

Pad Thai is often called the signature dish of Thai cuisine. There are several regional variations, indeed it has been said that Thailand has not only a different curry for every day of the year, but also a different pad Thai for every cook in Thailand! For a very simple, fast, easy-to-prepare Pad Thai, please click here for an instant version--you can start with that and add more ingredients to change the flavor as well.

This recipe requires 1 cup of dry roasted, unsalted peanuts. For best preparation, coarsely break them up in a stone mortar and pestle.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 ounces rice noodles.
  
• 5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped.
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
  
• 1/4 cup dried shrimp
• 2-3 fresh cooked shrimp
  
• 1/4 cup fish sauce 1/4 cup regular sugar (or crushed palm sugar but it doesn't make much difference).
  
• 2 teaspoons tamarind concentrate mixed with 5 teaspoons water (this makes tamarind juice)
  
• 1 medium egg, beaten
  
• 1/4 cup chopped chives
  
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely broken up.
  
• 1 cup bean sprouts
  
• 1/2 cup tofu that has been diced (1/2" cubes), 
• marinated in dark sweet soy. "Firm" tofu works best.
  

lET'S GO COOKING:

• Heat a little cooking oil in a wok and add the garlic and shallots, and briefly stir fry until they just shows signs of changing color. 
• At this point one option is to add shrimps and cook a bit. 
• Add the remaining ingredients except the egg, and stir fry until the noodles soften (about 5 minutes). 
• As you stir the noodles, periodically throw in 1-2 tablespoons of water, and after 2-3 minutes add 1 tablespoon of rinsed, salted radish (optional). 
• Continuing to stir with one hand, slowly "drizzle" in the beaten egg to form a fine ribbon of cooked egg (if you don't feel confident with this make an egg crepe separately, and then roll it up and slice it into quarter inch wide pieces, which you add to the mix at this point). 
• At this point, a very tasty but optional addition is a small handful of dried shrimps. Add the bean sprouts and cook for no more than another 30 seconds. 
• Remove from the pan to a serving platter.
  
• Aside with fresh bean sprouts, lemon pieces, chopped chives, roasted peanuts or follow below Garnish V

Garnish

• Mix a tablespoon of lime juice with a tablespoon of tamarind juice and a tablespoon of fish sauce, and use this to marinade half a cup of uncooked bean sprouts, half a cup of chopped chives, and half a cup of very coarsely ground roasted peanuts. 
• Sprinkle this mixture on the cooked pad Thai. 
• Cut several limes into segments and also slice up some cucumber into rounds then halve the rounds. 
• Put the lime segments and cuke segments around the serving platter.
• Pad thai is served as above. 
• You may add Thai chili powder, sugar and crushed peanuts at the table.