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Pad Thai
- Serves 3
​Fully authentic, no compromise in ingredients or flavor - follow my Pad Thai recipe and it is guaranteed to transport you to the streets of Thailand. There are a few elements one needs to keep in mind when making good Pad Thai, 
  1. Dried shrimp: for that umami punch. I generally use small dried shrimp from the Thai supermarket, but you can chop them small if yours are slightly bigger in size.
  2. Fish sauce: again for that special umami flavor.
  3. Preserved radish: It is hard to find but can easily be replaced with pickled daikon (the one used in sushi-making).
  4. Tamarind paste: I much prefer making my own by rehydrating dried tamarind rather than buying bottled paste which just doesn’t have as much flavor.
​The rest of the ingredients are quite easy to find; just remember to have everything prepped before getting started as the recipe itself comes together in minutes. Happy cooking!

Ingredients for Pad Thai

1/3 package Thai flat rice noodles (140gms)
1/3 cup extra firm tofu (add 1 cup tofu for vegetarian Pad Thai)
1 cup Chinese chives or spring onions, cut into 1” matchsticks
1 cup bean sprouts, rinsed
2-3 small shallots, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced 
40g tamarind paste (available in Indian/Thai grocery stores) 
1/2 cup hot water
2 heaping tablespoons brown sugar or palm sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground dried chili or 2 fresh bird’s eye chilies, chopped
4-6 tablespoons coconut or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chopped preserved radish or daikon
1.5 tablespoons dried shrimp, chop smaller if necessary 
200g peeled shrimp or chopped chicken 
2 eggs
ground white pepper, for sprinkling
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped peanuts
1/2 lime

Recipe
​Prepping
  1. Start with soaking dry noodles at room temperature while preparing the other ingredients. Getting the noodles just right is the trickiest part of making Pad Thai. Make sure that the noodles are submerged in plenty of water for about 40 minutes or slightly warm water for about 10 minutes. By the time you are ready to put ingredients in the pan, the noodles should be flexible but not mushy. 
  2. Julienne tofu and cut into 1" long matchsticks. Cut spring onion into 1" long pieces. Set aside a few fresh spring onion greens for garnish. Rinse bean sprouts and save some for garnish. Mince shallots and garlic together. 
  3. Soak tamarind in hot water for 30 minutes, set aside. In a large bowl, massage soaked tamarind using your fingers. Discard the fibre and any seeds. Mix together tamarind pulp, sugar, fish sauce and chili to make pad thai sauce - set aside.
Cooking meat and vegetables
  1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large wok on medium heat. Add chicken/shrimp and stir-fry for a few minutes until cooked through. Place on one side of the wok. Crack the eggs onto the other side of the wok and scramble them until they are almost cooked. Set aside chicken/shrimp and eggs.
  2. Heat 4 tablespoons oil in the same wok on high heat. Add radish, dried shrimp, shallots, garlic and tofu - stir-fry until tofu is lightly golden all over. 
  3. The noodles should be flexible but not expanded at this point. I like to cut noodles to make mixing easier. Drain the noodles and add to the wok. Stir quickly to keep them from sticking. Add Pad Thai sauce - stir. The heat should remain on medium high. If your wok is not hot enough, you will see a lot of juice in the wok at this point. Turn up the heat to reduce the liquid.
  4. The noodles should be soft and chewy. Pull a strand out and taste. If the noodles are still hard (not cooked), add a little bit of water. When you get the right texture of noodles, add chicken, and eggs, stir. Sprinkle white pepper all over. Add bean sprouts and chives - stir. The noodles should be slightly moist when serving.
  5. Pour onto a serving plate and sprinkle ground pepper and crushed roasted peanuts. Serve hot with a wedge of lime on the side, some spring onion greens and raw bean sprouts on top.
As always, in Thailand, condiments such as sugar, chili flakes, vinegar and fish sauce are available at your table for your personal taste.
For more delicious recipes, check out our upcoming hands-on cooking classes in Downtown Singapore.​
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