The Best Pad Thai

Danielle LaPointe's Note:

A melange of tastes from salty-sour to sweet/nutty/and tamarind fruity... Noodles that waft the smell of street side vendors in Bangkok. A must for any Aisian food fanatic.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 (7 ounce) package medium size rice sticks
• 1/4 cup tamarind juice
• 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 teaspoons tomato ketchup
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 6 shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 2 ounces tofu, cubed
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup bean sprouts
• 1/4 cup unsalted peanuts, crushed
• cilantro
• lime wedge

Directions:

1. Optional garnishes: sprigs of fresh cilantro and lime wedges
2. Soak rice noodles in cold water for at least 1 hour (noodles can be soaked longer and even over night). Drain and set aside.
3. In a bowl, combine tamarind juice, fish sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and ketchup. Set aside. Heat oil in a wok, add garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds until garlic is fragrant. Add shrimp, tofu and egg. Stir-fry for 1 minute, until egg is scrambled. Add rice noodles and tamarind juice mixture. Stir-fry all ingredients until well cooked and combined. Serve with bean sprouts on the side, peanuts sprinkled over the top, with fresh cilantro and lime wedge garnishes.

Reviews

[SPrins]

This was VERY yummy!! I did do several substitutions: I didn't have any tamarind juice, so I subbed lime juice w/ some brown sugar; soy sauce instead of fish sauce; left the shrimp out and added vegetarian chicken (Fri-Chik), and used almonds instead of peanuts. Thanks so much for sharing! DH rated 8/10~~BIG compliment! :O)

[Megsamillion]

I didn't really like it. The shrimp cooked too long and became tough, I think I would have added it at the end of cooking. Wasn't fond of the tofu, had a strange, sharp aftertaste. Didn't really like the overall flavour. I don't think I'll make it again. Thanks anyway, it was an adventure!

[i8-2much!]

I love this ethnic main course! I only found tamarind paste. It had big seeds in it so I had to work with what I had. I only used a tablespoon of the paste and mixed it with 2 tablespoons of boiling water. I have to say that the tamarind makes the dish. I will not make Pad Thai without it! Thank you!