Pad Thai is one of Thailand’s most famous national dishes and widely popular with both the Thais and foreigners alike. What then makes for an authentic plate of Thai style stir-fried rice noodles?
I have personally ordered this dish a couple of times at different places in Singapore – once at Thai Express and another at the Golden Mile Complex. I must say, the rice noodles served up at Thai Express was a huge disappointment. The noodles were almost tasteless and I couldn’t detect any inkling of sriracha sauce in it at all. What was worse was that the rice noodles were all clumped up together, almost as if they were stubbornly refusing to soak up the combination of sweet, savoury and sour flavours. On the other hand, the Pad Thai at the Golden Mile Complex (at the Na Na Thai Food stall) though presented simply using vermicelli instead of rice noodles, offered a plate of surprisingly springy noodles that tasted really flavourful and irresistible. This was definitely what I have in mind if I were to attempt this recipe at home.
This recipe hopes to be able to replicate the colourful tastes of Pad Thai, using rice noodles that I have purchased from the market especially for this recipe. Hope everyone likes it too.
Ingredients:
- Oil: 1 tbsp + 2 tbsp + 2 tbsp
- Small prawns: 20, outer shells removed
- Large shallot: 2, finely chopped
- Firm tofu: 1, sliced into matchsticks
- Dried shrimp: 100g
- Fish sauce: 1/2 cup
- Palm sugar: 4 tbsp
- Tamarind puree: 4 tbsp
- Rice noodle: 300g, soaked in hot water for 15 min, drained
- White vinegar: 1 tbsp
- Sriracha sauce: 2 tbsp
- Egg: 4
- Beansprout: 300g
- Ground peanut: 1/2 cup
- White sugar: 4 tbsp
- Coriander: 1 stalk, chopped
- Lime: 2, halved
Method:
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in wok.
- Fry prawns till just cooked. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Add 2 tbsp oil. Fry shallots for 2 min till fragrant.
- Add tofu, dried shrimps, fish sauce, palm sugar and tamarind. Cook till sugar is dissolved.
- Add rice noodles, vinegar and sriracha sauce. Stir to mix.
- Push rice noodle mixture to one side of the wok. Add 2 tbsp oil to the other side of wok.
- Break eggs onto the oil. Break it up using the stirrer and leave to set for 1 min.
- Mix egg into noodles.
- Stir in beansprouts and cooked prawns till evenly distributed. Switch off heat.
- Sprinkle some ground peanut and sugar onto noodles.
- Garnish with coriander and lime wedges to serve.
Trick:
- The Thais usually serve this noodle dish with a handful of fresh beansprouts and coriander at the side. That’s how I’m eating it at home too!
Serving:
6 persons
