Pad Thai

Ingredients:

Pad Thai

• 3 - 4 cups medium-sized rice noodles, soaked
• Banana leaf, cut into rounds, for serving (optional)
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil, such as canola, peanut, or grapeseed
• 3 - 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 0.5 cup (95 g) Thai baked tofu, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried shrimp
• 0.5 cups (95 g) chicken, cut into thin strips 2.5 cm long.
• 2 large eggs
• 4 tsp store-bought salted turnips, chopped
• 8 shrimp, peeled
• 1 cup (240 g) bean sprouts
• 1/4 cup (50 g) toasted unsalted peanuts, crushed
• 3-4 feathers of fragrant onions (or green onions), cut diagonally into 5 cm pieces.
• 1 lime, sliced ​​for serving

Pad Thai sauce

• 4 tbsp (60 ml) Thai fish sauce
• 4 tbsp. l. (50 gr.) sugar
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) tamarind paste
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tbsp. l. (15 ml.) rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika, for color
• 2 tsp. chili sauce, such as sriracha

Preparation:

1. Soak the noodles in warm water for 1 hour.
   
   Pad Thai sauce:
   
   In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, sugar, tamarind paste, lime juice, vinegar, paprika, and chili sauce. Set aside.
   
   If using a banana leaf, cut circles out of it to fit your plate. Place them on a serving platter and set aside.
2. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add vegetable oil and coat the pan completely. When it begins to smoke, add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 seconds. Add the tofu and dried shrimp and cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken pieces and cook, stirring, until they turn white on the outside, 1-2 minutes.
3. Push the ingredients to one side of the pan and let the oil drain into the center. Crack the eggs into the oil and fry for about 30 seconds, until half-set, then stir lightly. Mix the eggs with the cooked ingredients in the pan, scraping up any browned bits to prevent burning. Add 3 cups of noodles and cook, stirring, until softened, 2-3 minutes. Reserve the cooking water.
4. Add the salted turnips and shrimp. Cook until the chicken and shrimp are half-cooked, about 1 minute. Add the sauce and stir until all the liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes.
5. Place half the bean sprouts, half the chopped peanuts, and the chives (or green onions) in the center of the noodles, then top with a few noodles and steam for 30 seconds. If the pan seems dry, add a little of the soaking water. Transfer the pad thai to a serving platter on top of a banana leaf and top with the remaining bean sprouts, peanuts, and lime wedge.