Among Thai dishes,Pad Thai is my favourite.I dont usually like noodles but this dish is an exception.Whenever we eat at a Thai place,I always order this dish.I wanted to make it for a long time but never really took it up as I didn’t want to mess it up.So when I found a recipe I liked I went to the Chinese store and bought all the necessary sauces and ingredients at one go and hoped my husband would like it enough for me to use up those things eventually.So when I finally made it, I was really in high spirits as the aroma of the sauces were on the spot and I knew I would like it.Needless to say,we both loved it! This is adapted from a recipe by Chef Puck.

shrimppadthai.jpg

 Ingredients:

Sauce 1:
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons tamarind paste
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Sauce 2:

3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons finely chopped green chiles
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro leaves

Other Ingredients:

4 ounces rice noodles, linguini size
1 quart hot water
Oil, for deep-frying
2 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts
1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon milk plus salt, to taste
1 ounce peanut oil 
1 tbsp scallion whites. 
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves, plus sprigs for garnish 
12  large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1/2 cup bean sprouts 
 Scallion greens for garnish. 
1 wedge lime

Method:

For Sauce 1:

In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce slightly and set aside to cool.

For Sauce 2:

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir until well blended.

Other :

Soak the rice noodles in hot water until softened. (This can be done several hours ahead of time.) Strain and reserve until needed.The noodles I bought were transluscent.Check the directions for cooking the ones you buy.

Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Deep-fry the diced tofu until crisp and golden. Drain in a paper towel and set aside to cool. Add the peanuts and fry for 30 seconds. Remove and set aside with the tofu.

Drain the excess oil leaving 1 tbsp in the pan.Fry the shrimp on both sides till they become pink.Dont overcook the shrimp.

In a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Scramble eggs and keep aside.

In a wok, over high heat, add the peanut oil. When almost smoking, stir-fry the  green chiles, scallion whites, ginger, lemon zest, cilantro, and shrimp for 1 minute. Add the softened noodles, half of the bean sprouts, fried tofu, scrambled eggs, Sauce 1 and Sauce 2. Continue to stir-fry until noodles have flattened and blended with the sauce.

Garnish with the remaining bean sprouts, cilantro, green onions and chopped peanuts. Remove from flame.

Transfer Pad Thai to serving plate. Serve hot with a wedge of lime on the side.