This recipe has been a long time coming. My Hubby has been begging and pleading with me to make him a homemade version of one of his favorite dishes. Given the fact that I am quite a wimp when it comes to my tolerance level to spiciness, this endeavor was actually a bit nerve-wracking for me. After doing some research, and quizzing Hubby for every detail he could give as to which ingredients he likes best, etc...I figured why not. And you know what? I really liked it! I was sweating a bit from the spice, but I survived and enjoyed it. I'm must be growing up.
Some of the ingredients in Pad Thai may vary quite a bit from one recipe to another. Many restaurants (especially in the U.S.) have taken creative liberties that stray from what would be found in a traditional Pad Thai from a food cart in Bangkok. All that being said, go with what you like. Try as I may, tofu just isn't for me, although I did prepare it for this recipe and ultimately decided to leave it out of the final dish. I also didn't particularly want to have to go to several different stores to gather my ingredients, so hopefully you'll find that you are able to find these ingredients relatively easily as well.
If you make this Shrimp Pad Thai exactly according to my recipe, the spicy factor is at about a medium, or "level 3". Feel free to adjust according to your own preferences. You can always add more, but can't take away, so taste as you go.
Shrimp Pad Thai
- Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 14.2 ounces Thai rice stir fry noodles (I purchased fresh noodles in the refrigerated produce section of my grocery store. You can also get dried rice noodles from the ethnic foods aisle.)
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 tablespoons tamarind paste (substitute 2 tablespoons of white vinegar if you're unable to find tamarind paste, see note)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili oil (I found this at World Market)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 egg
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and de-veined
- ground pepper
- ¼ cup peanuts, toasted (toast until lightly browned in a dry skillet)
- 1 cup bean sprouts, rinsed
- 1 cup green onions, finely chopped
Instructions
Prep your ingredients:
- Gather and measure out all of your ingredients. Toast the peanuts. Peel and de-vein the shrimp. Chop/mince the garlic, green onions, and shallot. Once you start cooking, you'll be adding the ingredients quickly and doing a lot of stirring, so it is much easier if you have everything right in front of you ahead of time.
- If you are using dried rice noodles- Soak the dry noodles in lukewarm water while you prepare your other ingredients. Getting the right texture of the noodles is sometimes tricky. You want them to soften a bit so that they're flexible, yet not soggy/mushy. It's better to undersoak them than to wait too long and they get too mushy. (If you are using fresh/refrigerated noodles, you do not need to do anything to them.)
Cooking:
- Heat oil in a large skillet of Wok over medium/high heat. Add garlic and shallot, cooking until lightly browned.
- Drain the noodles and add them to the skillet, stirring quickly to prevent sticking. (If you used fresh noodles, you can add them straight out of the package.)
- Add tamarind paste (or white vinegar, if substituting), sugar, fish sauce, and chili oil, and lime juice, stirring constantly. There should not be a lot of liquid in the pan. If there is a lot of liquid, raise the heat and cook until mostly evaporated.
- Push noodles to one side of the pan. Crack the egg into the other side and scramble it. When egg is almost completely cooked, fold the egg into the noodles. The noodles should be soft/chewy at this point. If not, add a little bit of water and continue cooking until the noodles are cooked.
- Stir in the shrimp, continue cooking and stirring until the shrimp is pink and firm, about 5 minutes.
- Season with pepper, to taste. Add peanuts, bean sprouts and green onions.
- Serve hot. It is typical to have sugar, chili oil, vinegar, and fish sauce available at the table to allow guests to adjust their portion to their personal taste.
Notes
Note: It may be difficult for you to find tamarind paste. You can substitute white vinegar, or make your own tamarind paste from dried tamarind (available in the produce department). Dried tamarind looks like a hard, brown, pea-pod shaped shell. Remove the shell, and soak the tamarind in warm water until soft. Drain and remove the seeds, saving the "pulp". I used 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of tamarind "pulp".
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Serves 4
Pang
I am so glad you decided to make this. Making Pad Thai is not easy, esp. when you are not in Thailand. It can be somewhat difficult to find all ingredients, but I do love your version though. :)
Nice photos as well.
P.S I am Thai, by the way. :D