Shrimp pad thai
Chewy rice noodles stir-fried with shrimp, egg and a sweet-sour tamarind sauce, then piled with bean sprouts, peanuts and lime.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Serves
- 2
- Per serve
- 880 kcal
Ingredients
Method
Boil a full kettle. Put the noodles in a large heatproof bowl, cover with the just-boiled water and soak until soft and bendy but still a little firm in the center, usually 6 to 8 minutes. They finish softening in the pan.
While the noodles soak, stir the tamarind, fish sauce and sugar together until the sugar dissolves. Slice the shallot, chop the garlic and peanuts and cut the scallions.
Drain the noodles well. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the shallot and garlic for 30 seconds, then the shrimp, and stir-fry until pink all over and curled.
Push everything to one side, add the last 1 tbsp oil to the empty space and crack in the eggs. Scramble until just set, then break up and mix with the shrimp.
Add the noodles and the sauce and toss constantly until the noodles soak up the sauce and turn soft and chewy. Add a splash of water if they stick or still feel firm.
Take off the heat and toss through the bean sprouts and scallions. Serve topped with the peanuts, with lime wedges and red pepper flakes on the side.
Tips
- Tamarind concentrate varies in strength. Taste the sauce before it goes in: it should be sour, sweet and salty all at once, so adjust with more sugar or fish sauce.
- Don't oversoak the noodles. If they go fully soft in the bowl they turn mushy in the pan.
- Cook in two batches if your pan is small; crowded noodles steam and clump instead of frying.
