You know the rumor mill (and the wok) is going to be smoking hot when it comes to this little number! Talk-of-the-Town Pad Thai will be a new-to-the-neighborhood, at-home meal the whole family will be shocked by. There is no debate there! The plump, perfectly seasoned shrimp and the delicious glass noodles are all surrounded with an authentic Thai sauce that will make all the chitchat about takeout go in one ear and out the other. Let the busybody in you get right to it and share the Talk-of-the-Town Pad Thai with everyone you can think of. Word on the street is, you’ve succeeded in making a few people a little jealous with just how good this is!
Ingredients
For the Pad Thai sauce:
- 3 1/2 tablespoons palm sugar, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons water
- 4 tablespoons tamarind paste, from Thailand or Vietnam
- 2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
For the Pad Thai woon sen:
- 2.8 ounces glass noodles
- 1/4 cup water, plus more, to taste
- 1/3 cup neutral oil, plus more, to taste
- 12 medium shrimp, heads on
- 3 tablespoons shallots, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 ounces pressed tofu, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
- 2 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups bean sprouts, plus more, to taste, for serving
- 7 stalks garlic chives, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped, divided
- lime wedges, optional, to taste, for serving
- scallions, optional, to taste, cut into 2-inch pieces, for garnish
Directions
Step 1 –In a small pan over medium heat, add the palm sugar and heat until it is melted and caramelized to a dark brown; if the edges are browning faster than the rest, stir to even it out.
Step 2 –Turn off the heat and carefully add 3 tablespoons of the water. The mixture may bubble aggressively, but let it stand until the bubbles subside.
Step 3 –Add the tamarind paste and the fish sauce to the caramelized sugar and stir to combine. The sugar will not be completely dissolved at this point. Set it aside.
Step 4 –In a large bowl, add the glass noodles and top with enough of the extra water to just cover them.
Step 5 –Let the noodles soak, about 7-10 minutes.
Step 6 –Drain the noodles, then use a sharp knife to cut them in half. Set them aside.
Step 7 –While the noodles are soaking, in a wok over high heat, heat 1/3 cup of the oil until it is very hot.
Step 8 –Add the shrimp in a single layer to the hot oil and sear without moving them.
Step 9 –Flip the shrimp and cook until they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.
Step 10 –Transfer the cooked shrimp to a plate and leave the oil in the wok. Turn off the heat.
Step 11 –Add enough of the extra oil to just coat the bottom of the wok.
Step 12 –Add the shallots, the garlic, the tofu, and the chili flakes to the oil and stir to combine.
Step 13 –Over medium-high heat, cook the tofu mixture until the shallots are translucent, about 2 minutes.
Step 14 –Increase the heat to high.
Step 15 –Add the glass noodles, the reserved Pad Thai sauce, and 1/4 cup of the water to the tofu mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until all of the liquid has absorbed.
Step 16 –Use a wooden spoon to push the glass noodles to one side of the wok.
Step 17 –Add the extra oil and the eggs to the empty side of the wok and cook until the eggs are scrambled slightly.
Step 18 –Add the glass noodles to the top of the eggs and cook, undisturbed, until the eggs are mostly done, about 30 seconds.
Step 19 –Use a pair of tongs to toss the glass noodle mixture to break up the eggs and combine the ingredients.
Step 20 –Taste the noodles to check if they have reached the desired doneness. If not, add a small amount of the extra water and cook until the water has absorbed.
Step 21 –Turn the heat off.
Step 22 –Add the cooked shrimp and their liquid, 2 1/2 cups of the bean sprouts, the garlic chives, and 1/2 of the peanuts to the noodle mixture and toss well to combine.
Step 23 –Serve the Pad Thai immediately, garnished with the remaining peanuts, the lime wedges, the scallions, and the extra beansprouts.
