Pad Thai

Pad Thai is often called the signature dish of Thai cuisine. Although vegetables are not strictly a part of traditional Pad Thai, I've added a little carrot/cabbage to make this dish even more nutritious.

Ingredients:

For Sauce
1/2 tblsp tamarind concentrate
3 tblsp water
2 1/2 tblsp soy sauce
1-2 tsp chili sauce or to taste
1 tblsp brown sugar - or 2 tblsp if you like it sweeter

8 oz Pad Thai rice noodles (thin, flat noodles)
2 eggs OR none if you don't eat eggs like me
1/2 cup tofu, sliced into small pieces
2 cups bean sprouts
1/2 cup cabbage/carrots, Chinese-style thinly sliced
1 spring onions, sliced
3 Shallots, sliced
handful of fresh coriander
Salt to taste
1/2 cup peanuts, ground roughly
4 cloves garlic, minced

Serves 3-4

Method:

1. Mix all sauce ingredients well. Stir till the tamarind and sugar have dissolved. Taste - it should be sour, sweet and spicy. If too sour, add a little more sugar. Keep aside.

2. Bring to boil a pot of water. Remove from heat and put noodles in it for 6-10 min. Remember that the noodles should be a little bit firm and crunchy or else they will get all mushy when cooking. They will cook some more when stir-frying. Keep aside.

3. Heat a little oil in a wok/stir-fry pan. Stir fry shallots, onions and garlic till its gets a little soft. Add tofu and stir-fry for another 1 min.

4. Add eggs if using and scramble them.

5. Add noodles, sauce and salt. Stir fry everything on medium heat till the noodles become soft enough to eat.

6. Add 1/2 the crushed peanuts and bean sprouts and mix well.

7. To serve, scoop noodles onto a serving plate, top with a little coriander and crushed peanuts. Serve with some chilli sauce on the side for people who like it extra spicy.

Tips

• Be careful while grounding peanuts or you will end up with peanut paste instead of dry powder.

• If tofu is not one of your favorites, substitute it with paneer.

• If you happen to over-salt your noodles, you can fix the problem with 1-2 tblsp lime juice.