Pad Thai with shrimp

Pad Thai noodles are probably the most popular dish in Thailand right after Tom Yum soup. Anyone who has been to Thailand must have tried this dish. Even in Thai eateries in Europe and around the world you can always find this dish on the menu.

Like any Thai dish this one also has a lot of exotic ingredients. Thai cuisine is actually different in that the list of ingredients for any dish is quite impressive, but it is undoubtedly one of the most delicious cuisines in the world. Those who have been to Thailand, I’m sure will agree with me. A special feature of Pad Thai noodles, in addition to the broadest rice noodles, which is always the basis of the dish, there is also a special sauce, which is so called Pad Thai. You can often buy it ready-made, but you can make a very similar one at home. Its composition requires tamarind paste, ground tamarind fruit, which gives a nice sourness, sweetness and consistency. Good grocery stores that sell everything for sushi often carry this paste. The same goes for the sour-sweet-spicy Sambal Oelek sauce, a sauce that is served with almost every dish in Thailand. You can certainly find it in online stores with Asian products without any problem. You can replace the tamarind with rice vinegar at the worst, it will be different, but it will do.

Pad Thai with Shrimp

2 servings:
Ingredients

150 grams wide rice noodles
200 grams shrimp
1 tbsp. soy sauce
30g uncooked peanuts, chop coarsely
3 tbsp. peanut oil (you can substitute any vegetable oil)
3 garlic cloves, squeeze out
100 grams of mung bean sprouts or other sprouts
2 eggs
1/2 bunch coriander, finely chop
2 quills of green onions, finely chop
2 cm fresh ginger root, peel, finely grate

For the sauce:

80 ml chicken broth
2 Tbsp tamarind paste (can be replaced with 3 Tbsp rice vinegar)
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. lime juice
3 tbsp. palm sugar (can be replaced with cane sugar, even better dark sugar)
2 tbsp. Sambal Oelek sauce

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

1) Sprinkle soy sauce over the shrimp and leave until needed.
2) Brown the peanuts in a dry pan and set aside.
3) Pour boiling water over the noodles, leave for 2 minutes, drain.
4) Put all the ingredients for the sauce in a small saucepan and put on a small fire, cook constantly stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat, set aside.
5) In a large deep wok, or similar, over medium heat, heat peanut butter, add garlic and ginger. Fry, stirring, for about half a minute.
6) Beat the eggs in the wok and fry, stirring constantly with wooden chopsticks (often included in a wok kit or sold separately with large Asian wok cooking sticks) or a spatula, until the eggs are half cooked.
7) Add noodles and mix well, add shrimp and sauce. Fry everything together, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes. Allow noodles to heat through and ingredients to blend.
8) Add the sprouts and peanuts, mix well and stir fry for about 2 more minutes until the sprouts have softened.
9) Add the cilantro and spring onions, stir to combine and remove from heat. Taste the noodles and season with salt and soy sauce if needed.

Serve at once in bowls. If desired, sprinkle pad Thai with fresh coriander.