Pad Thai with Homemade Paste
Making Pad Thai at home is about timing. Once the wok is hot, you have seconds, not minutes, to combine your ingredients before the noodles turn soft or the sauce separates.
Mise en place is your only defense.
Have every ingredient chopped, measured, and sitting within arm's reach of the stove before you strike the first match. The cooking happens too fast to search for a missing bowl.
- Heavy carbon steel wok
- Fine mesh strainer
- Small mortar and pestle
- Tongs
What goes in.
- 4 ozdried flat rice noodles
- 3 tbsptamarind concentrate
- 3 tbspfish sauce
- 2 tbsppalm sugar, finely chopped
- 1 tbspdried shrimp, soaked and finely ground
- 2shallots, minced
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cupfirm tofu, small cubes
- 2eggs
- 2 cupsfresh bean sprouts
- 1/2 cupgarlic chives, cut into 1-inch pieces
Controlling the moisture
Keep the wok at maximum heat. If the noodles look dry, add a tablespoon of water around the edge of the wok rather than dumping it into the center, letting it steam the noodles without creating a puddle.
The method.
Prepare the noodles
Submerge the noodles in warm—not boiling—water for 20 to 30 minutes until flexible but firm. Drain thoroughly.
Make the sauce
Whisk the tamarind, fish sauce, and palm sugar in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves completely.
Sear the base
Heat oil in the wok until shimmering. Sauté the tofu until golden, then add shallots, garlic, and ground dried shrimp. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Flash-fry noodles
Add noodles and the sauce mixture. Toss vigorously. Use the tongs to lift and fold the noodles so they absorb the liquid evenly.
Add eggs
Push everything to one side of the wok. Crack the eggs into the empty space, let them set for 10 seconds, then scramble them and fold them into the noodles.
Finish
Add bean sprouts and chives. Toss for exactly 15 seconds so they wilt slightly but remain crisp. Remove from heat immediately.
Other turns to take.
Shrimp Version
Add 4-6 peeled, deveined medium shrimp during the tofu searing step.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Use a mortar and pestle for the dried shrimp; it releases oils that a food processor misses.
If the noodles stick, you added them to the wok while they were too wet; shake them well after draining.
Serve immediately with a wedge of lime and crushed toasted peanuts on the side.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use boiling water for the noodles?
Avoid it. Boiling makes them mushy before they even hit the wok, and they will disintegrate during the stir-fry.
What if I can't find palm sugar?
Brown sugar is a functional substitute, though it lacks the slight smoky depth of palm sugar.
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