Pad Thai

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Most takeout versions of pad thai bear little resemblance to the traditional dish,overrun with sweet ingredients like ketchup and hoisin. But, to create a truly authentic version with distinct sweet-sour-salty flavors and mix of textures,
it is necessary to source hard-to-find ingredients like salted radish, palm
sugar, and dried shrimp. We wanted to develop a recipe for pad thai that maintained
the integrity of the flavors and textures as close as possible but with creative
use of accessible ingredients already called for in the recipe.

Since Pad Thai cooks very quickly, everything must be prepared before you begin to cook. For maximum efficiency, use the time during which the radish and noodles soak to prepare the other ingredients. We recommend using tamarind concentrate because it is ready to use straight from the container. If you cannot find tamarind
concentrate, you can use tamarind paste, or pulp, which is firm, sticky, and filled with seeds and fibers. To use it in the pad thai recipe, soak 3 tablespoons in ½ cup boiling water for about 10 minutes, then push it through a mesh strainer to remove the seeds and fibers and extract as much pulp as possible. If you cannot find tamarind, substitute 1 ½ tablespoons lime juice and 1 1 ½ tablespoons water for tamarind concentrate and use light brown sugar instead of granulated sugar. If using this substitute it is not necessary to serve with lime wedges.

Ingredients

• Chile Vinegar:
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1 serrano chile, stemmed and sliced into thin rings
• Stir Fry:
• Salt
• Sugar
• 2 radishes, cut into 1 1/2 -inch by 1/4-inch matchsticks (about 1/3 cup)
• 8 ounces (1/4-inch-wide) dried rice noodles
• Vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons tamarind concentrate
• 1 pound large shrimp (26-30), peeled and deveined
• 4 scallions, white and light green parts minced (2 tablespoons), dark green parts cut into 1-inch lengths (1/2 cup)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• 4 ounces (2 cups) bean sprouts
• 1/4 cup roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped coarse
• Lime wedges

Preparation

Step 1

1. For the Chile Vinegar: Combine ingredients in
bowl and let stand at room
temperature for at least 15 minutes.

2. For the Stir Fry: Combine ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon sugar and 4 tablespoons
water in small bowl. Microwave until steaming, about 30 seconds. Add radishes (they
should be just covered with water) and let stand for 15 minutes. Drain and pat
dry with paper towels.

3.
Bring 6 cups water to boil. Place noodles in large bowl. Pour boiling water
over noodles. Stir, then soak until noodles are almost tender, about 8 minutes,
stirring once halfway through. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain well and
toss with 2 teaspoons oil.

4.Combine fish sauce, tamarind concentrate, and 3 tablespoons sugar, in bowl
until sugar is dissolved. Set sauce aside.

5.Remove tails from 4 shrimp. Cut shrimp in half lengthwise then cut each half
into ½ inch pieces. Toss shrimp pieces with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon sugar.
Place shrimp pieces evenly spaced in single layer on large plate and microwave
at 50 percent power until shrimp are dry and reduce in size by half, 4 to 5
minutes. (Check shrimp halfway through cooking and separate any pieces that may
have stuck together.)

6.Heat 2 teaspoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until
shimmering. Add dried shrimp and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown
and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to large bowl.

7.Return now empty skillet to medium heat, add 1 teaspoon oil and heat until just
shimmering. Add minced scallion white
and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until garlic is golden brown, about 1
minute. Transfer to large bowl with dried shrimp.

Return now empty skillet to high heat,
add 2 teaspoons oil and heat until just smoking. Add whole shrimp and spread
into even layer. Cook, without stirring, until shrimp turn opaque and brown
around the edges, 2 to 3 minutes, flipping halfway through. Push shrimp to 1
side of skillet. Add 2 teaspoons oil to cleared side of skillet. Add eggs to
clearing. Using rubber spatula, stir eggs gently and cook until set but still
wet. Stir eggs into shrimp and continue to cook, breaking up large pieces of
egg, until eggs are fully cooked, 30 to 60 seconds longer. Transfer shrimp/egg
mixture to bowl with garlic and dried shrimp.

9.Add 2 teaspoons oil to now empty skillet and heat until smoking. Add noodles
and tamarind sauce and toss with tongs to coat. Cook, stirring and tossing
often, until noodles are tender and have absorbed sauce, 2 to 4 minutes.
Transfer noodles to bowl with shrimp. Add bean sprouts, scallion greens, drained
radishes, and 2 teaspoons of chile vinegar and toss to combine.

10.Transfer to platter and sprinkle with peanuts. Serve immediately passing lime
wedges and remaining chile vinegar separately.