Shrimp Pad Thai

By á-235

Tips: When making more than 8 oz. of noodles, I usually double the pad Thai sauce. Avoid making more than 12 oz. of noodles at any one time, simply because as it's hard to turn the noodles and get them cooked evenly without over-cooking them.

Ingredients

• PAD THAI SAUCE:
• 8 oz. Pad Thai rice noodles, or enough for 2 people
• 12-15 small to medium raw shrimp, shells removed
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce (use wheat-free for gluten-free diets)
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. grated ginger
• 1 egg
• 2-3 cups bean sprouts
• 2-3 green onions, sliced
• handful fresh coriander/cilantro
• 1/3 cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped
• 2-3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup chicken stock
• 3 Tbsp. vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 3-4 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, to taste

Details

Adapted from thaifood.about.com

Preparation

Step 1

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Dunk in noodles and boil until they are limp but still firm and a little "crunchy" to taste. The noodles should be undercooked, as they will be fried later. Rinse with cool water and set aside.

Toss shrimp in 1 Tbsp. soy sauce and set aside.

Next, combine 'Pad Thai Sauce' ingredients, stirring to dissolve sugar. Set aside.

Warm a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 Tbsp. oil and swirl around, then add garlic and ginger. Stir-fry 1 minute and add the shrimp. Stir-fry 2 minutes, or until shrimp are pink and plump. Push ingredients aside and drizzle a little more oil into the pan. Crack in the egg and stir-fry quickly to scramble (30 seconds).

Add noodles and drizzle over 1/3 of the pad Thai sauce. Using a gentle turning motion, stir-fry everything together. Add more sauce every 30 seconds to 1 minute until sauce is used up and noodles begin to get sticky and chewy tasting ('al dente' - 5 to 8 minutes).

Turn off heat. Fold in bean sprouts and green onion. Taste-test, adding more fish sauce if not flavorful enough. If too salty or sweet, add a good squeeze of lime. Sprinkle over the nuts and coriander. Thai chili sauce can be served on the side for those who like it extra spicy. ENJOY!