Pad Thai with Prawns
Saiphin Moore from UK's most popular Thai chain Rosa’s Thai Cafe visited School of Wok and showed us how to cook the most authentic Pad Thai.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 300g (10oz) rice noodles, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes, then drained
- 8–10 prawns, shelled, deveined and heads removed, if preferred
- 2 tablespoons dried turnip
- 2 handfuls of bean sprouts
- Bunch of Chinese chives or 2 spring onions, chopped
- Fried tofu, cut into small pieces
The Sauce
- 3 tablespoons tamarind paste
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 shallots, chopped
- 2 tablespoons palm sugar
- 2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
To serve
- Chilli powder, to taste
- Lime wedges
- 4 tablespoons roasted peanuts, crushed
Method
First make the Pad Thai sauce. You can make a big batch and keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Fry the shallots in cooking oil over medium heat until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Add palm sugar and tamarind paste to the shallots and mix well until the sugar is fully dissolved. Add fish sauce and dark soy sauce and cook for 2 minutes until the sauce thickens and golden brown. Set aside.
Now for the Pad Thai. Add cooking oil to the wok over medium high heat. Add eggs straight in and scramble it up. Add prawns to the half-cooked eggs and cook for about 2-3 minutes until the prawns are cooked through. Add the noodles, Pad Thai sauce and turn up to high heat. Mix well and cook for about a minute until the noodles take on the golden brown colour. Add the turnips and tofu and sti for just 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and add beansprouts and chives; I like them crunchy so the heat from the noodles will cook them just right. Serve with the garnish.
- 2 eggs
- 300g (10oz) rice noodles, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes, then drained
- 8–10 prawns, shelled, deveined and heads removed, if preferred
- 2 tablespoons dried turnip
- 2 handfuls of bean sprouts
- Bunch of Chinese chives or 2 spring onions, chopped
- Fried tofu, cut into small pieces
The Sauce
- 3 tablespoons tamarind paste
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 shallots, chopped
- 2 tablespoons palm sugar
- 2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
To serve
- Chilli powder, to taste
- Lime wedges
- 4 tablespoons roasted peanuts, crushed
First make the Pad Thai sauce. You can make a big batch and keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Fry the shallots in cooking oil over medium heat until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Add palm sugar and tamarind paste to the shallots and mix well until the sugar is fully dissolved. Add fish sauce and dark soy sauce and cook for 2 minutes until the sauce thickens and golden brown. Set aside.
Now for the Pad Thai. Add cooking oil to the wok over medium high heat. Add eggs straight in and scramble it up. Add prawns to the half-cooked eggs and cook for about 2-3 minutes until the prawns are cooked through. Add the noodles, Pad Thai sauce and turn up to high heat. Mix well and cook for about a minute until the noodles take on the golden brown colour. Add the turnips and tofu and sti for just 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and add beansprouts and chives; I like them crunchy so the heat from the noodles will cook them just right. Serve with the garnish.