Pad Thai with Shrimp Thai Food

You'll find this recipe easier than traditional Pad Thai recipes, and yet the taste is all there. Many of you are discovering that tamaraind paste - a traditional ingredient in pad thai - is difficult to find. But I have learned in my travels that originally pad thai was made without tamarind (it didn't become part of the standard recipe until much later), hence this recipe made with lime juice instead of tamarind. This simple swap makes the pad Thai sauce easy to put together, and so much better than bottled or packaged pad Thai sauces, which can never give you the same taste as fresh. I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Prep Time: 12 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 24 minutes

Yield: SERVES 2

Ingredients:

• 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
• PAD THAI SAUCE:
• 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 (use wheat-free for gluten-free diets)
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1/8 tsp. white pepper

Preparation:

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.
2. Toss shrimp in 1 Tbsp. soy sauce and set aside. Next, combine 'Pad Thai Sauce' ingredients, stirring to dissolve sugar. Set aside.
3. 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).
4. 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).
5. 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!

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.