A step by step recipe on how to cook Pad Thai Noodles, a Thai favourite, complete with how to make Pad Thai sauce and suggestions for Vegetarian Pad Thai.
This is fairly quick and can be made way in advance and kept in the fridge. Be warned, if you're not used to the smell of fish sauce, my kids say it stinks!
Put all the sauce ingredients apart from the chilli into a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Add how much chilli you want, depending on how hot you like it. Taste it (yup, you'll get used to it!) and make sure that it's hot enough. Don't put too much chilli in at once. If you don't have palm sugar, add a tbsp more of white sugar, if that's what you're using. That's it, it's done!
Cooking Pad Thai
Heat the oil in a large wok on medium high heat and cook the tofu for a minute, stirring constantly (and any meat, if using).
Add the garlic, a tbsp of pad thai sauce to flavour the tofu, stir, 10 seconds.
Add the beansprouts, noodles and half a cup (100-120ml) of pad thai sauce, stirring vigorously to coat everything, 20 seconds.
Add prawns now, if using. Another stir to coat and cook for 2 minutes.
Push noodles to one side of wok, add the 2 eggs, scramble slightly and let it set for about 20-30 seconds. Then give everything a good mix.
Make sure the prawns are done, turn the heat off, add the dried shrimp floss, pickled turnips and half the ground peanuts, give everything a quick stir to mix thoroughly.
Squeeze some fresh lime juice, transfer to a serving dish or individual plates, scatter with spring onions and a little more peanuts and serve immediately.