Pad Thai with prawns (pad thai goong)

It’s impossible to think of Thai food without thinking of pad Thai, perhaps the best-known Thai dish in the world - and it's pretty straightforward to make.

Credit: Alana Dimou

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 50 g (1¾ oz) dried thin, flat rice noodles
• 80 ml (2½ fl oz/⅓ cup) vegetable oil
• 300 g (10½ oz) banana prawns (shrimp), peeled and deveined
• 120 g (4 oz) firm tofu, cut into 2 cm × 1 cm (¾ in × ½ in) pieces
• 90 g (3 oz/1 cup) bean sprouts
• 2 duck eggs
• 25 g (1 oz) garlic chives, cut into 5-cm (2-in) lengths, plus extra to serve
• 30 g (1 oz) dried shrimp
• 3 tbsp chopped pickled turnip
• 2 lime wedges

Pad thai sauce

• 3 tbsp tamarind sauce
• 35 g (1¼ oz) coconut sugar
• 2 tbsp fish sauce

Soaking time: 20 minutes

Instructions

1. Fill a large bowl with cold water and soak the noodles until softened, about 20–30 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside.
2. To make the pad Thai sauce, combine all the ingredients in a non-reactive bowl, mix well and set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a wok over medium–high heat and stir-fry the prawns for 2 minutes, until golden and just cooked. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on paper towel. Add the tofu to the wok and stir-fry until golden, then add the bean sprouts and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Pour in the pad thai sauce, followed by the noodles. Stir vigorously to mix well.
4. Move the noodles to one side of the wok. Crack the eggs into the space created and allow to cook, undisturbed, until half set. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, scramble the eggs together and fry until golden, then incorporate into the noodles. Add the prawns, garlic chives, dried shrimp and pickled turnip and stir for 30 seconds, then remove from the heat.
5. Divide the pad Thai between two plates and serve garnished with the lime wedges, banana blossom and whole garlic chives.

 

Recipe and images from Bangkok Local by Sareen Rojanametin and Jean Thamthanakorn, Smith Street Books, RRP $39.99

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.