Pad Thai

This is a wonderful combination of noodles, prawns and crunchy fresh veggies, coated in a distinctive sweet and tangy sauce. Little dried shrimp and preserved radish, with its soft but chewy texture and unique flavour, are two of the essential ingredients.

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 40 ml vegetable oil
• 6 large green prawns, peeled, deveined
• 10 g dried shrimp
• ¼ red onion, sliced
• 40 g firm tofu, sliced
• 40 g shredded preserved radish 
• 2 eggs
• 200 g flat rice noodles, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes, drained
• garlic chives (some chopped and some left whole to garnish)
• 100 g bean sprouts
• 1 tbsp fried shallots
• chopped roasted peanuts, roasted chilli powder, lime wedges, to serve

Sauce 

• 100 g tamarind pulp 
• 300 ml warm water 
• 200 g palm sugar 
• 50 g caster sugar 
• 150 ml Thai seasoning sauce

Soaking time 30 minutes

Instructions

Combine the tamarind and warm water in a bowl. Break up the pulp with your fingers until it is dissolving into the water. Strain the water into a saucepan, squeezing all the liquid from the pulp. Add the palm sugar, caster sugar and seasoning sauce. Bring to the boil, then simmer until reduced and slightly syrupy.

Heat a little oil in a wok and when hot, add the prawns. Fry until they curl and change colour then add the dried shrimp, onion, tofu and radish. Stir-fry briefly then push the ingredients to one side and crack in the eggs, breaking them up just a little. Without letting them cook completely, add the noodles, 2 tablespoons of water, a few scoops of tamarind sauce (or to taste) and some chopped garlic chives, bean sprouts, fried shallots, peanuts and chilli powder to taste. Stir briefly then serve garnished with whole garlic chives, more bean sprouts, fried shallots, peanuts and wedges of lime.

Photography by Sharyn Cairns. Styling by Lee Blaylock. Food preparation by Tiffany Page.

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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.