Pad Thai Recipe

I was in Bangkok for a Thai kickboxing camp. At the camp, we had a lady who was responsible for cooking for all of us. I approached her if I can learn how to make some Thai dishes from her and managed to get the recipe of Pad Thai as well. This is one of my favorite dishes as it beautifully combines the taste of salty, spicy, sweet and sour. So, here we go, an authentic Pad Thai recipe straight out of Bangkok, Thailand.

Ingredients:

1. 4 tbsp tamarind paste (use more lemon and vinegar if you do not have tamarind paste)
2. Half squeezed lemon
3. 1 tbsp vinegar
4. 2 tbsp chilli sauce
5. 3 tsp sugar
6. 4 tbsp fish sauce (soya sauce if you do not have fish sauce)
7. 2-3 tbsp oil
8. A few pieces of prawns
9. A few cubed pieces of tofu
10. Shredded pieces of chicken (or other meat of your choice)
11. 2 eggs
12. 4 minced cloves of garlic
13. 125g rice band noodles
14. Crushed peanuts
15. A few strands of spring onions
16. A few bean sprouts
17. Chopped coriander leaves (optional for garnishing)
18. A few Basil leaves (optional for garnishing)

Preparation:

1. Create the Pad Thai sauce by mixing tamarind paste, lemon, vinegar, chilli sauce, fish sauce and sugar.
2. To the wok with hot oil, add the minced garlic, prawns, tofu and chicken, and fry them for a while.
3. To the above mix of meat and tofu, create some space in the wok and add the eggs, scramble them a bit and mix them altogether.
4. To this mix, add the noodles and then add the paste that you created in the first step.
5. Stir the mix created in step 5 and add a few bean sprouts and spring onions to it.
6. Cook the dish for a while until the sauce is soaked and the noodles gets completely cooked.
7. Garnish it with a slice of lemon, some basil, coriander, crushed peanuts and extra spring onions and bean sprouts.

Note: The strength of the individual sauces can vary depending on your taste, brand and what you use. If you are a person disliking a strong taste of sweet, spicy, sour or salty, adjust the measurements accordingly. I personally like it to be a little less sweet and a bit more spicy and tangy. However, this recipe is not the adjusted recipe based on my taste.