Traditional Pad Thai with Tofu
Serves two
This is a traditional recipe that I learnt from a chef in Thailand over 30 years ago and I never tire of eating it. It isn't sweet, in fact it follows the more authentic spicy and sour flavours of the less occidentalised dishes we are used to eating in the west.
Ingredients
2 tbsp Oil
200gm Extra firm or firm tofu, cut into 1cm cubes
2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
1 Egg, beaten
120gm Rice Stick Noodles, soaked until soft and drained (about 20 mins)
4 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 ½ tbsp Fish Sauce
½ tsp Sugar
½ tsp Chilli Powder
1 tbsp Roasted Peanuts, bashed to break up
120gm Bean Sprouts
3 Spring Onions, cut into 3cm pieces, diagonally
Coriander to garnish, coarsely chopped
Get all your ingredients ready before starting the cooking process!
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In a wok, heat the oil over a medium-high heat and fry the tofu, being careful not to break it up, for about 2 mins. Add the garlic and when golden (30 seconds), add the egg, stirring quickly for a couple of seconds. Add the drained noodles, stir well to ensure they mix well with the egg etc. One by one, add the lemon juice, fish sauce, sugar, peanuts, chilli powder, bean sprouts and spring onions, stirring quickly all the time. When you feel the bean sprouts and onions have warmed through, serve. Garnish with coriander.
N.B. To simplify matters, the lemon juice can be mixed with the fish sauce before cooking. As well as mixing the sugar, peanuts and chilli powder. The same with the bean sprouts and spring onions.