Almost Authentic Pad Thai

Pad thai is definitely one of my partner’s favourite meals. His take on pad thai is the westernized version with loads of ketchup. I decided to make an almost authentic pad thai. I say “almost” because I followed a recipe from Hot Thai Kitchen https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/pad-thai/ but added some ketchup and my own spin to the recipe. Classic pad thai is delicious and full of wonderful flavours. I prefer it traditional but I thought I would entertain the thought of adding some ketchup or tomato paste to the sauce to give it the taste my partner preferred. (I would recommend trying Hot Thai’s pad thai. It is to die for!)

Begin by preparing the noodles. Soak about 4 ounces of dry rice noodles in room temperature water for about 1 hour. This will make the noodles pliable and easier to work with. When the noodles are ready, cut them in half to make them easier to stir in the pan. Set the noodles aside in a sealed container until ready to use.

While prepping the noodles, also marinate 1/2 lb diced chicken with 2-3 tablespoons fish sauce. The fish sauce give the chicken a nice flavour. Let the chicken marinate for about 1 hour.

Prepare the pad thai sauce. For the sauce you will need 3 tablespoons palm sugar, 1/4 cup tamarind paste, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, and 3 tablespoons of water. For my version, I also added 3 tablespoons of tomato paste.

Add the palm sugar to a sauce pan and heat until the sugar melts. Once it has melted and bubbles, add the remainder of the ingredients. Bring it to a boil and turn off. Set aside while you make the rest of the ingredients.

Add 2 tablespoons of oil into a hot pan and cook the marinated chicken. Once the chicken is cooked, set aside and prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Sauté the carrots in the same pan until it is soft and set it aside with the chicken. Add another 1-2 tablespoons oil to the pan and turn the heat to medium. Add the dried shrimp, garlic and onions. Cook until garlic and onion are slightly browned. Add the bean sprouts and also cook slightly.

Scramble the 2 eggs and add it the hot pan. Cook the eggs with the other ingredients.

Add the soaked noodles and the sauce. Turn the heat to medium high and keep stirring until the noodles has absorbed the sauce. Add a bit of water to the pan if the noodles are not soft enough. Don’t add too much. The pad thai is ready when the noodles are fully cooked.

Enjoy with a squeeze of lime and some fresh cilantro!