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Pad Thai chicken

Rice & noodles

30 mins

Super Easy

Pad Thai is probably the most famous of all Thai noodle dishes. It’s always a safe bet to serve this dish because everybody loves it, even the fussiest of eaters. Deliciously pungent tamarind is the key ingredient in this dish. My ‘secret’ is in the sauce; add a teaspoon of dark soy sauce to the Pad Thai sauce to give it a nice colour when stir fried.

Pad Thai is super easy to make at home, but if you’d rater have the experts make it, give it a try in one of our restaurants instead.

Ingredients

2 eggs, roughly beaten (1 per person)
300g rice noodles, soaked in warm water for 10-20 minutes, then drained
300g (10oz) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons dried turnip (available from Asian supermarkets, leave out if you haven't got any)
2 handfuls of bean sprouts
Chilli powder, to taste (optional)
Bunch of Chinese chives or 2 spring onions, chopped
4 tablespoons roasted peanuts, crushed
Lime wedges, to serve
For the pad thai sauce
3 tablespoons tamarind paste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 shallots, chopped
2 tablespoons palm sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

Method

Soak the dried noodles in warm/room temperature water for up to 20 minutes until softened (see instructions on the packet, each brand is different).
First make the sauce. Soak the tamarind paste in 6 tablespoons of warm water, then stir until it becomes a thick liquid. (If using the whole tamarind like me in the video, soak it in warm water, then squeeze the meat out from the pulp, use the thick liquid in the sauce)
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wok, add the shallots and stir-fry until almost golden brown. Carefully add the tamarind sauce (in case it spits) and cook for 1 minute to reduce slightly.
Add the palm sugar, stirring to break it up, then stir in the fish sauce and dark soy sauce, and continue to cook over a high heat for 1 minute until it has thickened slightly. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and set aside.
Now for the Pad Thai. Add the chicken and scramble the beaten eggs in a hot wok with the remaining oil, until the chicken and eggs are almost fully cooked. Add the noodles and mix in the prepared sauce and continue to stir-fry until the noodles take on a nice golden brown colour. Add the bean sprouts and Chinese chives (or spring onion) and keep stir-frying for another 2 minutes until cooked through.
Transfer the noodles to plates and serve immediately with lime wedges, crushed peanuts and a sprinkle of chilli powder.