Authentic Pad Thai

• porzioni: Serves 3 to 4
• tempo di preparazione: 35 min
• tempo totale: 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredienti

227 g narrow dried rice noodles

56 g boneless pork, thinly sliced and cut into narrow strips about 1 1/2 inches long

1 teaspoon sugar (preferably palm sugar although light brown or granulated will work just fine)

1 heaping tablespoon tamarind pulp dissolved in 2 to 3 tablespoons warm water (or substitute 1 tablespoon rice vinegar plus 1 tablespoon water)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

3 large eggs

pinch salt

3 tablespoons peanut oil or mild vegetable oil

2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced

56 to 85 g firm tofu, cut into narrow strips about 1 1/2 inches long

227 g bean sprouts, rinsed and drained

3 scallions, trimmed, smashed with the flat side of a knife and cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths

1 tablespoon dried shrimp (optional)

1 tablespoon salted radish (optional)

142 g roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

2 to 4 tablespoons cilantro leaves (optional)

Chile-Vinegar Sauce

1 lime, cut into small wedges

Istruzioni

Soak the rice noodles in very, very warm water for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the pork in a small bowl, add the sugar, and toss to coat. In a medium bowl, combine the tamarind water (or rice vinegar and water), soy sauce, and fish sauce. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs and a pinch of salt. Place all 3 bowls near the stovetop.

Place a large wok or ginormous skillet over high heat. (You need a large wok to prepare this amount of noodles, as the noodles take up a lot of room, and you need to be able to push some ingredients up the sides of the wok while you cook other ingredients. If your wok is small, make this recipe in two batches.) Add about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil to the pan. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the garlic and stir-fry briefly just until it begins to change color, about 15 seconds.

Toss in the pork and stir-fry until the pork changes color but isn’t cooked through, less than 1 minute. Add the tofu and press it against the sides of the wok with your spatula to scorch it a little, 10 to 20 seconds. Pour in the egg mixture and let it cook just until it starts to set around the pork and tofu, less than 1 minute. Use your spatula to cut the omelet into large pieces, then transfer everything to a plate and set aside.

Return the wok to high heat. Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and swirl to coat. Toss the drained noodles into the wok and stir-fry vigorously, pressing them against the hot wok briefly to sear them, then turn them and press them against the side of the wok again. The noodles will initially seem dry and unwieldy, but don’t worry, just keep folding them over and pressing them onto the wok. After about 1 minute, they will have softened more and be warm.

Move the noodles up the sides of the wok and toss in 2 to 2 1/2 cups of the bean sprouts and the scallions. Stir-fry vigorously for about 20 seconds, pressing them against the hot wok and turning them so they wilt. Add the dried shrimp and salted radish, if using, and toss briefly with your spatula, then add the soy sauce mixture. Stir-fry for about another 30 seconds, gradually incorporating noodles into the bean sprout mixture. Add the reserved egg-meat mixture and toss gently to mix everything together.

Turn the noodles out onto a platter or onto individual plates. Sprinkle some of the chopped peanuts onto the noodles, then place the rest of the peanuts in a bowl as a condiment to be passed on the side so folks can add extra as they wish. Do the same with the cilantro. Place the remaining bean sprouts in a bowl and set them on the table. Pass the Chile-Vinegar Sauce and the lime wedges. Originally published January 23, 2012.