Classic Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 7-8 ounces rice noodles
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or vegetable oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 container baked tofu or firm tofu
- 4 green onions, cut into 2-inch strips
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped
Preparation
For the sauce: 4 tablespoons soy sauce, 4 tablespoons cane sugar sugar, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon Sriracha, 2 tbsp pure tamarind paste OR (for homemade: 6 sweet tamarind pods + 1 cup hot water: in this case use 4 tbsp of the homemade tamarind paste)
Notes: Tamarind paste is sometimes difficult to find thats why I like making my own! It is easy to make too! *DON’T skip the tamarind paste. Its the primary flavor in pad Thai! -You could find tamarind pods in an Asian grocery store and sometimes even regular grocery stores too! -If you buy the rice noodles in an asian market buy the “rice sticks; pho noodles” or at a regular grocery store they are typically just called either Pad Thai noodles or rice noodles
If you have chosen to make your own tamarind paste, take off the shell of 6 tamarind pods then place in a bowl with 1 cup of hot water. Let sit for 5 minutes then using a large fork break down the tamarind, smashing it and mixing…it should create a lumpy sauce, Mix until it becomes a bit smoother…you will see the seeds & a bit of lumpiness
Next grab a medium bowl and spoon out 2 tbsp of tamarind sauce into the bowl (make sure to not get any seeds or big lumps) if using store bought tamarind paste use 2 tbsp, then add cane sugar, lime juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce and Sriracha and minced garlic. Whisk together until smooth and set aside