The elements of spicy, sweet, salty, and sour are expertly balanced in this well-known Thai noodle dish. This recipe is based on a classic meal served in Bangkok. Unlike many Western variations served in restaurants, this dish is not drowning in sauce. Every bite of the meal has a delicate covering of excellent sauce and is full of flavor. To allow for individual flavor adjustments, serve with lime wedges, fish sauce, sugar, white pepper or pepper flakes, and vinegar on the table.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 15 mins |
| Additional Time: | 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 55 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 7 ounces 1/4-inch thick rice stick noodles
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons raw peanuts, or more to taste
- 6 Thai chile peppers, seeded and minced, or more to taste
- 1 shallot, minced, or more to taste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced, or more to taste
- 1 pound boneless chicken, cut into 1/4-inch strips
- ⅓ cup extra-firm tofu, cut into matchsticks
- 2 ½ tablespoons white sugar
- 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
- 1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper, or to taste
- 1 egg
- ¼ pound large shrimp – peeled, deveined, and tails removed (Optional)
- 1 cup bean sprouts (Optional)
- 1 cup chopped fresh chives (Optional)
- 1 lime, juiced
Instructions
- Place noodles in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside until noodles are flexible but still firm, about 10 minutes. Drain.
- Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat until it starts to smoke. Add oil; heat until it shimmers. Add peanuts; cook and stir until roasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from wok.
- Stir chile peppers, shallot, and garlic into the oil; cook and stir until garlic just begins to brown, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and tofu; cook until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 4 to 5 minutes. Add noodles, stirring quickly to mix in and prevent them from sticking. Add sugar, tamarind paste, fish sauce, and white pepper together; cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.
- Push noodle mixture to one side of the wok; crack egg into the empty space. Stir until scrambled, 1 to 2 minutes; fold into noodles. Stir in shrimp; cook until opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Add roasted peanuts, bean sprouts, chives, and lime juice; cook and stir until flavors combine, 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Substitute peanut oil for the vegetable oil if desired. Substitute 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes for the Thai chile peppers if desired. Substitute pork for the chicken if preferred. Substitute brown sugar for the white sugar if preferred. Swap regular chives for the Chinese chives if preferred.
- If you cannot find tamarind paste, use 2 tablespoons white vinegar instead.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 536 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 66 g |
| Cholesterol | 148 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Protein | 36 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Sodium | 626 mg |
| Sugars | 13 g |
| Fat | 15 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Made it as written. Very good.
Very, very good. I used miso instead of fish sauce. Thank you for the recipe.