Pad Thai with prawns
Marni Xuto’s authentic version of this classic Thai dish is made all-in-one with no need to wash the wok as you go. Get all the ingredients ready then whip up this speedy supper in under 10 minutes.
Ingredients
For the pad Thai
- 75g/2¾oz medium dried rice noodles
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 25g/1oz firm tofu, cut into matchsticks
- 2 free-range eggs
- 125g/4½oz raw king prawns, heads and shells removed and deveined
- 1 tsp dried red chilli flakes
- ½ tsp sugar
- 70²µ/2½´Ç³ú beansprouts
- ½ tbsp Chinese preserved turnip or radish, finely chopped (optional, see Recipe Tip)
- 25g/1oz peanuts, roughly chopped
- 1 lime, ½ juiced and ¼ cut into a wedge to serve
- 1 spring onion or 10g garlic chives, sliced
- 3-4 fresh coriander leaves
- pinch of salt
For the sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ shallot, finely sliced
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp coconut palm sugar
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- pinch white pepper
Method
Cook the rice noodles according to packet instructions, or soak them in room temperature water for about 1 hour. Drain and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, then add the tofu and fry until golden brown in colour, about 4–5 minutes. Transfer the tofu to a plate.
Return the pan to the heat (no need to wash). Crack the eggs into the pan. Once the eggs are half cooked, stir to create a marble effect. When just cooked through, transfer to a plate.
Return the pan to the heat, add the prawns and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3–4 minutes then transfer to a plate and return the pan to the heat.
To make the sauce, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the pan then add the shallot and gently fry until soft. Add the garlic followed by all the remaining ingredients for the sauce. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to medium.
Stir in the soaked rice noodles and 1 tablespoon of oil and cook until slightly softened and easy to work with. If needed, add 1–2 tablespoons of water.
Return the tofu, egg and prawns back into the frying pan. Follow with the chilli flakes, sugar, most of the beansprouts, the preserved turnip (if using), peanuts, 1 tsp lime juice and the spring onions or garlic chives. Heat through and stir well.
Decant your homemade pad Thai onto a serving plate. Garnish with coriander, the rest of the fresh beansprouts and some lime wedges. Serve immediately.
Recipe Tips
You can add a few more noodles or a bigger pack of prawns to make this recipe serve 2 hungry people, but it's so packed with ingredients and flavour you may find you don't need to.
Chopped pickled turnip is made by pickling daikon radish. It has a sharp salty flavour yet has a sweet aftertaste. You can find it in Asian supermarkets.
When cooking any stir-fried dishes with only a short amount of time, like this one, make sure you cut and prepare all the ingredients in advance.