Chicken Phad Thai

I hesitated posting Phad Thai, but it's so delicious and easy to make at home.  There are credentials too, after making it in Thai cooking school in Koh Samui.  Wide rice noodles (10 mm) are perfect for this.  The sauce is just smashing, spicy, salty, sour and a touch of sweet.

A Phad Thai can have all manner of proteins, today I chose egg (a staple for the dish if am being honest) and chicken.  Prawns, tofu, pork are all fair game.

The sauce truly makes it, pound chilli, spring onion, tamarind, sugar, dried shrimp paste and fish sauce in a pestle and mortar, ready to fry later.

I missed a trick, though, leftover beanshoots from those Lunar New Year longevity noodles could have cheerfully gone in.  Ohh well, next time!

Ingredients (2):

Sauce:

2 spring onion, white parts, chopped

1.5 TBSP Tamarind

2 tsp sugar

2 lime leaves, finely chopped

1 TBSP fish sauce

1 TBSP lime juice

3 birds eye chillies, chopped (red and green is fine)

1/2 tsp dried shrimp paste

Stir fry:

2 eggs, beaten with 2 TBSP water and a spash of oil

120g rice noodles, cooked according to packet instructions, rinsed and drizzled with oil (to prevent sticking)

1 medium onion, finely sliced

250g sliced chicken breast

1 TBSP Stir fry oil, I like Rice Bran

Method:

Make the sauce by pounding or blending the sauce ingredients together. The aroma will be amazing.

Wok or pan cook the eggs quickly over a good heat and in a little oil, 30 seconds or so then remove and shred. (They'll be added to the stir fry later).

Reheat the wok/pan, add a little oil and begin to stir fry the chicken and onion, medium heat (enough to colour the meat).  

After 1 minute or so, add the sauce. (It smells beautiful!)

30 seconds later, add the noodles, stir, then the egg.

Toss to heat through and serve, the chopped spring onion greens are a handy garnish. Salted peanuts are an option.

Tips:

Tamarind can be bought as a natural sauce, it stores well in the fridge or frozen.

Lime leaves also freeze beautifully and are so aromatic.

More Thai favourites:

Khao Soi from Loïc

Thai Red Chicken Curry-with Squash and Kale