Shrimp pad thai with tamarind sauce and crushed peanuts

Tangy, sweet, and savory all at once — chewy rice noodles tossed with juicy shrimp, scrambled egg, and a punchy tamarind-lime sauce that hits every corner of your mouth.

25 minmediumThai

Prep

10 min

Cook

15 min

Total

25 min

Ingredients

4servings

225 g flat rice noodlesabout 5mm wide, sometimes labeled pad thai noodles
450 g large shrimppeeled and deveined, tail-off
3 large eggslightly beaten
150 g bean sprouts
4 green onionssliced, whites and greens separated
3 garlic clovescloves, minced
2 tbs tamarind pasteconcentrated, not tamarind water
2 tbs fish sauce
1 ½ tbs brown sugarpacked
2 lime1 juiced, 1 cut into wedges
3 tbs avocado oil
40 g roasted unsalted peanutsroughly crushed
½ tsp dried red chili flakes

Steps

1
Soak the rice noodles in a large bowl of warm (not boiling) water for 8-10 minutes until pliable but still slightly firm — they should bend easily without snapping. Drain well and set aside.
Tip: Don't use boiling water or the noodles will turn mushy. They'll finish cooking in the wok.
2
While the noodles soak, make the sauce: in a small bowl, whisk together the tamarind paste, fish sauce, brown sugar, juice of 1 lime, and chili flakes until the sugar dissolves. Taste it — it should be a balance of sour, salty, and sweet. Set aside.
Tip: If your tamarind paste is very thick, add 1 tbs of warm water to loosen it.
3
Heat 1 tbs of avocado oil in the wok over high heat until it just starts to smoke. Add the shrimp in a single layer and cook without moving for about 1.5 minutes until the bottoms turn pink and get a light char. Flip and cook 1 minute more. Transfer to a plate immediately — they'll finish cooking later.
Tip: Don't crowd the wok. If your wok is small, sear the shrimp in two batches for better color.
4
Return the wok to high heat with 1 tbs of avocado oil. Pour in the beaten eggs and let them set for about 15 seconds on the bottom, then scramble into large, soft curds using tongs or a spatula — about 30 seconds total. Transfer to the plate with the shrimp.
5
Add the remaining 1 tbs of avocado oil to the wok over high heat. Add the garlic and green onion whites and stir constantly for about 20 seconds until fragrant — don't let the garlic brown.
6
Add the drained noodles to the wok and pour the sauce over them. Toss constantly with tongs, lifting and turning the noodles so they absorb the sauce evenly. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the noodles are tender and coated in a glossy, slightly sticky sauce.
Tip: If the noodles stick, add a splash of water (1-2 tbs) to loosen things up.
7
Return the shrimp and scrambled egg to the wok. Add the bean sprouts and most of the green onion greens (save a small handful for garnish). Toss everything together over high heat for about 1 minute until heated through and the bean sprouts just barely soften.
8
Divide among plates. Top with crushed peanuts, the remaining green onion greens, and lime wedges from the second lime for squeezing over.
Tip: Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in a hot skillet with a splash of water to loosen the noodles back up.