Ingredients :
225g Thai rice noodles
15 small to medium raw shrimp
150 g boneless chicken breast or 1 to 2 thighs, cut into small pieces
1 tbsp soy sauce
4 green onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp grated galangal or ginger
2 fresh red or green peppers, finely chopped
1 egg
3 cups bean sprouts
Fresh coriander
1/3 cup crushed roasted peanuts
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lemon or lime wedge for serving
Sauce:
1 tbsp tamarind paste
1/4 cup chicken broth
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp chili sauce OR 1/3 to 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper, to taste
1/8 tsp ground white pepper
Recipe :
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then turn off the heat. Add the noodles and soak for 3-4 minutes, or until the noodles are soft but still firm and have a bit of a crunch. Tip: The noodles should remain cooked at this stage as they will be fried later. This is the key to chewy 'al dente' rice noodles. Drain and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Set aside.
Toss sliced chicken in 1 tbsp soy sauce and set aside.
In a small bowl or cup, mix all the ingredients for the sauce (note that if your tamarind paste is very thick, add only 1 tablespoon, if it is runny, add 1 + 1/2 tablespoon). Taste the sauce, looking for a very strong flavor that tastes sweet and sour at first, then salty and spicy. Set aside.
Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and stir, then add the white parts of the onion (reserve the green parts for serving), plus the garlic, galangal/ginger and chilli. Stir-fry for 1 minute.
Add chicken and sauté 2 minutes or until opaque.
Add shrimp and continue to sauté 2-3 minutes more, or until shrimp are pink.
Push the ingredients aside, make room in the center of your wok/pan and crack the egg in. Stir it quickly to scramble it (30 seconds to 1 minute).
Add the noodles and drizzle with 1/3 of the Thai sauce.
Using 2 utensils and a slight rotating motion, stir-fry everything together.
Keep the heat between medium and high – you want it hot enough to cook the noodles, but not so hot that you burn them.
Add more sauce every 30 seconds to 1 minute as the pan/wok becomes drier.
Continue frying until the sauce is gone and the noodles begin to become sticky and "glazed" and taste chewy ("al dente" (5 to 7 minutes).
Turn off the heat.
Stir in the bean sprouts and taste.
If it's not flavorful or salty enough, add more fish sauce.
If too salty or sweet, add a squeeze of tamarind or a good squeeze of lime. If not spicy enough, add more chili sauce or freshly chopped chilies.
Sprinkle with green onion, walnuts and cilantro, and garnish with lime wedges (squeeze before eating).
Thai chili sauce can be served on the side for those who like spicy sauce (pregnant women please refrain)