Authentic Pad Thai Moo
Arek’s original recipe from Ko Pha Ngan
Once upon a time, our good friend Arek came to visit us to cook. He announced that he had already bought everything and that I didn’t need to worry about anything. Of course I was happy to put up with that!
When he arrived, he had a recipe for Pad Thai from a cooking school on our favourite Thai island, Ko Pha Ngan, and all the necessary ingredients in his luggage. I’ve written down the recipe for a Thai Pad Thai Mhu that we conjured up for you.
Ingredients for two servings
For the sauce
- 1½ tbsp tamarind paste
- 1 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 150ml water
- a shallot
- a spring onion
For the noodles
- 200g lean pork
- 150g flat rice noodles
- 4-5 yard long beans
- a shallot
- one garlic clove
- a handful of mung bean sprouts
- a handful of peanuts (unsalted and unroasted)
- half a lime
- a sprig of coriander
- 1 tsp coarse chili powder
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
Preparation
First of all, roast the peanuts for about five minutes in a pan without oil. They are ready when they give off their flavour and are already slightly brown. Place the roasted peanuts in a mortar and pestle to make coarse crumbs and set aside.
Heat enough water and soak the rice noodles in it until they are soft but still a little firm to the bite.
Now peel and finely chop the two shallots and the garlic clove. Cut the firm parts of the spring onion and the dried chilli pepper into fine rings . Then cut the snake beans into pieces three to four centimetres long and the pork into fine strips. Then cut the half lime into quarters.
Then bring the water to the boil in a small pan and stir in the tamarind paste, palm sugar, one of the shallots, the spring onion rings and the salt and simmer for five to eight minutes until the sauce has thickened.
Now heat the oil in a large pan or wok and fry the remaining shallot and garlic until they both release their flavour. Now add the pork strips and the snake bean pieces and stir-fry until the meat is cooked through.
Next, add the rice noodles and the sauce from the small pan, mix everything well and simmer over a low heat until the noodles are soft.
Stir in some of the mung bean sprouts and leave to stand for another minute.
Finally mix everything well again and divide between plates. Sprinkle a few spoonfuls of peanut crumbs, a few lime wedges and some coriander greens on each plate . Sprinkle the noodles with chilli powder, garnish with some raw mung bean sprouts and serve hot.
