Epicurious' 4 Levels series showcases a novice, advanced and professional cook preparing a classic dish with differing approaches. In the latest episode, Culinary Arts Chef-Instructor King Phojanakong shares his pro version of pad Thai wrapped in an omelet and topped with a deep-fried jumbo prawn.
Chef King says soft, chewy and crunchy textures all come together in his version with umami from fish sauce and oyster sauce and sourness from tamarind and pickles. He uses tofu, sausage and prawns as sources of protein and puts a spin on the eggs.
Watch his demo in the video and get the recipe below.
Ingredients
- 1 block tamarind pulp and water for tamarind paste
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons palm sugar
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons oil, canola
- 2 shallots, sliced
- 2 garlic, crushed
- 1 pound jumbo prawns u-10
- 1/2 pound Chinese sausage, sliced
- 1 cup fried tofu, sliced
- 1 pound flat rice noodles, soaked
- 1/2 cup pad Thai sauce
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons preserved radish
- 4 scallions, sliced 1-inch
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 12x12-inch piece banana leaves
- 2 tablespoons unsalted roasted peanuts, crushed
- 4 lime wedges
- 2 jalapenos, sliced
- 1/2 cup Thai chilies
- 1/2 cup scallions, sliced
- 1 tablespoon Thai chili flakes
- Pad Thai sauce, to drizzle over
Directions
- Place tamarind block in bowl, add boiling water to cover, wait 30 minutes and squeeze with hands. Move to sieve or colander and push through leaving the seeds and fibers behind.
- To create pad Thai sauce, add tamarind paste, fish sauce, palm sugar and oyster sauce to sauce pot. Stir over medium heat until palm sugar dissolves. Reserve.
- Heat oil in a hot wok and sauté shallots, garlic, prawns and tofu for about 3 minutes. Add noodles until heated through followed by the pad Thai sauce. Sauté until hot, make a space in the middle or side of the wok, add a little more oil and then the eggs. Sauté the noodles and eggs then add the radish, scallions and bean sprouts. Heat through.
- Serve on a plate lined with a banana leaf and garnish with the remaining ingredients.
Prepare Asian cuisines with Chef King in Culinary Arts at ICE.
