Pad Thai is one of the most famous noodle dishes in Thailand. And for good reason; it’s cheap, easy and delicious. It encompasses three of the five tastes important to the Thais; salty, hot and sweet. My wife loves this with tofu, while shrimp is more traditional.

One of the key players in this flavor equation is fish sauce which provides the salty component. Now a word on fish sauce. This is made by fermenting anchovies and bottling the juice. As absolutely abhorrently disgusting as this sounds, this stuff is magic. It’s chock full of flavor enhancing glutamates and really packs an umami punch. I use it all the time and always keep it on hand. Several countries in SE Asia make the stuff and each is slightly different. I prefer the Vietnamese variety, known as nuoc mam. Three Crabs is my brand hands down and is at every Asian market I’ve ever been to which is no small number. You can usually even find this stuff, albeit inferior quality, at your local chain.

Sambal Oelek is a chili paste made by a Vietnamese immigrant to California. He’s the same guy that invented sriracha which is also pretty awesome. It’s available in most grocery chains and has a rooster on the label. I put this stuff in and on tons of stuff from pizza to eggs. If you like heat at all, this seriously needs to be in your fridge.

What you’ll need

Approximately 40 min total time

Large wok or frying pan

1.5 lb chicken thighs or peeled medium shrimp (in the 20 per pound range)

1 T tamari (soy sauce)

3 cloves of garlic minced

2 fresh thai chilis minced

1 T sambal oelek (chili paste)

2-4 dried arbol chilis (or substitute 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper)

1 ½ T rice wine vinegar

3 T nouc mam (fish sauce)

1 T brown sugar

1 T oil

3 eggs

Small bunch of cilantro chopped

¼ C unsalted dry roasted peanuts crushed

½ C bean sprouts

3 green onions thinly sliced

12 oz flat rice noodles

First up, cut up your chicken thighs into bite size pieces and toss with 1 T tamari (soy sauce). Skip this step if using shrimp, just make sure your shells are off.

Next mince the garlic and chilis and mix with the sambal (chili paste), sugar, vinegar and nouc mam (fish sauce) in a small bowl.

Crush the peanuts by placing them in a zipper bag and then smash them with a rolling pin or mallet. Chop up the cilantro and green onion.

Now cook the noodles per the instructions on the package, then rinse in cold water.

In a large wok or frying pan heat the oil over medium high heat. Stir fry the chicken until browned, 6-8 minutes. If using shrimp, cook until opaque, 2-3 minutes.

Add the noodles to the meat and stir. Crack those eggs into the wok and stir until set, about 2-3 minutes.

Then add the sauce and stir until mixed thoroughly.

Remove from the heat and add the bean sprouts and green onion.