Phad Thai

Philip’s version…

Ingredients

100g (4oz) soaked rice noodles. I like the medium width ones from Asian markets.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
100g (4oz) raw prawns, shelled & de-veined
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons crushed roasted peanuts
½ teaspoon chili flakes
2 egg (I like it eggy… 3 eggs is fine)
2 tablespoon green (spring) onion
100g (4oz) bean sprouts
½ cup shredded carrots

100g (4oz) chicken breast, thinly sliced
You can substitute the fresh prawns for frozen. Reduce other liquid to accommodate the water from the frozen prawns as they thaw.

Soak rice noodles in hot water for 10 minutes until soft. They key to this whole recipe is starting this soaking before you begin cooking and have the rice noodles achieve the perfect al dente texture right as you need them in the steps below.
Heat oil in large wok.
Add garlic and stir-fry until golden brown.
Add soy sauce.
Add shrimp and carrots. Cook 2-3 minutes until raw shrimp are starting to colour, or frozen shrimp have thawed.
Add egg, fish sauce and sugar in quick succession and stir continuously to cause egg to scramble.
Drain rice noodles.
Push egg mix to one side of the wok and add the rice noodles to the other side. Add some water to help finish cooking the noodles. The amount will vary on how long they have soaked. Typically 1/4 to 1/2 cup is about right.
When the noodles are just about cooked, mix both sides of the wok together.
Add peanuts, green onions, chili flakes and bean sprouts.
Serve.