Chicken pad thai: sweet, sour and salty rice noodles with peanuts and lime

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1. Soak the noodles

   10 min

   Place the rice noodles in a bowl, cover with boiling water and let soften for 8–10 minutes. They should be flexible but still firm. Drain and rinse with cold water.

2. Mix the sauce

   3 min

   Juice one lime. Combine the juice with the fish sauce, cane sugar, soy sauce and chili flakes, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

3. Prep the ingredients and toast the peanuts

   7 min

   Cut the chicken breasts into thin strips and finely chop the shallot and garlic. Cut the scallions into 3 cm pieces, keeping the white and green parts separate. Toast the peanuts in a dry skillet for 2–3 minutes, then roughly chop them.

4. Cook the chicken

   6 min

   Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 4–5 minutes, until browned. Add the shallot, garlic and white parts of the scallions and stir-fry for another minute.

5. Add the eggs

   2 min

   Push the chicken to the side, add the remaining oil to the empty space and crack in the eggs. Scramble them, then mix them with the chicken when they are almost set.

6. Add the noodles and sauce

   3 min

   Add the drained noodles and sauce and toss constantly for 2–3 minutes, until the noodles absorb the sauce. If they are dry, add 2 tbsp of water.

7. Finish and serve

   1 min

   Add the bean sprouts and green parts of the scallions and toss briefly so the sprouts stay crisp. Serve topped with the peanuts and cilantro, with wedges of the second lime.

Tip: If you can find tamarind paste at an Asian grocery store, add a tablespoon to the sauce and use half as much lime juice; the sauce will be darker and fruitier, as it is in Thailand.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Voňavý pad thai s kuracím mäsom: ryžové rezance naraz sladké, kyslé aj slané, s arašidmi a limetkou