150 g tofu, cubed
175 g thick rice noodles
neutral oil for cooking
1 shallot, finely chopped
250 g shrimp with tails, I use pre-boiled
150 g cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, julienned or grated
2 handfuls bean sprouts
3 eggs, beaten
For the sauce:
1 lime, juiced and zested
4 tbsp tamarind paste (I use ThaiDancer brand) - most that you can get at an Asian store are good, but it has to be the liquid type and anything but the FlowerBrand one
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp oyster sauce
+/- chili flakes to taste
To serve:
peanuts (preferably not salted), roasted and chopped
2 - 3 green onions, chopped in large pieces
Recommended: if you are cooking with tofu, first wrap it whole in paper towels and add weight on top to drain the excess moisture, leave it like that for at least 30 minutes before cutting it in slices or cubing. This will help it become golden during cooking.
Recommended: Before cooking, place the rice noodles in a deep bowl or a pot and add room temperature water so that they are submerged. Set them aside while you prepare everything else. This helps them cook evenly and not stick together as much later.
Heat a deep pan or a wok pan. To prepare the sauce, mix all of the ingredients well, then add them to the pan and heat for a few minutes to combine all the flavors and reduce it a little. Transfer the sauce to a container and set aside.
Then, heat a bit of oil in the pan and add in the chopped onion. Once the onion starts turning golden, add the tofu an cook until that is golden too, set it all aside.
Add the shrimp to the pan and cook until they are cooked to your liking, set aside with the tofu.
Then transfer the cabbage and carrots to the pan, cook until they have become more tender, yet are still slightly crunchy.
At the same time, cook the rice noodles for 3 minutes. (We do not want them to be fully cooked yet. Depending on the brand, this should a couple minutes shorter than the cooking time on the package.) Then strain the noodles, mix with the sauce and transfer them back to the pan, incorporate with the rest of the ingredients on the pan.
Then add the tofu and shrimp back in, as well as the bean sprouts.
Push everything in the pan to one side and in the other, pour in the beaten eggs. Scramble them with a spatula until cooked through and then mix in with the rest.
Top with some chopped peanuts and green onions.
Time: 25 - 30 min
Servings: 4 - 5