Name: Pad Thai with Smoked Salmon
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients: 62.5 g rice noodles; 75 g smoked salmon; 0.75 pcs egg; 0.5 tablespoon tamarind paste; 0.5 tablespoon fish sauce; 0.5 tablespoon cane sugar; 0.5 tablespoon lime juice; 0.5 pcs lemongrass; 1 pc spring onion; 0.75 clove garlic; 0.5 pcs shallot; 25 g mung bean sprouts; 12.5 g peanuts; 0.25 pcs chilli peppers; sunflower oil; 1 slice lime; coriander; soy sauce

Step by step process

Preparation

1
Place the rice noodles in a large bowl, cover with hot water and soak according to the package instructions, usually 8-10 minutes. Drain and toss lightly with a little oil to prevent sticking.
TIP:
Pour hot water (200 ml per 100 g of noodles) and let sit for 8-10 minutes. Drain and toss with a little sesame or neutral oil (1 teaspoon per serving) so they don't clump together. Tip: stir the noodles before pouring the water, this prevents stickiness from the start.
2
Peel the tough outer layers from the lemongrass and finely slice only the soft lower part into thin rounds. Finely chop the shallot and garlic, cut the spring onions into 3 cm pieces and separate the white parts from the green.
3
Cut the smoked salmon into larger chunks of approximately 2×3 cm, they don't need to be perfect, as you'll add the salmon to the noodles at the end to prevent it from falling apart.
4
In a small bowl, combine the tamarind paste, fish sauce, brown sugar and lime juice. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then set aside.
5
Roughly chop the peanuts with a knife and, if using, slice the chilli into thin rounds.

Stir-Frying

6
Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat and add the oil. Add the white parts of the spring onions, shallot and lemongrass and stir-fry for about 1 minute until fragrant.
TIP:
First, heat the wok thoroughly and fry the ingredients in smaller batches. Thanks to the high temperature, the meat quickly sears and browns. An overcrowded wok, on the other hand, cools down and starts steaming the food.
7
Add the garlic and stir-fry for a further 30 seconds, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
8
Push the vegetables to one side of the wok, crack the eggs into the empty space and scramble them into small pieces, about 1 minute.
TIP:
Crack the eggs into a heated pan and stir them constantly. Within about a minute, they will break into small pieces and cook evenly.
9
Add the drained rice noodles and all of the tamarind sauce. Toss thoroughly using two spatulas or tongs until the noodles are evenly coated. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes over high heat.
10
Stir in the bean sprouts and the green parts of the spring onions and stir-fry for 1 more minute. Reduce the heat and gently fold in the smoked salmon pieces. Toss carefully so the salmon warms through without breaking up, about 30 seconds is enough.

Serving

11
Divide the pad thai among four plates, sprinkle with chopped peanuts and garnish with fresh coriander. Serve each portion with a lime wedge for squeezing. Offer the sliced chilli separately at the table alongside soy sauce.