Having began cooking at the age of six, Saiphin Moore has managed to bring the food from her small Thailand hometown of Phetchabun to the hustle and bustle of East London, from where she set-up her own Street Food stall in Brick Lane during 2006. And following the stall’s huge success, Saiphin soon ended up as the Head Chef and Co-founder of Rosa’s Thai, the first of which opened in Spitalfields in 2008, followed by a string of UK openings.
One of the restaurant group’s most popular dishes, Rosa’s Prawn Pad Thai is a superlative take on the classic dish – the recipe for which has been shared for readers to make at home.
Prawn Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 4 Eggs, beaten
- 300 g Rice Noodles, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes then drained
- 8-10 Prawns, shelled, deveined and heads removed
- 2 tbsp Dried Turnip (available from Asian supermarkets)
- 2 handfuls Bean Sprouts
- Chilli Powder, to taste (optional)
- 2 Chinese chives, Bunch, or spring onions chopped
- 4 tbsp Roasted Peanuts, crushed
- Lime Wedges, to serve for the Pad Thai Sauce
- 3 tbsp Tamarind Pulp
- 3 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 3 Shallots, chopped
- 2 tbsp Palm Sugar
- 1 tbsp Nam Pla (Thai fish sauce)
Instructions
- First make the Pad Thai Sauce. Soak the Tamarind Pulp in 6 tbsp of warm water, then stir until it becomes a thick liquid.
- Heat 2 tbsp of the Oil in a Wok, add the Shallots and Stir-Fry until almost golden brown.
- Carefully add the Tamarind (in case it spits) and cook for 1 minute to reduce slightly.
- Add the Palm Sugar, stirring to break it up, then stir in the Fish Sauce and continue to cook over a high heat for 1 minute until it has thickened slightly.
- Transfer the Pad Thai Sauce to a bowl and set aside. This recipe makes enough sauce for about 4 servings, so store any leftover Pad Thai Sauce in an airtight container and use within 4 weeks.
- Now prepare the Noodles. Scramble the beaten Eggs in a hot Wok with the remaining Oil, then add the Noodles and Stir-Fry until the Egg breaks up and the Noodles are soft.
- Add the Prawns and Dried Turnip and Stir-Fry until the Prawns are nearly cooked.
- Mix in 8 tbsp of the reserved Pad Thai Sauce and continue to Stir-Fry until the Noodles take on a nice golden brown colour.
- Add the Bean Sprouts, Chilli Powder (if using), Chinese Chives and crushed Peanuts and keep Stir-Frying for another 2 minutes.
- Transfer the Noodles to 2 serving plates and serve immediately with Lime wedges.
This article was updated on Thursday 19th May, 2022.