My kids always order the same dish when we go to a Thai restaurant _ the stir-fried noodle dish known as pad thai.
Made with rice noodles, scrambled egg, bean sprouts and a protein like chicken, tofu or shrimp tossed in a flavorful sweet-and-sour sauce, it hits all the right notes. It's slurpy, tangy, a little bit funky (it includes fish sauce) and thanks to a garnish of chopped peanuts, a little bit crunchy.
This might seem like a difficult recipe because it has a longish list of ingredients. But if you get everything prepped and ready to go before you heat up the wok or saucepan, it actually comes together fairly quickly.
You can find tamarind paste in the Asian section of most larger grocery stores, as well as in Asian and Middle Eastern markets. Or, make this substitute: Mix 1 tablespoon vinegar with 1 tablespoon brown sugar for every tablespoon of paste.
I used both chicken and shrimp in this recipe, but you could opt for just one of them. Don't forget the mint _ it adds color and zip.
