Pad Thai

1 (14-ounce) package flat, wide rice noodles
6 to 8 tablespoons fish sauce
3/4 cup rice vinegar
1 to 2 teaspoons tamarind paste (also sometimes called concentrate)
1 cup granulated sugar
Pinch paprika (or cayenne powder)
10 to 12 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil, divided
4 large eggs
1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, and defrosted
1/3 cup roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped roughly
1 cup bean sprouts
1 lime, cut into quarters
2 tablespoons roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped roughly
Chopped cilantro, for garnish
Red pepper flakes, for garnish

Directions

1. In a large container, preferably one with a lid, soak the noodles in cold water, enough to cover so that no noodle is poking out. Soak for at least 2 hours, or up to 12 hours.
2. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, vinegar, tamarind concentrate, and sugar until smooth. Taste. Adjust the sauce as needed. Add a pinch of paprika or cayenne powder for color.
3. Bring a large pot of water to boil
4. Heat a wok or other large pan with high sides over high heat, which you will maintain throughout cooking the pad Thai. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil. When the oil starts to shimmer a bit, it’s ready.
5. Crack the eggs for this batch into the pan and, using the tip of a wooden spoon, gently loosen and break the yolk. You want to have enough oil in the pan so it looks as though the egg is floating, or suspended, in the oil. This gives you more surface area to cook the egg without it burning or turning it into scrambled eggs.
6. Gently shake and flip the egg around in the pan. Break it up a bit with the spoon, but don’t scramble it by any means. This should take about a minute.
7. Add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of oil to the pan if the pan seems too dry, and add the shrimp for this batch. Toss them gently in the pan and move them around with the wooden spoon to get some color on them, about a minute.
8. Take several handfuls of your noodles (about half the total amount) out of the water they’re soaking in, and transfer to a fine mesh sieve. Hold the sieve over the pot of hot water and gently dip the noodles up and down, in and out of the water, to soften them but not cook per se. (Using the sieve saves you from having to cook it and then strain it, enables you to use the pot of water more than once, and it makes the whole process move more quickly.)
9. Shake out the excess hot water and taste to make sure the noodles have softened but still have a little give to them.
10. Transfer the noodles to the hot pan with the shrimp. Keep the noodles long; don’t chop them up in the pan (long noodles mean long life, Chef Peter says). Taste to make sure they have softened; the noodles don’t need to be completely cooked at this point because they will continue to cook in the wok.
11. Toss them gently in the pan and stir them briefly to keep them from sticking together. When the noodles look shiny, it’s time for the sauce.
12. Quickly whisk the sauce if the sugar seems to have settled, and add about 1/4 cup to the pan. Gently toss and flip the noodles in the pan.
13. Again, stir them quickly to integrate the sauce; when you can’t see any more sauce in the pan, you'll know it's ready and that the noodles have absorbed the sauce.
14. Add the peanuts and the sprouts, and toss all ingredients together quickly. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until everything is heated through. The noodles will soften and look more translucent.
15. Turn the heat off the pan and taste to make sure there is enough sauce to flavor the dish. Serve immediately in individual bowls with wedges of lime, additional peanuts, chopped cilantro, and/or chili flakes, if desired.