Authentic Pad Thai - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 1/2 ounces rice sticks
1/3 cup extra firm tofu
1 1/2 cups chinese chives, green
1 1/3 cups bean sprouts
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons peanuts, crushed
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons tamarind pulp
1/2 teaspoon dried arbol chile, ground
1 tablespoon preserved turnip
1 egg
1/3 lb shrimp
1/2 banana flower, sliced lengthwise
2 lime wedges

Preparation

Soak the dry noodles in lukewarm water while preparing the other ingredients, for 10-15 minutes.
Julienne tofu and cut into pieces 1 inch long.
Cut up Chinese chives into 1 inch long pieces. Set aside a few fresh chives for a garnish.
Rinse the bean sprouts and save half for serving fresh.
Mince shallot and garlic together.
Heat the oil in a wok on high.
Fry the peanuts until toasted and remove them from the wok.
Add shallot, garlic and tofu and stir them until they start to brown.
The noodles should be flexible but not expanded at this point. Drain the noodles and add to the wok. Stir quickly to keep things from sticking.
Add tamarind, sugar, fish sauce, chili pepper and preserved turnip. Stir. The heat should remain high. If your wok is not hot enough, you will see a lot of juice in the wok at this point. Turn up the heat, if it is the case.
Make room for the egg by pushing all noodles to the side of the wok. Crack the egg onto the wok and scramble it until it is almost all cooked. Fold the egg into the noodles.
Add shrimp and stir for a minute.
Add bean sprouts, chives. Stir a few more times. The noodles should be soft and very tangled.
Pour onto the serving plate and sprinkle with the fried peanuts. Serve hot with banana flower, a wedge of lime, raw Chinese chives and raw bean sprouts.