Quick & Easy Shrimp Pad Thai - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 lb pad Thai rice noodles
1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 tablespoons sambal oelek chili paste
1 lime, zest of, plus 3 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup fish sauce, plus additional, to taste
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or olive oil)
1 lb shrimp (16-20 count, peeled and deveined)
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 1/4 cups bean sprouts
3/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro, plus additional for serving
roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped for garnish
lime slice, for serving

Preparation

Place rice noodles in a large bowl. Cover with very hot tap water, stir and set aside until tender, 20 minutes. Do not over soak. Drain and reserve 1 cup soaking liquid.
Whisk to combine peanut butter, sambal, lime zest, fish sauce and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a large skillet over high heat, warm oil until shimmering. Add shrimp and cook until nearly cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Add noodles, peanut butter mixture and ? cup reserved soaking water. Cook until fragrant and warmed through. Remove from heat, add lime juice and season to taste with additional fish sauce, adding additional soaking water if necessary to thin sauce. Add tomatoes, bean sprouts and cilantro. Toss everything together to combine. Serve immediately, garnished with peanuts, cilantro and sliced limes.
Serve immediately, garnished with peanuts, cilantro and sliced limes.