Pad Thai Deluxe

For the Sauce
6 tsp Patis (fish sauce) salty taste
1-1 1/2 Tbsp Tamarind Paste Concentrate, sour taste
4 tbsp Palm Sugar Paste*see note obviously a sweet taste
1/8 cup water, if needed. (if noodles are sticking together or too dry)

I always mix the ingredients in a small bowl for easier stir-frying; you can grab only a few bottles while trying to keep the wok moving. The other reason is taste; every person has a different sweet, sour, and salty pallet. Pad Thai sauce varies in every place I have ever eaten. Some are very heavy on the sour of the tamarind, while others are more balanced. Mixing your sauce ingredients first, you have exactly the taste you want; there is no right or wrong; it is merely a preference.

These are the ingredients for the excellent Pad Thai Sauce. Fish sauce, palm sugar, and Tamarind paste. Additionally, though you can add a dab of Nam Prik Pao or even just a little straight Asian chile paste, this is optional.

For the Dish
8-9 oz Thai Rice Noodles, pre-soak in warm water (don't over soak, leave flexible but firm)
4 tbsp Peanut Oil
6 oz (abt.) 10 Jumbo Shrimp
1 cup Chicken sliced, then chopped bite-sized
1/2 cup Tofu cut into half-inch rectangles (pre-soak in a little of the prepared sauce in a plastic baggie)
5 Cloves of Garlic
2-3 Shallots, sliced thin
2-3 dried whole Thai Red Chili, aka Bird's eye chili (optional)
2 tbsp Pickled Radish (sweet) (I didn't have any this time)
2 large Eggs
1/8 to 1/4 cup water  (if needed to help with the softening of the noodles)
add at the end of cooking and stir-fry briefly
1 cup sliced longwise, then chopped 1/2 inch
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
Fresh Garnishes
extra fresh sprouts, if desired
1/2 bunch Fresh Cilantro, trimmed (this is optional and dependent on taste preference, not traditional)
1/2 cup unsalted crushed peanuts
fresh lime wedges

The add-in ingredients are all prepped before cooking starts.

I usually season the chicken breast with salt and pepper before stir-frying it.

Tofu is the first item to go into the wok; you want to fry it crispy. Don't worry about it drinking up oil; it won't.

Next, I like to saute the shrimp until just done and remove it to a bowl with the Tofu. Add it back in later. 

Saute the garlic and Thai chili pepper, add shallots, and cook till fragrant and golden.

Add in chicken and saute till just done.

Add 2 tablespoons more oil to the pan and have a small amount of water on hand. Add the pre-soaked, drained noodles and stir-fry for about two minutes. If the noodles are sticking or gummy, skip to the next step... or use fresh refrigerated Pad Thai noodles

Add the sauce and a slight drizzle of water, continue stir-frying, and test a noodle for doneness.

Crack 3 eggs into the wok and swirl the egg back and forth; continue to scramble, push noodles on top of an egg just before it is done, and toss well with noodles, chicken, garlic, shallots, chilies, and sauce.

Add the Tofu and shrimp back in and toss together with the ingredients. Add sprouts and green onion. Stir fry for another minute. Remove the contents of the wok to a serving platter or bowl. Garnish with crushed peanuts, green onions, fresh sprouts, cilantro, and lime wedges.

Notes*
Palm Sugar Paste (sap tapped from the trunk of a sugar palm tree, semi-crystallized into a paste  )
Tamarind, a sour fruit
Patis Fish Sauce, get a good one; don't buy that garbage in the grocery store.
Many authentic recipes contain a little bit of dried shrimp. My pallet finds the intense fishiness and aroma unpleasant. I'm being honest about my American pallet. If it is something you like, toss in a teaspoon during cooking.