Pad Thai

Begin by preparing sauce. Stir the following ingredients together for the sauce. Set sauce aside.

• ¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp. water
• 2 Tbsp. tamarind concentrate available at Asian stores or on Amazon
• 1 cup light soy sauce or Braggs liquid aminos
• ⅔ cup brown sugar
• ¾ tsp. Thai chili flakes

Preheat oven to 400℉. Cut in 1/2 inch cubes:

• 1 block (14 or 16 oz) firm or extra-firm tofu

Spread tofu on a baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes. Then place tofu in a bowl and pour enough sauce over tofu to nearly cover it. Set aside to marinate while you are prepping the ingredients below. Stir occasionally.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place in boiling water:

• 2 packages (14 oz each) flat rice noodles

Simmer for 7 minutes. Drain noodles. Rinse with cold water, and toss with a little oil to prevent noodles from sticking together. Set aside.

Heat two large frying pans over medium-to-high heat. Place in each pan:

• ¼ of the cooked noodles from above
• ½ cup water
• ⅓ cup sauce from above (first use any left from marinating tofu)
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

Cook and stir for 1-2 minutes. Then add:

• ½ can bean sprouts, drained or 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
• 3 green onions, cut in 1-inch pieces
• ¼ of the marinated tofu cubes from above.

Cook for one additional minute. Transfer to a serving dish or directly onto plates, and repeat the above process with the remaining noodles. Freeze any remaining sauce for future use.

Serve topped with fresh-squeezed lime juice and chopped roasted, unsalted peanuts.