Gosh, if I knew Pad Thai was this easy to make, it would be a staple in my household. Well, it’s going to be a staple now. No longer will I have to venture out into the wild and spend top dollar on a restaurant-prepared version of this famous Thai dish. I’m making it myself! And mine has bacon! Take THAT Thai restaurants!

Ingredients

4 strips Maple Leaf Bacon

3 cloves Garlic

1 cup Diced Tofu

½ lb Vermicelli Noodles, soaked according to package instructions

3 ½ tbsp Brown Sugar

2 tbsp Fish Sauce

3 tbsp Tamarind Paste

1 tsp Chili Oil or Ground Chilies

½ lb Shrimp

2 cups Bean Sprouts

Lime, Crushed Peanuts, Green Onion and Cilantro for garnish

Directions

1. First, let’s make our Pad Thai sauce. It’s simply a mixture of the brown sugar, fish sauce, hot chilies and tamarind paste. Tamarind is what gives Pad Thai its distinct flavour. It’s slightly tart and sour. The fish sauce adds saltiness and the sugar balances everything out. Some Tamarind pastes are more concentrated than others, so taste and adjust accordingly.

2. Cut up your bacon into small strips and fry it in a nice large wok.

3. While your bacon is frying, dice up your garlic and cube your tofu. Fry this with your bacon until they are fragrant and the tofu starts to brown.

4. Add in your soaked noodles and all the Pad Thai sauce and toss everything around. When you’re doing this, make sure your pan is nice and hot. If you’ve ever watched the skilled chef’s at the restaurants, their burners are turned WAY up!

5. Once the sauce is nicely incorporated (should only take a couple tosses), add in your bean sprouts and all your shrimp. Continue to fry until the shrimp are cooked through.

6. Top with lots of cilantro, green onion and crushed peanuts, as well as some slices of lime. Oh boy, will this make your day.