Pad Thai Recipe (ผัดไทย) - Part Five: Making Pad Thai

plain vegetable oil

2-3 millimeters wide dried rice noodles, following the instructions on how to prepare dried rice noodles for Pad Thai

(~166mL) prepared Pad Thai sauce

shrimp paste in oil (มันกุ้งเสวย), as mentioned in my post on Pad Thai ingredients, optional

large cloves (8g) garlic, peeled and finely chopped

medium shallot (18g), peeled and finely chopped

finely-chopped preserved radishes

shell-on small dried shrimp (the kind specified in my post on Pad Thai ingredients

the firmest tofu you can find

large (31-35/lb) shrimp, peeled and deveined

large eggs, cracked into a bowl

stalks of Chinese chives

bean sprouts

Garnishes and extras:

Sugar, dried red pepper flakes, fish sauce, and fresh limes

Chopped dry-roasted peanuts

Extra bean sprouts, soaked in acidulated water (to keep them fresh and crunchy)

Chinese chive stalks

Banana blossom, trimmed according to the instructions in my post on Pad Thai ingredients