Shrimp Pad Thai

For the sauce:

8 ounces fresh tamarind

1 ½ cups boiling water

½ cup palm sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup fish sauce

For the noodles:

⅓ to ½ of sauce from above

8 ounces dried wide rice noodles

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 eggs

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 onion, julienned

1 red bell pepper, julienned (or you can use ½ red bell pepper and ½ green bell pepper)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

6- 8 shitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced thin

8 ounces fresh bean sprouts

¼ cup peanuts

6 - 8 leaves Thai basil, torn into smaller pieces

Salt

Pepper

Make the sauce. Remove the tamarind from the shells. Pour boiling water over the flesh. Once it is cool enough to handle, massage the tamarind to remove the seeds. Throw the seeds out. Add the sugars to the tamarind water. Heat this mixture over medium heat until the sugars melt. Remove from the heat and add the fish sauce. Mix well. This sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for weeks.

Make the noodles. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the noodles. Leave them in the water until they have softened to desired texture. Drain and set aside.

Season the shrimp with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil over medium heat. Scramble the eggs and cook until they are firm. Remove from heat and set aside. Add the shrimp to the pan. Cook for a couple minutes on each side. Set them aside with the cooked eggs when they are done. Add the onions to the pan. Cook for about 7 minutes until they have softened and start to brown. Add the bell peppers and cook them until they soften. Add the garlic. Stir constantly. As soon as the garlic becomes fragrant, add the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms until they soften, stirring often. Add the noodles and sauce and mix well. Once the mixture is well combined and heated through, add the bean sprouts and mix well. Garnish with Thai basil and peanuts.

Serves 4.