Pad Thai

Melt 18 g palm sugar, chopped and tightly packed in a small pot over medium heat, then keep stirring until it darkens a shade.

Immediately add 22 ml water, 15 ml fish sauce and 22 to 30 ml Thai cooking tamarind (tamarind paste). The caramel will seize into lumps; that is fine.

Bring to a simmer, turn off the heat and leave it while you prep everything else, so the hardened sugar dissolves. Make sure it has fully melted before you cook.

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Soak 58 g dried rice noodles, medium width in room temperature water until soft and pliable but still firm at the centre, then drain.

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Snip the drained noodles once with scissors so they are half as long and easier to toss.

In a bowl, combine 43 g pressed tofu, 1 ½ cloves garlic, 30 ml shallots, 22 ml sweet preserved radish, 15 ml dried shrimp, medium size and dried chili flakes.

Heat the wok over high heat with enough of 22 ml vegetable oil to coat the bottom. Sear 5 medium shrimps, peeled and deveined until just cooked, then take them out.

Turn the heat to medium, add a little more oil and tip in the tofu mixture. Sauté until the garlic starts to turn golden and the shallots wilt, adding oil if the wok looks dry.

Turn the heat to high, add the noodles and all of the the pad thai sauce and toss constantly until the sauce is absorbed.

Taste a noodle. If it is still hard at the centre, add a splash of water and keep tossing until tender, adding only a little at a time.

Push the noodles to one side, add a little more oil to the empty space and crack in 1 egg. Break the yolks, lay the noodles over the eggs and leave for about 30 s, then flip and toss to mix the egg through.

Return the shrimp and their juices, add 60 g bean sprouts, loosely packed, 35 g garlic chives and half the 30 ml roasted peanuts. Turn off the heat and toss until well mixed.

Serve right away topped with the rest of the peanuts and ½ limes, cut into wedges, with extra bean sprouts, chives and chili flakes on the side. Squeeze the lime over before eating.