Pad Thai Sauce

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• MAKES 2/3 cup Pad Thai Sauce (enough for 1 to 2 batches of pad Thai, depending on how many you're cooking for)
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1+1/2 Tbsp. tamarind paste (available by the jar at Asian/Indian food stores)
• 5 Tbsp. fish sauce (available in tall bottles at Asian stores) - substitute 6 Tbsp. soy sauce if vegetarian
• 1 fresh red chili, minced, OR 1/2 to 1 tsp. cayenne pepper, OR 2-4 tsp. chili sauce
• 5-6 Tbsp. brown sugar

Preparation:

1. Pour the hot water into a small mixing bowl or glass measuring cup. Add the tamarind paste and stir well to dissolve.
2. Add the other ingredients and stir to dissolve. (Note that you will need all the sugar to balance out the intense sourness of the tamarind.)
3. The sauce should taste tangy - a balance of sour, sweet, spicy, and salty. If it's still too sour for your taste, add a little more sugar. Remember that once it's distributed throughout the noodles, the sauce will no longer be so spicy or strong-tasting.
4. Your pad thai sauce is now ready to be used, or store it in the refrigerator until you're ready to made pad thai noodles. The sauce will keep in a covered jar for several weeks.

• Pad Thai Tips: For authentic-tasting pad thai, be sure to soak your rice noodles (instead of boiling them) until they are softened but still firm and little bit "crunchy", then fry them up with the sauce.