Spiralized sweet potato noodles tossed in a real tamarind, fish sauce, and palm sugar pad thai sauce with chicken, egg, and bean sprouts.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Thai
Keyword sweet potato noodle pad thai
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 15 minutesminutes
Total Time 35 minutesminutes
Servings 4servings
Ingredients
For the Sauce
3tablespoonstamarind concentratepourable, not block paste
3tablespoonsfish sauce
3tablespoonspalm sugaror light brown sugar
1tablespoonlime juicefresh
1teaspoonchili garlic sauceup to 2 teaspoons, to taste
For the Stir Fry
3mediumsweet potatoespeeled and spiralized on the thinnest blade
2tablespoonsneutral oildivided
1poundboneless chicken breastcut into small pieces
3clovesgarlicminced
1shallotthinly sliced
2largeeggs
1 ½cupsbean sprouts
4green onionscut into 2 inch lengths
To Serve
⅓cuproasted peanutscoarsely crushed
¼cupfresh cilantrochopped
1limecut into wedges
Instructions
Prep
Peel and spiralize the sweet potatoes on the thinnest blade, then run a knife through the pile two or three times so the strands are noodle length. Pat them dry. Do not soak them.
Whisk the tamarind concentrate, fish sauce, palm sugar, lime juice, and chili garlic sauce until the sugar dissolves. Taste. It should read slightly too strong on its own.
Cook
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer, season with salt, and leave it 2 minutes before stirring. Cook 3 to 4 minutes total, then move it to a plate.
Add the remaining oil, then the shallot and garlic, and stir 30 seconds. Push everything to one side.
Crack the eggs into the empty side of the pan and scramble roughly for 30 seconds into large soft curds, then fold them into the aromatics.
Add the sweet potato strands and toss with tongs for 2 minutes, until they turn from stiff to floppy but still have a slight bite.
Pour the sauce around the edge of the pan, return the chicken, and toss 1 to 2 minutes until every strand is glossy and coated.
Finish
Turn off the heat and fold in the bean sprouts and green onions so they stay crisp.
Serve immediately with crushed peanuts, cilantro, and a lime wedge on each plate.
Notes
This is an adaptation: spiralized sweet potato in place of rice noodles. The tamarind, fish sauce, palm sugar, and lime balance is what makes it read as pad thai.
No peanut butter: a nut butter sauce makes satay, not pad thai. Peanuts go on top, crushed.
Do not soak the noodles: fresh spiralized sweet potato is already wet. Pat it dry instead.
Pull them early: the strands keep softening off the heat, so take them out with a slight bite left.