Pad Thai Inspired Mee Krob (หมี่กรอบผัดไทย)

1.Soak rice vermicelli in water for 3 minutes. Strain the rice vermicelli and set aside for 20 minutes.

2.Cut tofu into small baton and set aside for an hour.

3.Soak dried shrimp in water for 20 minutes and set aside to drain.

4.For Pad Thai Sauce: Add tamarind paste, fish sauce, and palm sugar into a saucepan. Simmer until sugar dissolves and remove from the heat. Add chilli flakes and stir until combined. Set the sauce aside to cool down.

5.Heat oil to 180°C. Fry dried shrimp until crispy and set aside to drain.

6.Heat oil to 190°C. Fry tofu until crispy and set aside to drain. Divide rice vermicelli into small batches. Fry rice vermicelli in the oil until puffed up, flip on the other side and continue to fry until oil is no longer bubbling. Set crispy rice vermicelli to drain and repeat the step with remaining batches. Do not fry vermicelli in one big batch as the noodles will puff up and oil will spill over.

7.Crack egg into a bowl. Add salt and beat until combined. Pour egg through a strainer into hot oil to form strains of crispy egg. Set egg aside to drain.

8.Heat a big pan over low heat.

9.Add crispy rice vermicelli into the pan and use a spatula to break the vermicelli into chunks. Add pad thai sauce, stir and toss until vermicelli are thoroughly coated in the pad thai sauce.

10.Add crispy egg, fried shrimp, tofu, bean sprouts, and Chinese chives. Stir and toss until combined.

11.Garnish crispy vermicelli with peanut, lime, and fried shallot before serving.