Pad Thai — Central (Bangkok), Thailand

Thailand's national dish is, paradoxically, a state invention: in the 1930s-40s Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram ran the 'noodle is your lunch' campaign to promote rice noodles at home so the whole rice crop could go to export. The 'traditional' recipe that came out of it —sweet-sour, with tamarind, fish sauce and lime— spread through street stalls and schools until it became synonymous with Thailand.

Ingredients

dried medium rice noodles (sen chan), 200 g
peeled shrimp, 150 g
firm tofu, diced, 80 g
eggs, 2
bean sprouts, 1 cup
tamarind paste, 3 tbsp
fish sauce and palm sugar, 2 tbsp each
roasted peanuts, 3 tbsp, plus half a lime

600–850 kcal per typical serving. per noodle portion, a one-plate street meal; with large shrimp it runs near the top (estimated from the typical recipe)

Where to try it

Bangkok

More history on Wikipedia: Pad thai

How it is made

Soak the noodles in warm water 25-30 min until pliable but firm; drain.
Over high heat, fry the tofu and shrimp in oil, push them to the edge of the wok and scramble the eggs in the center.
Add the noodles and the tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar mix; toss until they soften and absorb the sauce.
Fold in the bean sprouts just before taking off the heat so they stay crunchy.
Serve with crushed peanuts and a lime wedge: each diner fine-tunes the sweet-sour balance at the table.