You will need

200-300g dried flat rice noodles

150ml canola or sunflower oil

2-3 garlic cloves, crushed

2-3ch ginger root peeled and grated

1-2 red Thai chillies, finely chopped (Thai chilies are usually quite mild)

4-5 chicken breasts, sliced into 5mm thick strips

about 400ml coriander loosely packed, leaves picked, and stalks finely chopped

6 spring onions, sliced

2 extra spring onions for serving, also sliced

100 ml chicken stock

100g (about 250ml) beansprouts

3 eggs, lightly whisked

100g roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped (half for serving)

For the sauce you need

Tamarind Paste, an essential flavour component in pad Thai

50ml tamarind paste

50ml fish sauce

25ml light brown soft sugar or 20ml grated palm sugar

20ml sesame oil

1 lime, half juiced, half cut into wedges to serve

10ml siracha sauce

pinch chilli powder (optional)

To serve

fresh red chilli , sliced, to serve (optional)

half of the above peanuts

A few coriander leaves (optional)

Extra chilli and lime wedges on the side

Soy sauce on the side

To prepare

Soak the noodles in warm water for about 20 minutes or according to the instructions on the packet, then drain.

Make the sauce by mixing together the tamarind paste, fish sauce, sugar, lime and siracha until smooth. Set it aside for later.

Heat half the oil in a frying pan or a wok over a medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and fry for 30 seconds until fragrant, being careful that the garlic does not burn. Tip in the chicken and cook for 5 minutes until golden. Add the coriander stalks and spring onions and fry for 1 min. Add in the soaked noodles, 50ml of the chicken stock and the prepared sauce. Keep stir-frying the noodles until they’re starting to dry, then add the sauce. Stir everything together and cook over a high heat for 3 mins until the noodles are just cooked. Add a splash more water if needed.

When the sauce has reduced, scatter over the beansprouts and fold them into the noodles. Push everything to one side of the pan, then pour in the rest of the oil on the empty side and crack in the eggs. Fry for about 2 minutes or until the eggs have just set, combine with the noodles.

Stir in the sesame oil.

To serve

Scatter over the remaining half of the peanuts and quickly toss together. Divide between the serving dishes with the remaining peanuts and spring onion, the lime wedges and soy sauce on the side.

Add a sprinkle of coriander leaves if you like.