Pad Thai Noodles

• 7 ounces 1/4-inch thick rice stick noodles
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons raw peanuts, or more to taste
• 6 Thai chile peppers, seeded and minced, or more to taste
• 1 shallot, minced, or more to taste
• 3 cloves garlic, minced, or more to taste
• 1 pound boneless chicken, cut into 1/4-inch strips
• 1/3 cup extra-firm tofu, cut into matchsticks
• 2 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper, or to taste
• 1 egg
• 1/4 pound large shrimp - peeled, deveined, and tails removed (optional)
• 1 cup bean sprouts (optional)
• 1 cup chopped fresh chives (optional)
• 1 lime, juiced

1. Place noodles in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside until noodles are flexible but still firm, about 10 minutes. Drain.
2. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat until it starts to smoke. Add oil; heat until it shimmers. Add peanuts; cook and stir until roasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from wok.
3. Stir chile peppers, shallot, and garlic into the oil; cook and stir until garlic just begins to brown, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and tofu; cook until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 4 to 5 minutes. Add noodles, stirring quickly to mix in and prevent them from sticking. Add sugar, tamarind paste, fish sauce, and white pepper together; cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.
4. Push noodle mixture to one side of the wok; crack egg into the empty space. Stir until scrambled, 1 to 2 minutes; fold into noodles. Stir in shrimp; cook until opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Add roasted peanuts, bean sprouts, chives, and lime juice; cook and stir until flavors combine, 1 to 2 minutes more.

noodles, vegetable oil, peanuts, chile peppers, shallot, garlic, chicken, extrafirm tofu, white sugar, tamarind paste, fish sauce, ground white pepper, egg, shrimp, bean sprouts, fresh chives, lime

Taken from www.allrecipes.com/recipe/246140/pad-thai-noodles/ (may not work)