Pad Thai with Chicken, Shrimp & Tofu

Tied for my number one food weakness in life are sushi and pad Thai.  Whenever I absolutely love a certain dish at a restaurant, I always work to recreate it at home.  Recreating sushi is easy but pad Thai has been another story for me.  I have tried many variations of pad Thai but they have all fallen short of my favorite Asian restaurant's version... until now.  While all of the ingredients have their own important roll in the sauce, I think it is the ratio of the coconut milk, peanut butter and fish sauce that makes this so good!  

Ingredients:
Serves 3 - 4

• 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch strips
• 1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined 
• 1 tbsp sesame oil 
• 1/4 c carrots, julienned 
• 2 scallions, cut in 1/2-inch slices
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced 
• 1/3 c extra-firm tofu, pressed and julienned 
• 1/2 c bean sprouts, drained 
• 8 oz flat rice noodles
• Dry roasted peanuts, crushed, for garnish

Sauce:

• 1/2 c coconut milk 
• 1/3 c peanut butter 
• 1/4 c soy sauce 
• 2 tbsp chicken broth 
• 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar 
• 2 tbsp brown sugar 
• 1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce 
• 1/2 tsp sriracha sauce   
• Pinch ground ginger 
• Pinch black pepper

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Remove the pot from the heat and submerge the rice noodles in the hot water.  Allow them to sit in the hot water for 10 minutes.  Drain and set aside.  

Meanwhile, make the sauce.  In a medium bowl, combine the coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, chicken broth, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, fish sauce, sriracha sauce, ginger and pepper.  Set aside..

Heat the sesame oil in a wok (or large skillet) over medium heat.  Add the chicken, carrots, and scallions and cook until the chicken is browned on all sides, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the shrimp, garlic, tofu, and bean sprouts to the wok and cook for 1 minute.  

Pour the sauce into the wok and continue to cook until the chicken and shrimp are cooked through, about 4 to 6 minutes.  

Gradually stir the cooked rice noodles into the sauce, until well combined.  

Garnish with crushed peanuts.

Enjoy!