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1
Gather all ingredients together before commencing to cook.
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2
Cover tamarind pulp with 2/3 cup hot water, and crush and break up pulp with a fork.
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3
Let stand for 20 minutes, then pour mixture through a strainer and press to extract the liquid.
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4
Reserve 4 tablespoons of tamarind liquid for the sauce.
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5
Place rice vermicelli inside a large paper or plastic bag, and break into pieces.
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6
Heat peanut oil until very hot (between 375 deg F and 400 deg F).
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7
Fry noodles in small batches until they puff up and turn light to golden brown - each batch will only take a few seconds (allow oil to get hot again between batches).
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8
Remove at once with a slotted spoon, or wire strainer, and drain immediately on paper towels.
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9
Next, deep fry the diced tofu until golden brown, drain and keep warm in a low oven.
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10
Lastly, drizzle the egg into the oil in a circular fashion, and cook for around 30 seconds until golden brown and crisp on both sides.
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11
Remove egg from oil, break or slice into pieces, and keep warm in a low oven with the tofu.
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12
Combine the sauce ingredients, including the reserved tamarind liquid, in a saucepan, and bring to boil, stirring constantly.
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13
Allow to simmer a few minutes until the liquid reduces in volume by about one third and starts to turn syrupy, then remove from heat and set aside.
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14
Pour oil from wok, reserving one tablespoon, and stir-fry the garlic, green onion, and one of the chilies until they start to color, about one minute.
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15
Add the meat and/or shrimp and stir-fry until just cooked, about one minute.
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16
Add the prepared sauce to the wok and toss all ingredients together until steaming hot.
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17
Mound the crisp fried noodles on a serving platter and spoon the sauce over.
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18
Scatter with bean sprouts, cilantro, the remaining sliced chilli, the deep-fried tofu, and the chopped egg.
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19
Serve immediately, as the noodles will soften after about 10 minutes.
