The best chicken and shrimp pad thai

• 1 package (1 lb / 450 g) pad thai rice noodles, linguine width
• 12 oz (350 g) boneless skinless chicken breast, cut in very small pieces
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) soy sauce
• About 1 tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 tsp (7.5 ml) fresh ginger, grated
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 20 raw shrimp (21-30 count), peeled and deveined, tails off
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups (500 ml) bean sprouts
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) unsalted skinless peanuts, chopped
• A handful of fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 4 lime wedges (or more)

• 3 tbsp (45 ml) white vinegar
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) chicken broth
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) fish sauce (nuoc mam)
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) brown sugar
• 2 tsp (10 ml) sriracha
• Ground pepper, to taste

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop in the rice noodles, pull the pot off the heat and let them soak 4 minutes, maximum, stirring often. Dump them into a colander and rinse under cold water right away. Drain and set aside. They should still have a bite to them, because they finish cooking in the wok later.
• Put the chicken in a bowl, add the soy sauce, stir to coat and set aside.
• In a large measuring cup or bowl, stir together all the pad thai sauce ingredients until the brown sugar dissolves. Set aside.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a big wok or skillet over medium-high. Add three quarters of the green onions with the garlic and the ginger. Cook about 1 minute, stirring now and then.
• Add the chicken and cook 4 minutes, stirring often. Add the shrimp and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, until they turn pink and opaque. Add a splash more oil if the pan looks dry.
• Push everything to the sides, crack the eggs into the middle and cook about 1 minute, stirring to break them up and fold them through.
• Add the noodles with roughly a third of the sauce. Toss often until the noodles drink it up, then add the next third, then the last. Figure 5 to 7 minutes total. Off the heat, fold in the bean sprouts gently.
• Divide between 4 bowls and pile on the chopped peanuts. Scatter the rest of the green onions and the fresh cilantro over top.

DO NOT SKIP THIS: serve with a lime wedge (or two) and squeeze it over everything right before the first bite.