Almost Pad Thai

I've always wanted to make pad thai, and a trip to 99 Ranch Market this weekend inspired me to finally try it.  I read a few different recipes to get some ideas, but I wasn't necessarily looking to go totally authentic.  The beauty of cooking is that you can take a traditional dish and make it exactly how you like it -- recipe be damned.  For my personalized version, I first made the sauce with equal parts tamarind paste, fish sauce, brown sugar and sambal for that classic Thai flavor profile of sour, salty, sweet and spicy.  I then scrambled some eggs and set those aside while I sauteed some sliced chicken thighs (the classic version uses shrimp) with scallions and chopped garlic.  I finally added the rice noodles to the pan with the sauce and returned the scrambled eggs to the mix until it all came together.  The finishing touch was a garnish of chopped peanuts, sliced scallion and fresh lime.  The flavors were spot on, but the noodles were too al dente; I don't think the recommended soaking time on the package was very accurate, but then again I can't read Thai.