Last Updated on March 5, 2016

Serves 4
Ingredients
1 pound Pad Thai noodles
1 cup Pad Thai Sauce, recipe follows
Vegetable oil for deep frying plus a little extra for stir frying
Dozen shucked oysters
Rice flour for dusting
1 Thai chile, thinly sliced
1 bunch scallions, green part only, cut into 2 inch lengths
1 thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup bacon lardons, cooked until crispy
1/2 cup julienned carrots
1/2 cup bean sprouts
¼ cup preserved radish
2 tablespoons roughly chopped peanuts
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
Cilantro leaves, basil leaves (preferably Thai basil), and lime wedges for garnish

Directions
Put the noodles in a large bowl, cover them with cold water. Cover and chill them overnight. Make the Pad Thai sauce.

Heat 2 inches oil in a deep saucepan over moderately high heat until 365 F. When the oil is hot, coat the oysters in the rice flour, shaking off the excess. Add them to the oil carefully and fry until very crispy. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain and sprinkle lightly with salt.

Combine the chile, scallions, onion, bacon, carrots, bean sprouts, preserved radish and peanuts in one bowl.

In a wok or large skillet heat a little vegetable oil over high heat. Add the eggs and stir constantly until they are almost scrambled about 30 seconds. Add the bowl of ingredients and stir fry 1 minute. Add Pad Thai noodles and stir fry until soft and wilted. Add Pad Thai sauce and toss. Add cilantro and basil and stir to combine well. Remove from wok and spoon into bowls. Garnish with lime.

Pad Thai Sauce
Note: This is a huge batch. You will only need 1 cup for the recipe, so keep the rest in the fridge for future recipes.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon finely minced lemongrass
1/2 cup water
½ cup sherry vinegar
2 cups fish sauce
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon sriracha
1 cup tamarind concentrate
1 tablespoon paprika
2 kaffir lime leaves

Directions
In a large saucepan cook the garlic and shallot in the oil over low heat, stirring occasionally until translucent. Add the lemongrass and cook until aromatic. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain and reserve.

Dale Talde

Dale Talde’s passion for cooking began at a young age in his native Chicago where he learned to prepare meals alongside his mother in the kitchen. The proud son of Filipino immigrants, he grew up immersed in his family’s cultural heritage while also enjoying the life of a typical American kid. Dale applies this distinct Asian-American experience to the menu of his eponymous restaurant, TALDE, located in the Brooklyn’s thriving Park Slope neighborhood. Dale opened TALDE—his first restaurant as chef/partner—in January 2012, and it quickly became a hit with diners and critics alike. In August 2012 he and his partners David Massoni and John Bush launched Pork Slope, a Brooklyn roadhouse serving his take on classic American bar food. In October 2012, he took over the kitchen and became a partner in Massoni and Bush’s older restaurant, Thistle Hill Tavern. Most recently he has added two more TALDE restaurants to his collection, one in Jersey City and one in Miami.

A 1998 graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, Dale began his professional career in Chicago as part of the opening staff at two of the city’s most acclaimed eateries: Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Thai-inspired, French restaurant, Vong-Chicago; and Chef Shawn McClain’s New-American restaurant, Spring. Dale followed this with a stint consulting at Le Anne, a Vietnamese bistro in Chicago’s western suburbs. It was there, he developed a true passion for Southeast Asian cuisine.

Dale later joined Chef Carrie Nahabedian at her award-winning New-American restaurant, Naha. Under Chef Nahabedian, Dale learned the value of being a “locavore” and how to build relationships with local farmers, fishmongers and butchers. While Dale was cooking dinner at Naha, he also took a position cooking lunch for Kevin Shikami at his restaurant, Kevin. The opportunity to become a Chef de Cuisine in 2003 had Dale moving on to Opera, a modern Chinese restaurant.

In December 2005, Dale moved to NYC for the opportunity to work with Chef Masaharu Morimoto and restaurateur Stephen Starr at the celebrated Japanese restaurant, Morimoto. Continuing to work with STARR Restaurants, he then joined the kitchen of Buddakan, serving as Chef de Cuisine. In 2011, Dale was named Director of Asian Concepts for STARR Restaurants, consulting on various projects and assisting with the opening of Makoto in Bal Harbour, Fla.

In addition to his work in the kitchen, Dale was also a two-time cheftestant on Bravo’s Emmy Award-winning culinary show, “Top Chef.” He competed in season 4, as well as, on the show’s “All Star” season, and became one of the show’s most popular cast members.

Dale lives in downtown Brooklyn, and when he’s not in the kitchen you can find him at the local courts playing basketball.