Pad Thai
Pad Thai is a Thai dish made out of stir fried rice noodles flavoured with fish sauce, tamarind juice, chilli peppers garnished with bean sprouts, shrimps, chopped peanuts, eggs and lime juice. This dish is the national dish of Thailand and is listed at number 5 on CNN’s World’s 50 most delicious foods readers’ poll in 2011. Pad Thai in English means “fried Thai Style” which truly defines its cooking process where noodles, meat and vegetables are stir fried in common Thai spices and herbs like tamarind, chilli, coriander and fish sauce.
This dish already existed in the ancient Siam for centuries where a variant of the rice noodle brought over by Vietnamese traders was made into this lovely dish. Though it was existing for centuries it was just recently popularized when it was made the national dish of Thailand by the 1930s Prime Minister Luang Phibunsongkhram. This was in line the Prime Ministers campaign for Thai nationalism as well as to reduce rice consumption due to the rice shortage available for export during that period.
A very uniquely flavoured dish where sweet, sour, spicy and savoury elements mix with hints of peanuts and seafood. A real good noodle dish specially paired with garlic soy chicken or spring rolls, I guess the CNN readers’ poll can attest to it.
Ingredients (Pad Thai Sauce)
3 tbsp tamarind paste or sinigang mix
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup fish sauce
4 tablespoons palm sugar
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tsp cayenne pepper
Ingredients (Pad Thai)
300g Pad Thai noodles
300g shrimps, deveined
2 stalks spring onions, chopped
2 cups bean sprouts
2 eggs
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup coarsely chopped roasted peanuts
1 block tofu, cut into matchstick pieces then deep fried
peanut oil
lime wedges
Method
1. In a small bowl mix all Pad Thai Sauce ingredients, set it aside.
2. Soak rice noodles in water for 10 minutes or until soft to handle but not soggy, drain water then add small amount of oil to prevent them sticking together when stir frying then set it aside.
3. Heat up a wok then add oil, then sauté garlic.
4. Add shrimps then deep fried tofu pieces.
5. Add noodles and pad Thai sauce then stir continuously for 3 minutes. Add water if needed you can also adjust the taste at this stage according to your liking.
6. Push noodles to the side of the wok then crack eggs into the middle, scramble it while cooking. Once eggs are cooked incorporate it with the noodles.
7. Add bean sprouts, peanuts and spring onions into the wok then continue to stir fry until cooked.
This is just spectacular. I can’t wait to make this!!! I’ll let you know how it goes.
Scrumptious!
Mandy
Guato ko yan pre maamghang…..
There’s so much of similarities between Thai food and ours, just like you said, its a combo of flavors, esp the sour, salty, sour and more. You bet, we will happily dig into this noodles.
Btw, I am hitting Thailand in another one days time and will be there for 1 week. Am gonna go all out tasting all the food they have esp the street food.
We adore Pad Thai, I was so happy to learn how to make it at home … mmm, that last squeeze of lime just puts it over the top. Thanks for the reminder about your Garlic Soy Chicken recipe, it looks great too!
I’ve never eat pad Thai and always wondered what it was exactly. Glad you posted this one…as usual I learned something new.
I love ordering this, but never make it at home. That has to change. Thanks for the great recipe.
Must try this recipe. I, too, only order it when dining out. With millions of other Americans–I’m certain this is the most popular Thai dish in the US, though there are so many spectacularly delicious foods in the cuisine. I was fortunate to have a Thai roommate and circle of friends in college, so I got introduced to the real, home-cooked goods early and have been addicted ever since!
Seriously. I love your posts! and naturally I love this dish..
I didn’t know about the CNN poll, thanks!
I’ve been obsessed with Pad Thai for many years now and am never happy with most restaurant’s versions of the dish. Many thanks for sharing a recipe for it!
Oh I just love Pad Thai .. never knew how to make it at home until now
this is available as street food in bangkok as well for as low as 20 baht.. have tasted it but don’t really like sprouts.
Oh yeah I can see why this dish is Top5. It’s so delicious! I always order Pad Thai whenever I visit a new Thai restaurant and this dish definitely make me decide if I want to go back or not. Your Pad Thai simply looks delicious.
Pad thai is one of my favorite thai dishes. I never thought to use sinigang seasoning in it – genius!
Pad Thai is such a fantastic blend of sweet and sour, salt and chilli and is amazing. I have never attempted to try to cook but might give it a go soon – thanks for the recipe !
I love this dish so much! I am too lazy to cook this actually, so I have to eat at a Thai diner :S