Thailand | Pastas & Noodles | Shrimp | Tofu | Stir Frying

Pad Thai

(Thai stir-fried noodles)

Yield: 4-6 servings


INGREDIENTS PREP AMOUNT
Rice noodles (the flat, wide kind) 8 oz
 
Fish sauce 1/3 cup
Tamarind water (see notes) 1/3 cup
Brown or palm sugar 1/4 cup
 
Oil   3-4 Tbsp
Shrimp peeled, deveined 1/3 lb
Tofu, firm cut in 1" cubes 1/2 lb
Garlic minced 4-5 cloves
Shallots or scallions sliced thin 3 each
     
Eggs beaten well 3 each
Mung bean sprouts   2 cups
     
Roasted peanuts chopped roughly 1/2 cup
Limes quartered 2 each
Cilantro   1/2 bunch

METHOD

Basic Steps:  Soak → Stir fry → Garnish
  1. Soak the noodles in warm water for 20-30 minutes till softened but still firm. Drain well. Set aside.
  2. While noodles are soaking mix the fish sauce, tamarind or lemon juice and sugar together to make a sauce. Taste, and adjust ingredients to get a proper balance of sweet, sour and salty.
  3. Heat oil in a wok or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high flame. Add shrimp and stirfry till just cooked through. Remove and set aside.
  4. Add tofu to the hot oil and stirfry till it just starts to brown.
  5. Add the garlic and shallots or scallions and stirfry for about a minute more, or until the garlic just starts to brown.
  6. Turn heat to medium-low and add drained noodles. Fold the noodles in carefully to heat through.
  7. Push the noodles to one side of the wok or pot and pour the eggs into the empty area. Scramble eggs in this area until cooked through, then break into pieces and fold gently into the noodles.
  8. Pour in the sauce and stir gently to cover the noodles without making them soggy. You may not need all the sauce.
  9. Turn off the heat. Gently stir in the sprouts, shrimp and half the peanuts.
  10. Mound in a serving bowl or platter. Garnish with the remaining peanuts and the cilantro. Have lime wedges available for each diner to squeeze over his or her noodles to taste.

VARIATIONS

  • There are as many versions of pad thai as there are cooks who make it. Many substitutions are possible. Try any of the following:
  • Substitute chicken or pork for the shrimp, or eliminate meat altogether for a vegetarian dish.
  • Instead of fish sauce, use soy sauce.
  • Instead of brown or palm sugar, use white sugar.
  • Instead of tamarind or lemon juice, use lime juice, cider vinegar or rice vinegar.
  • Add 1-2 Tbsp of ketchup or Sriracha chile sauce to the sauce ingredients for a different flavor.
  • Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or this slices of Thai chiles with the tofu for spicier noodles.
  • Other garnishes: pickled daikon, pea sprouts, thinly sliced cucumbers.

NOTES

  • While pad thai is often considered the quintessential Thai dish, it has only been around for the last 50 years or so. This dish is Thai fast food, found in noodle shops or simply and deliciously made on the street at innumerable pad thai carts.
  • Sometimes spelled phat thai or paad thai.
  • To make tamarind water, break off a piece of tamarind pulp (can be bought in any Asian or Latino market) about the size of a walnut. Mash in about 1/3 cup hot water until it is dissolved. Strain through a sieve to remove the fibers and any seeds and proceed with the recipe.