This post on Pad Thai was last updated in 2022.
This Pad Thai recipe is for you. Great Thai restaurants are a great choice.It is easy to make at home and can be done in a matter of minutes with a quick trip to the grocery store. You will love the Thai cuisine’s signature sweet-savoury flavour, sticky noodles, and sprinkle of peanuts.
Pad Thai recipe
Pad Thai is one of the world’s most beloved noodle dishes. This is the standard dish used to measure Thai restaurants. In fact, I was trying to find the “best” Thai restaurant in my area just last week and it brought me much amusement that Pad Thai was the baseline of a favourable or unfavourable rating for almost every review!
If you’ve been disappointed by basic Pad Thai recipes in the past, have faith – I promise this one delivers!
What is Pad Thai??
Pad Thai is a Thai-style stir-fry of noodles with sweet-savoury and sour sauce. It’s often served with crushed peanuts. It’s made with thin, flat rice noodles, and almost always has bean sprouts, garlic chives, scrambled egg, firm tofu and a protein – the most popular being chicken or prawns/shrimp.
Authentic Thai Pad Thai
Thai street food: authentic pad Thai distinct fishy/prawny “funk”Although it sounds unappetizing, this is actually quite addictive and the essence of authentic Thai street food. If authentic is what you’re after, try this Prawn/Shrimp I used the Spice I Am Thai version.
A quick Google will also help you find many other helpful websites. Basic westernized versions which are typically made with not much more than something sour (vinegar, lime juice), soy sauce and sugar. These recipes will not taste like any Pad Thai you’ve had from a restaurant.
This recipe I’m sharing today lies in the middle between hardcore authentic version (which even I find borderline too fishy) and very basic westernised recipes that tend to lack the proper depth of flavour and are typically too sweet.
This is a great alternative to Thai takeout. – except less oily (restaurants tend to use loads of oil) – but It will be unnecessary to look in the dark corners of Asian stores.Find the ingredients.
What is Pad Thai Sauce made from?
Pad Thai Sauce can be made with oyster sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, and tamarind.
Pad Thai sauce’s heart and soul is Pad Thai sauce’s Tamarind ingredientIt gives the sauce its distinctive sour taste, which is why Pad Thai is so well-known for. It’s an ingredient used in South East Asian cooking, like this Malaysian Beef Rendang.
Tamarind pulp makes authentic Pad Thai. The block is the same size as a soap bar.
It is easy to use pre-made tamarind puree. Supermarkets sell these itemsHere in Australia. 🙌🏻🙌🏻 Or Asian stores, obviously (and it’s cheaper).
Can’t find Tamarind Puree?
Ketchup is a great substitute! A few modifications to the recipe can result in a similar but even better outcome.
The Noodles
Pad Thai is made from flat dried rice noodles, which are available in every supermarket.
I recommend Chang’s “Thai style” rice noodles rather than the actual Thai brand rice noodles (Erawan Rice Sticks – red pack below) that are sold at supermarkets.
Chang’s are less prone to breaking and require just 5 minutes of soaking in hot water.
The Erawan Rice Sticks can break more easily when stir-frying.
Other ingredients in Pad Thai
These two ingredients are also very Pad Thai-centric: firm Tofu and garlic chives.
You’ll find firm tofu at the supermarket too – go for the firmest plain tofu you can find (read the label, give the packet a squeeze to check). Don’t even think about trying this with soft tofu – it will just totally disintegrate!
Garlic chives can be described as the big brother to normal chives. They taste like garlicky chives (I know, you’re shocked right? 😂They are shaped like grass blades. These herbs can be purchased in Australian supermarkets along with the rest of fresh herbs. Sub with extra garlic and green onions if you can’t find them.
How to make Pad Thai
Once you’ve gathered the ingredients, the making part is actually very straight forward!
You should have all ingredients ready for stir fries. Once you start cooking things will move quickly!
I cannot believe how I’ve just written about Pad Thai without barely pausing for a breathe.
I’m going to stop here before I run out of space for the recipe. 😂
So – meet your new favourite Pad Thai recipe. You will be making it over and over, every night of the week. Just by stopping at Woolies on the drive home, you can find the perfect recipe. WHOOOOT!!!!! – Nagi xx
How to make it
Are you hungry for more?For the most up-to-date information, subscribe to my newsletter. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram.
Pad Thai
Here, I used chicken but you can use any other protein, even shrimp/prawns.
Ingredients
- 125 g / 4oz Chang’s Pad Thai dried rice sticks (Note 1)
Sauce:
- 1 1/2 tbsp Puree of tamarind (Note 2)
- 3 tbsp Brown sugar (packaged)
- 2 tbsp fish sauce (Note 3)
- 1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce (Note 4)
Stir Fry:
- 2 – 3 tbsp Vegetable or canola oil
- 1/2 Onion , sliced (brown or yellow).
- 2 Garlic cloves Finely chopped
- 150 g/5oz Chicken breast (or thigh). Sliced thin
- 2 eggs Lightly whisked
- 1 1/2 Cups beansprouts
- 1/2 cup firm tofu, cut into 3cm / 1 1/4″ batons (see photo)
- 1/4 Cup garlic chives , cut into 3cm / 1 1/4″ pieces
- 1/4 Cup Peanuts finely chopped
Serving =:
- Lime wedges (essential)
- Ground chilli, cayenne pepper (optional)
- More beansprouts
Instructions
-
Pour boiling water over the noodles. Allow to soak for 5 minutes. Then drain the noodles in a bowl and let cool under cold running water. Don’t leave them sitting around for more than 5 – 10 minutes.
-
Mix Sauce in a small bowl.
-
Over high heat, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick pan (or well-seasoned skillet). Stir in garlic and onion. Cook for 30 seconds.
-
Cook the chicken for about 1 1/2 minutes, or until it is mostly cooked through.
-
Push one side of the pan to pour the egg into the other. Mix the egg with the wooden spoon.
-
Mix in bean sprouts, tofu and noodles, then add sauce.
-
Stir gently for approximately 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until Sauce is fully absorbed by the noodles.
-
Add garlic chives, and half the peanuts. Stir well, then reduce heat.
-
Serve immediately. Sprinkle with remaining peanuts and lime slices on the side. Add a few extra beansprouts to the side for a Thai twist. Before you eat, squeeze over some lime juice.
Notes for Recipes
If using the the Erawan brand rice noodles (see photo in post), soak in room temp tap water for 40 – 45 minutes until noodles are silky but still a touch firm. DO NOT follow the packet directions to boil – they disintegrate in the pan!
125g doesn’t sound like much noodles but they expand when soaked.
2. Pad Thai is a combination of tamarind pulp and tamarind pulp. Original Pad Thai uses tamarind pulp, which must be soaked and then strained. The easiest way to get puree is in a jar. It’s a scoopable soft paste (see video).
You can label it as Tamarind Puree Concentrate, Paste or Paste. In Australia it’s sold at Woolies, Coles, Harris Farms (Asian section) as well as Asian stores. There’s a few different ones on Amazon US – here is the cheapest one.
Use leftovers for Beef Rendang !
KETCHUP SUBSITUTE if you can’t find tamarind. You can use this instead of the ingredients in the Pad Thai sauce recipe.
1 tbsp ketchup, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp dark soy sauce*, 2 tbsp rice vinegar (or 1 tbsp white vinegar).
See in post for explanation, and cynics, don’t judge until you’ve tried this! It’s remarkably good and quite close to the base Pad Thai recipe!:
* This is mainly for colour, so can be substituted with light or normal soy sauce and flavour will still be the same.
3. You can substitute light soy sauce, but you will lose some of the flavor that fish sauce provides.
4. Not in authentic Pad Thai but is essential for this everyday version.
5. Garlic chives are like garlic chives, but they look and taste like blades. If you can’t find them, it’s not a deal killer. You can substitute chopped shallots (aka green onions / scallions )
6. General Note: I prefer to use a skillet for this purpose. It is easier. If you have a well-seasoned wok, you can cook it in there.
7. Nutrition per serving. The weight doesn’t take into account the water absorbed by the noodles. I think it’s closer to 350g / 12oz per serving. It’s a generous serving!
Nutrition Information:
Original publication: May 2018. Original publication May 2018. Updated January 2019. New video and step photos. Recipe unchanged.
Thai food favorites
Good Thai is sorely lacking in my neighbourhood – so it’s critical to have recipes for all my favourite Thai dishes!
Dozer life
Flashback to when I first published Pad Thai back in May 2018 when he tore his cruciate ligament and was confined to a small space during his recovery. He is a very sad person. 😢
I am happy to report that three months later, he was back at his wild, crazy self.
