Introduction
Welcome to my Pad Thai recipe! This classic Thai dish is a favorite among many, and I’m excited to share my version with you. This recipe is easy to make and full of flavor. I use a combination of fresh ingredients, including rice noodles, eggs, and a variety of vegetables. The sauce is made with a combination of fish sauce, tamarind paste, and palm sugar, which gives it a unique and delicious flavor. With a few simple steps, you can have a delicious Pad Thai dish ready in no time. So let’s get started!
Pad Thai Recipe – Jessica Gavin
Pad Thai is a classic Thai noodle dish that is packed with flavor. This recipe from Jessica Gavin is sure to be a hit with your family and friends. It’s easy to make and can be customized to your taste.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried rice noodles
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup firm tofu, cubed
- 1/2 cup bean sprouts
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
Instructions
- Soak the rice noodles in warm water for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and tofu and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the bean sprouts, peanuts, fish sauce, tamarind paste, brown sugar, and chili garlic sauce. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the noodles and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the cilantro, basil, mint, and lime juice. Cook for 1 minute.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
This easy pad thai recipe combines stir-fried rice noodles tossed in a sweet and tangy sauce with succulent shrimp. Make this popular restaurant-quality dish in under 30 minutes!
Table of Contents
When our family dines at our local Thai restaurant, a chicken or shrimp pad thai is always something we order. Southeast Asian cuisine is known for bold, exotic flavors, so learning to make this dish at home is an easy way to add variety to your weekly meal rotation. I love to make a little extra and have leftovers for the next day.
The combination of tender wok-fired rice noodles coated in a delicious savory sauce makes for an incredible dish. Scrambled eggs add protein, but I like to add shrimp to enhance the taste experience. Of course, it’s easy to substitute chicken, pork, or beef.
What is Pad Thai?
The word “pad” translates to “fried”; therefore, Pad thai is a stir-fry of noodles. They are prepared with tender rice noodles and proteins like shrimp, chicken, pork, beef, tofu, eggs, plus vegetables like beans sprouts and green onions. The dish comes together tossed in a delectable sweet and tangy sauce.
It’s a wildly popular Thai street food that has become an iconic dish in restaurants worldwide.
Rice noodle selection
When shopping, look for thick dried rice noodles sold as “stir fry” rice noodles, linguine cut, or flat rice noodles. Avoid the thin spaghetti or angel hair-shaped noodles called rice vermicelli as they break apart easily and become too sticky when stir-fired. Those are much better in Vietnamese bun or fresh spring rolls.
To make a flavorful sauce
I use a combination of bold flavors such as fish sauce, palm sugar, lime juice, rice vinegar, and tamarind paste. These ingredients give a strong tanginess and intense umami notes but with some sweetness to balance everything out. Readers have said that they love the sauce so much, they make double the batch for more coating on the noodles.
There are a few ingredients you may not have tried before, but they are great to have if you’re looking to make other kinds of Thai food. Look for palm sugar and tamarind paste at Asian markets or online if you can’t find them at your local market.
What is tamarind paste?
Tamarind paste, also called concentrate, is a very thick, sticky, and tart-flavored puree made from the dried fruit pods of the tamarind tree. It has a sour taste, is slightly citrusy and smokey with a hint of caramel. It’s sold in jars or plastic containers and can be added directly to dishes.
The intensity varies by brand, so make sure to taste and adjust the amounts. If you happen to purchase tamarind pulp, it needs to be soaked in boiling water, then pushed through a sieve to remove the seeds and tough fibers.
Soak the rice noodles
The first step is to soak the rice noodles in lukewarm, tepid water, about 80 to 90°F (27 to 32°C). This process is crucial to allow the rice flour to soak up water and become pliable but still have some rigidity. You don’t want them overly soft, or they’ll become too sticky during stir-frying.
If they clump together after soaking, just rinse under cold water and break apart with your fingers. Once the noodles are stir-fried, they should be tender with a slight al dente texture.
Fry the egg
Like my fried rice recipe, a whole egg gets scrambled in to add richness. The egg gets fried in garlic-infused oil. I don’t whisk it beforehand because the yolk gets quickly pierced and broken down with the spoon. I enjoy the variation of some pieces of whites remaining. If you like a more consistent texture, you can whisk it before adding it in.
Stir-fry the shrimp
I use large, 16/20 count shrimp. You can use smaller sizes but just reduce the cook time. The crustaceans only require about one minute until it turns pink. This protein cooks quickly and will continue to be heated as the other ingredients are added to the wok.
To switch up the protein, chicken, beef, pork, tofu, or a combo of more than one are tasty swaps.
Fry the rice noodles and pad thai sauce
Add the soaked noodles to the wok, and stir-fry for a few minutes until it softens and becomes pliable. Once the noodles are ready, pour in the sauce. Once added, it will create a nice coating on the surface.
Toss the noodles with paprika
The characteristic reddish-golden hue would generally come from spicy Thai chili paste. However, this recipe has been tamed for a more western palate. Feel free to add more hot spices to your liking!
I use sweet paprika towards the end of cooking to transfer the red pigment to the noodles. It makes them eye-catching and vibrant in color.
Add the garnish
Slice green onions are tossed in and allowed to wilt in the heat of the noodles to deliver a delicate onion flavor and pop of color. Bean sprouts add a refreshing crispness to the noodles. They are very fragile, and we want to retain the crunchy texture, so it’s added on the top right before serving.
Chopped peanuts add the final crunch to the dish. I like to serve with lime wedges on the side so guests can squeeze on fresh juice on top. The acidity enhances the flavor without being overpowering.
Serve this with
FAQ
Yes! It’s made with rice noodles, which contain no gluten. However, make sure to purchase a gluten-free fish sauce, as some brands may have allergen traces. Be careful when eating this dish from restaurants, and ask the servers when ordering.
Fish sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar, palm sugar, and tamarind paste. This combination delivers intense sweet, tangy, and savory flavors, characteristic of Thai cuisine.
A sweetener made from the sap of flower buds from a coconut palm tree or other varieties. It’s produced similar to maple syrup, although it’s sold as a solid brick, cake, or liquid. It has a complex caramel taste with a hint of smokiness. It’s not as sweet as granulated or brown sugar because it contains less glucose, therefore, a lower glycemic index. It’s often used in Southeast Asian cuisine.
The importance of soaking the rice noodles
Don’t boil rice noodles like pasta, or they become a sticky mass; instead, soak them in lukewarm water until just pliable. When you add them to the wok and stir-fry, they will continue to soften. If overcooked, they will completely absorb the sauce instead of sticking to the outside. The result is less flavor impact and a more mushy texture.
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Heat a large pot of water until it becomes lukewarm, about 80 to 90°F (27 to 32°C), then turn off heat.
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Soak the rice noodles until flexible yet solid but not completely cooked, about 5 to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
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In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients; fish sauce, tamarind paste, palm sugar, lime juice, and rice vinegar. Set aside.
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Heat a wok or large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add oil. Once hot, add the garlic and stir for 15 seconds.
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Add the egg and quickly stir to break the yolk. Mix to scramble and break into smaller pieces. The egg should be slightly wet and uncooked before adding the shrimp.
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Add the shrimp and mix, cook until the shrimp is just turning pink and egg fully scrambles, about 1 minute.
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Add in soaked noodles and stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes to soften. Add the sauce and stir to combine. Turn off the heat. Add the paprika and toss until the noodles turn slightly red in color. Add the green onions and allow them to wilt slightly.
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Transfer to a serving plate, top with bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, and serve with lime wedges.
- Palm Sugar Substitutes: Brown sugar, granulated sugar, coconut sugar, honey or pure maple syrup.
- Tamarind Paste Substitutes: Fruit jam, preserves, or marmalade like guava, strawberry, or orange. Tangy pomegranate molasses syrup. Dried fruit like apricots, dates, raisins, pineapples, prunes that have been soaked in warm water, drained and pureed into a paste. Balance the taste with lime juice and rice vinegar as needed.
- Saucier Noodles: Double the sauce for more of a coating on the noodles.
- Spicier Sauce: Use some hot paprika (reducing the amount of sweet paprika), sambal oelek, or Thai chili paste. Start with ¼ teaspoon and increase to desired spice level.
- More Protein: Use 8 ounces of shrimp instead of 4 ounces for a heartier dish.
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Nutrition Facts
Pad Thai
Amount Per Serving
Calories 521
Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 6g30%
Cholesterol 117mg39%
Sodium 1141mg48%
Potassium 193mg6%
Carbohydrates 96g32%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 12g24%
Vitamin A 315IU6%
Vitamin C 8.7mg11%
Calcium 81mg8%
Iron 2.1mg12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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