What does Thai food mean to you? For me, it is Pad Thai, and I absolutely love making it at home now that I have managed to adopt some of the Pad Thai recipes I gathered and modify them according to my taste.
I hate to say it, but mine is now nearly as good as a local restaurant we enjoy.
Why do I hate to say it? Partially because I have had a complicated relationship with this dish for so many years. On the one hand, I thoroughly enjoy eating it, but not so much the prep.
The real problem is I have a strange predilection for attempting to make my favorite dishes in my own kitchen.
I searched through multiple recipes, and most included ketchup. Unfortunately, this means almost all my Pad Thai attempts were a little better than ketchup-flavored noodles.
I even resorted to purchasing boxed kit dinners and the results were not much better.
My personal goal is to create a Pad Thai dish that is as good if not better than the Thai restaurant in my neighborhood.
At the end of the day, this is the only way I would feel satisfied with my efforts.
Today, I can happily say I have conquered the Pad Thai dish! And it is almost as succulent as my favorite restaurant and much better than takeouts.
For me, this is the pinnacle of my culinary achievements, at least where Pad Thai is concerned!
Secret ingredient
Just think, there was a time when I believed ketchup was the essential ingredient. Little did I know palm sugar and tamarind paste are the key (plus adding some sriracha as my secret ingredient). Yes, try it, and you'll see the difference.
These ingredients can be a little tricky to find (except for Sriracha, of course), but if you have access to a Ranch 99 market, Asian grocer, or the internet, you will be fine.
Making the sauce ahead of time
My secret to success with Pad Thai is to make a batch of sauce and then use it as needed. After all, you can refrigerate unused portions for up to 30 days.
Don’t worry if your sauce solidified a bit; you can simply pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds or less, and you're good to go.
Click here for the Pad Thai Sauce recipe.
Extra tip
The recipe I was most successful with garnered about 4 cups and a half of sauce, and you will only use about 1 cup per serving.
Remember, when creating Pad Thai dishes, you should only cook 1 or 2 servings at once. This will prevent overcrowding in your wok/pan. Overcrowded pans equal mushy noodles. Yuck!
Initially, it may seem like you have added too much sauce. Fear not, and keep frying! Toss your noodles as you fry, soak up some sauce, and the rest will reduce in the process.
What meat goes well with Pad Thai?
This dish is made solely with crustaceans - and shrimp is the popular choice that goes best, but some restaurants offer crab meat or lobster as well.
However, adding pork, beef or chicken can't be categorized as Pad Thai, but it all depends on your preference. The key here is to experiment according to your taste buds.
How long can you keep the leftover?
Most popular take-out noodles like Pad Thai typically last about 3 days if stored properly in the fridge.
But longer than that, they easily taste funky because of the heavy sauces that can result in a soggy or mushy texture.
Can you heat pad Thai?
For safety precautions, don't forget to reheat the dish to a temperature of 165°F or higher to kill any bacteria before eating.
The noodles can be reheated well, thus the shrimp or (any added meat) and veggies.
Reheating in the microwave
In a heat-proof dish, put the noodles and add an ice cube in the middle or 1 tablespoon of water. Cover it with cling wrap and poke 3 tiny holes in the plastic wrap for the steaming process. Nuke for 1 minute + 15 seconds. Serve and enjoy.
Reheating on the stovetop
Place a small amount of butter or oil in a pan and warm it over medium heat; this process will revive the noodles into freshness. Then, you can add the leftover and saute for about 2-3 minutes or until the noodles are reheated. Don't stir it often; just shake the pan to avoid the noodles getting mushily broken. Serve and enjoy.
How to keep rice noodles from sticking or clumping?
Stir-frying rice noodles can be tricky due to their starchy contents and the tendency to make a sticky mess once exposed to very high temperatures or hot oil.
- To keep the noodles loose, soften them first in lukewarm water until they become flexible.
- And then, you can rinse them in cool water to wash off the extra starch. Strain to get rid of excess water and dry them well. Set aside and cover to keep them moist.
- To prevent them from sticking while cooking, remove from adding more oil and add some water or pad thai sauce.
- Stir with a spatula and continue to cook until the noodles are soft.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rice noodles (fresh or rehydrated)
- 3 tablespoon chives
- 8 shrimp (medium-sized)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon shallots
- 1 tablespoon sweet radish
- 1 tablespoon dried shrimp (optional)
- 2 eggs
- 4 oz tofu (firm)
- 4 oz beansprouts
- 1 or 1 ½ cups (Pad Thai sauce)
- 1 tablespoon crushed roasted peanuts
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil
Step-by-step instructions
If Using Pad Thai Noodles in a Box:
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the noodles and cook according to the package's direction. Drain the noodles and set them aside.
For the Main Dish: (You can watch the video above)
Step 1
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 1 minute or until tender.
Step 2
Add the sweet radish, dried shrimp (optional), and firm tofu. Cook a little bit and drop the cooked shrimp or any of your favorite proteins. Stir and push them to one side of the wok/skillet.
Step 3
Crack 2 eggs and cook until they solidify but are still moist, moving the eggs around the skillet slightly as they cook so that they lightly scramble. Move them aside.
Step 4
Now, add the noodles and pour the Pad Thai Sauce (use 1 cup of sauce first). It may seem that you've added too much sauce, but don't worry; just gently toss the noodles until they soak up the sauce.
Note: Gradually add the remaining ½ cup sauce to moisten the dish.
Step 5
Add 1 tablespoon Sriracha (this is my secret ingredient for color and a bit of kick). *Optional. Add the chives and sprouts, give them a quick stir, and you're almost done.
Step 6
Sprinkle the crushed peanuts over the noodles. Toss lightly to combine. Serve immediately.
Tamarind paste substitute
Some of you may be fortunate enough to have an Asian supply store readily at hand, but for everyone else, here are the substitute ingredients for Pad Thai Sauce if the tamarind concentrate isn’t available, just mix the ingredients altogether :
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Other interesting recipes:
Full Recipe
Pad Thai Recipe
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces rice noodles (rehydrated or fresh)
- 3 tablespoon chives
- 8 shrimp (medium-sized)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon shallots
- 1 tablespoon sweet radish
- 1 tablespoon dried shrimp (soak in water for 5 min)
- 2 eggs
- 4 ounces tofu (extra hard)
- 4 oz beansprouts
- 1½ cups Pad Thai sauce Recipe here
- 1 tablespoon crushed roasted peanuts
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil
Watch the Video:
Instructions:
If Using Pad Thai Noodles in a Box:
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the noodles and cook according to the package's direction. Drain the noodles and set them aside.
For the Main Dish: (You can watch the video below)
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 1 minute or until tender.
- Add the sweet radish, dried shrimp (optional), and firm tofu. Cook a little bit and drop the cooked shrimp or any of your favorite proteins. Stir and push them to one side of the wok/skillet.
- Crack 2 eggs and cook until they solidify but are still moist, moving the eggs around the skillet slightly as they cook so that they lightly scramble. Move them aside.
- Now, add the noodles and pour the Pad Thai Sauce (use 1 cup sauce first). It may seem that you've added too much sauce, but don't worry just gently toss the noodles until they soaked up the sauce. Note: gradually add the remaining ½ cup sauce to get the dish moist.
- Add 1 tablespoon Sriracha (this is my secret ingredient for color and a bit of kick). *Optional.
- Add the chives and sprouts, give them a quick stir and you're almost done.
- Sprinkle the crushed peanuts over the noodles. Toss lightly to combine. Serve hot.
Notes:
-
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Nutrition Information:
Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.
Natasha Angied says
Never thought I can cook this dish at home.. this is so awesome and one of my favorite Asian foods.
Brandi Michel says
This recipe looks amazingly delicious! I love your photos and simple instructions. I'm going to pin this for later!
Rebecca says
This is so mouthwatering!
Ben Myhre says
I love pad thai and these pictures look absolutely wonderful. Man, I am so hungry right now.
Danielle says
This is my favourite Thai food. We learnt to make it in a cooking class in Thailand and I crave it weekly.
Diana says
I'm off to Thailand next month on my honeymoon, and I was telling my fiancé that we will need to go to a cooking class for fun and learn how to make Pad Thai together. I think it will be a great experience especially that I love pad Thai. Your version looks amazing!
Pam says
It's a good feeling to conquer a recipe and it looks like you've done it. Good job! Looks mouthwatering.
Gingermommy says
This pad thai looks so good. I am going to make it soon. I have never tried making this myself, always tried it a restaurants. Now I can make it at home!
Kristy Bullard says
This Pad Thai looks amazing! I think I could drink your homemade sauce with a straw! I have to make this for my family this week.
Jill says
Homemade is always best. This pad thai looks delicious!
Roxana says
Pad thai is only of my favorites. You have now inspired me to go make it again. Too tasty.
swathi says
Love the pad thai recipe it is my favorite dish. As you said according to me ketchup spoil the taste. I am going to give it a try to your pad thai recipe that too with your sauce.
Meredith says
I love trying to recreate our Thai takeout favorites at home and have been searching for the perfect Pad Thai recipe... thank you!!!
Allison - Celebrating Sweets says
I've ordered this at restaurants, but I've never tried making it myself. I have to give it a try - looks great!