30-Minute Easy Pad Thai Recipe

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.

Jump to:

• Making the sauce ahead of time
• What meat goes well with Pad Thai?
• How long can you keep the leftover?
• Can you heat pad Thai?
• How to keep rice noodles from sticking or clumping?
• Ingredients
• Step-by-step instructions
• Tamarind paste substitute
• Other interesting recipes:
• Full Recipe

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.

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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.

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Extra tip

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Step 6

Sprinkle the crushed peanuts over the noodles. Toss lightly to combine. Serve immediately.

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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

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Other interesting recipes:

• Pad Se Ew Recipe
• Pork Spare Ribs
• Sesame Chicken Recipe

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Full Recipe