Updated Feb 18, 2016: To keep this content fresh, we’ve updated our Pad Thai recipe with even more instructions and photos. Check out the updated post here!
I could not have done a month of Thai treats without pad thai. I toyed with the idea of starting the month with this well known dish, but honestly, it’s just not the best way to begin. I loved it in the US when it was an occasional delivery or dinner out treat, and I love it here in Thailand where you can find it every day at every single restaurant in town. But the truth is, it’s so much more complicated to make than many other Thai dishes. I decided I just couldn’t possibly begin the month with this recipe because I didn’t want to send you running for the hills.
When I started a draft of a pad thai post a couple months ago I titled it “pad thai made easy”. I figured I would find a way to simplify the whole pad thai thing, and give you a delicious, simple recipe that didn’t use any ingredients that were hard to find. This was seriously misguided. Since that time, I’ve taken a few classes that included instruction on making pad thai, perused books and the internet for recipes and tried quite a few lunch-size portions here on my own (good thing I like it so much). The problem is that to make this in a way that tastes authentic and complete, you need quite a few ingredients. Some of them are a bit strange. I’ve given a bit more information on some of the more unusual ingredients below, listing them in what I consider to be their order of importance. The first couple ingredients are really important, but those at the end can be left out or a substitute can be used.
First, the ingredient that gives pad thai its distinctive pad thai flavor is tamarind paste. This is the sweet, sour, slightly fruity taste that goes so well with the nuttiness of the peanuts. You can make tamarind paste yourself by soaking smashed fresh tamarind in a bit of warm water and then squeezing it to release the fruit and form a paste. This is a lot of trouble, and even though I can buy fresh tamarind just about everywhere here, I still opt for the kind in a jar.
The weird but important ingredient category continues with pickled radish. Yes, that’s right – in this recipe for pad thai you will find that I tell you to add pickled radish to your list of ingredients. While it is easy to find here, I have no idea if you can find it in grocery stores in other parts of the world. But believe me when I tell you this. After many attempts, this thing just does not taste its best without the pickled radish.
Next up is palm sugar which can be bought in solid (dried) form or in a paste, both of which are shown below (in a shot from my local market). The advantage of using palm sugar paste is that it dissolves and becomes incorporated with the other ingredients quickly, so using it doesn’t slow down the quick cooking process necessary to make pad thai. There are so many other flavorful things going on in pad thai though, you can substitute regular granulated or light brown sugar and won’t notice a big difference in flavor. If using a sugar other than palm sugar, reduce the amount you use by about ⅓ and keep an eye on it to make sure that the sugar dissolves evenly into the dish.
The other ingredient that I found to be interesting and worth using if you are looking for a totally authentic pad thai is thai garlic. Thai garlic is much smaller than regular garlic and the peel is tender and thin. When you use thai garlic in pad thai, you leave the peel on the garlic and crush the entire clove (peel and all) in a mortar and pestle. The whole crushed clove goes right into the wok and it seems to add an additional level of texture and flavor to the final dish. There is no need to hunt down thai garlic, as regular minced garlic works just fine, but if you happen to find some thai garlic, it’s worth trying in this recipe.
Finally, a quick note about shrimp. Most pad thai in Thailand is made with shrimp, but any protein will work. You can even skip the protein altogether. Often pad thai is also served with small dried shrimp that are either whole or roughly chopped. I don’t mind the dried shrimp but don’t love them enough to bother adding them to the pad thai I make at home. Should you want to add these little guys, just toss in a half Tablespoon per serving at the same time as you add in the protein.
Although the following recipe is not the “pad thai made easy” that I set out to find, I feel confident that it is worth the effort to make it this way. Believe me when I tell you that a little effort at your local Asian market to seek out these things will be well worth your time. Who knows though – these days, pickled radish might be available in the international aisle at your local grocery store. It would not surprise me one bit.
Pad Thai Ingredients (shown above, starting in upper left-hand corner and listing from left to right): extra thin “rice stick” noodles, green onions, bean sprouts, egg, garlic, extra firm tofu, sweet pickled radish, cilantro, ½ lime, fish sauce, palm sugar, tamarind paste, peanuts.
Inquiring Chef's Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 2.5 oz extra thin “rice stick” noodles (when gathered tightly together, the ends of the noodles should be about the diameter of an American quarter)
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 Tbsp. whole cloves thai garlic, including peels, crushed)
- 3 Tbps. extra firm tofu, sliced into small rectangular pieces about 1-inch long
- 8 raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined, tails intact
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 8 green onions, cut into 1-inch slices
- 2 Tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped
- juice squeezed from ½ of a lime
- 2 tsp. fish sauce
- 2 Tbsp. peanuts, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp. sweet pickled radish or turnip
- 2 tsp. palm sugar (can substitute 1 and ½ tsp. granulated or light brown sugar)
- 1 Tbsp. tamarind paste
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Place noodles in a flat-bottomed baking dish or pan and cover with room temperature water. Allow to noodles soak in water for 10 minutes. Do not soak the noodles longer than 10 minutes – they should be tender but not soft enough to eat. Drain and set aside. While noodles are soaking, prepare other ingredients and set them next to the stove.
- Add oil and garlic to a wok and turn on heat to medium-high. When garlic starts to sizzle, add tofu, shrimp, sprouts, green onions and cilantro. Stir ingredients gently and continue cooking until shrimp are pink, about 2 minutes.
- Add lime juice, fish sauce, peanuts, radish, sugar, tamarind paste and noodles to the wok. Stir ingredients continuously to combine liquids and coat all ingredients in sauce. Cook until noodles soften and begin to caramelize on the bottom of the wok, 3-4 minutes.
- Push noodles to one side of the wok and crack egg into wok. Gently scramble egg until just cooked through. Stir all ingredients together and remove wok from heat. Serve immediately, garnished with lime wedges, crushed peanuts and sprouts.
This looks great and it’s so helpful to have the recipe “unpacked” into the essential parts. ‘Not sure if the Inquiring Chef takes requests, but if so, (and since we all now have our Thai/julienne peelers), perhaps you’ll consider a papaya salad recipe as part of Thai month?
Jane – I absolutely DO take requests and papaya salad is on its way! It’s one of my favorites!
I never really thought about how many ingredients are in this! Nice work – looks awesome.
This looks wonderful, Jessica! Thai is my most favorite food of all! So glad to “meet” you through TK. 🙂
Hi Jessica,
I LOVE this post! Awesome photographs and a great description of the recipe and ingredients. Pad Thai is also one of my favorites and I make it my mandate each time I am in Thailand to do a thorough search for the best one in the country!
If you are taking requests I’d like to see the method for Fried Noodles with Veggies and Tofu – the dish with the fat noodles, egg, greens, etc. that I believe has a soy sauce base ;). I didn’t get to a cooking class on my last trip and really wanted to learn this one!
CG 🙂
CG – You won’t believe it, but it’s already on my list! I’m pretty sure I know exactly the dish you’re talking about, and I should have it ready soon!
Oh I’m so excited!! Can’t wait! Fried noodles are my favorite Thai dish I think…YUM!
Well written and love the photos, too!
Can I use the Korean pickled radish in place of the Thai pickled radish? I wanted to know if that delivers the same flavor as that is the only pickled radish I see in our Asian store?
Also, is the Thai pickled radish usually packed in cans or plastic (refrigerated or dried)?
Thank you
Kris – I have to tell you that I’m not sure about the Korean pickled radish, but it seems worth a shot. The Thai pickled radish is usually preserved in plastic bottles or sleeves on the shelf (not refrigerated). It’s not spicy but has both sour and slightly sweet notes. Let me know how the Korean pickled radish turns out!
Hi,
Can’t get pickled radish here in my part of Canada but I do grow them (though not sure if they are the same cuvitar). Do you have an authentic recipe for making the pickle?
Thanks. Keep sharing one of the best cuisines in the world.
David – actually I don’t have an answer for you on making the pickles yourself, but I’d be so interested to know how it’s done. Might be something I need to look in to for a future post! Thanks for the great idea!
Great flavours but my rice noodles were crunchy and not cooked, even after allowing some extra time in the pan and 12 mins of soaking. Next time I think soak the noodles in hot water, not room temperature 🙁
I always have a very difficult time cooking dry rice noodles to perfection. I have tried the soaking method, it failed. What worked for me was submerging it in boiling water, and cook it for 3-5 minutes. Make sure to taste it to determine if it’s cooked enough, and then finally rinse it twice in cold water to remove the excess starch.
Hi,
I just made this recipe, and it the noodles came out dark brown after I added the sauce! It may be partially because I subsituted soy sauce for the fish sauce (I’m vegetarian). But I am also wondering if I am using the right kind of tamarind paste. I used Tamicon tamarind concentrate paste. Should I have used a lesser amount since it is a concentrate?
Thanks!
Ashley – I think you’re definitely right about what made the noodles so dark. The soy sauce might contribute, but I think it’s surely the tamarind concentrate that was the culprit. How was the taste of the finished dish? Was it quite sour? You might try diluting the concentrate in some water for next time, but don’t worry too much about the color, just make adjustments to get the taste right where you want it.
How many servings for this recipe? It is not mentioned.
Hi Norma – this recipe serves 2. It’s difficult to make more than 2 servings at a time without overcooking the noodles, so this is a pretty good portion size for 2 people. I’ll be revising this recipe in the next couple weeks and adding even more step-by-step photos, so be on the lookout for that!
Great recipe! Do you not add fish sauce and why?
Hi Nelly! Of course I add fish sauce! I’d eat fish sauce in everything if I could. 😉 Check the recipe again – fish sauce is definitely listed in the ingredients list. If you’re looking at the newer version, the fish sauce is in the “Pad Thai Sauce”.
The breakdown on most important ingredients for the flavor is so helpful!! Thank you! I’ve tried some “just as good as pad Thai” recipes that have easier to find ingredients, but agree that they just don’t have that quintessential pad Thai taste! Going to try again next week with your recipe 😊