Pad Thai
User Reviews
4.7
-
Prep Time
40 mins
-
Cook Time
10 mins
-
Total Time
50 mins
-
Servings
4
-
Calories
698 kcal
-
Course
Main Course
-
Cuisine
Thai
Pad Thai
Description
This Pad Thai recipe starts with a sauce made from tamarind pulp mixed with boiling water to extract a smooth concentrate, sweetened with dark brown or palm sugar, and seasoned with fish sauce, black soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, and white pepper. Rice noodles are soaked until tender and drained before stir-frying.
Thinly sliced chicken is marinated briefly in soy sauce, cornstarch, and water to improve texture and flavor absorption. Dried shrimp, garlic, shallots, and julienned preserved salted radish (or an alternative like Chinese mustard stems) provide complexity and umami. Eggs are scrambled into the pan along with mung bean sprouts and garlic chives for freshness and crunch. Roasted peanuts and lime wedges finish the dish, adding texture and acidity.
Pad Thai balances a blend of sweet, salty, sour, and savory notes with varying textures from tender noodles, crunchy peanuts, crisp vegetables, and tender chicken. It is a versatile meal suitable for lunch or dinner and can be customized with different proteins or additional vegetables as desired.
Ingredients
For the Pad Thai sauce:
- 1.5 ounces tamarind pulp (plus ½ cup boiling water; or 6 tbsp/90ml tamarind concentrate)
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar (or palm sugar, if you can find it)
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons black soy sauce look for the “Healthy Boy” brand, Thai
- 1 teaspoon Sweet soy sauce optional, Thai style
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (to taste)
For the rest of the dish:
- 8 ounces Pad Thai rice noodles dried
- 8 ounces chicken breast (thinly sliced)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce Thai, thin
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1/4 cup dried shrimp (small, medium, large, or XL size; minced or processed into a coarse powder)
- 3 cloves garlic (sliced)
- 2 shallot thinly sliced; can substitute red onion, large
- 2 tablespoons preserved Thai salted radish rinsed in warm water and julienned; optional - preserved salted radish is a product of Thailand; if you can't find it, zha cai, works well, preferred; or Chinese mustard stem
- 3 egg beaten, preferably at room temperature, large
- 2 cups mung bean sprouts (washed and drained)
- 1 cup garlic chive cut into 1-inch pieces, Chinese
- 2 tablespoons peanuts finely chopped, roasted
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil (divided)
- lime for serving, wedges
Instructions
- First, make the sauce. Take the tamarind pulp (a block about 1 x 2 in (2.5 x 5 cm) and mix it with ½ cup boiling water (you can add a little more if needed to dissolve the paste). Break up the pulp in the hot water, and then press the mixture through a fine-meshed strainer. Discard the solids. To the liquid tamarind concentrate you just made, add the sugar, fish sauce, Thai black soy sauce, Thai sweet soy sauce (if using), and white pepper. Set aside.
- Soak the pad thai noodles in hot water for about 20 minutes, and drain in a colander. If the noodles are in really long strands, you will want to cut them into 10- to 12-inch lengths to make stir-frying easier.
- Marinate the sliced chicken by combining it with 1 teaspoon each of Thai thin soy sauce, cornstarch, and water. Set aside.
- Next, prepare the dried shrimp, mincing them down into a coarse powder (we used a food processor). Prepare the garlic, shallots/red onion, preserved salted radish or Chinese mustard stems (zha cai), eggs, mung bean sprouts, garlic chives, and peanuts. You want to have everything ready to go before you turn on the stove.
- Now you’re ready to cook! Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in your wok over high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken, and sear until golden and just cooked through. Remove from the wok and set aside.
- Add another 3 tablespoons of oil to the wok. Over medium heat, add the shrimp powder. Fry until fragrant and crisp, 2 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for 30 seconds. Add the shallots and preserved salted radish (or zha cai). Stir-fry for another 30 seconds.
- Turn the heat up to high, and add the noodles and sauce. Stir-fry to combine, lifting the noodles with your wok spatula to spread them out and break them up.
- Make a space on the side of the wok, pushing the noodles to one side. Drizzle 1 more tablespoon of oil in the open space, and pour in the beaten eggs. Use your spatula to fold them gently, scrambling them without breaking up the egg too much. When the eggs are about 70% done, stir-fry to distribute them into the noodles.
- Next, add the bean sprouts and the chives. Stir-fry to combine, letting the chives wilt. Add the chicken back in, and stir-fry to combine until everything is incorporated. Plate, top with the crushed peanuts, and serve!
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 698 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 698kcal | 35% |
| Carbohydrates | 74g | 25% |
| Protein | 39g | 78% |
| Fat | 29g | 45% |
| Saturated Fat | 19g | 95% |
| Cholesterol | 384mg | 128% |
| Sodium | 934mg | 39% |
| Potassium | 657mg | 14% |
| Fiber | 4g | 16% |
| Sugar | 20g | 40% |
| Vitamin A | 644IU | 13% |
| Vitamin C | 15mg | 17% |
| Calcium | 157mg | 16% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.7
You'll Also Love
