Pad Thai (Video)

Pad Thai plated in a wooden bowl with lime, bean sprouts, and green onion.

5 from 10 votes

Pad Thai is one of the most famous Thai noodle dishes and there's good reason why - there is nothing in the world quite like it! Learn how to make an authentic Pad Thai at home!

Prep Time30

Cook Time15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Thai

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

Equipment

Ingredients

8 oz medium stick rice noodles if used dried noodles, rehydrate in water for 1hr
1 small shallot chopped
4 cloves garlic chopped
1/4 cup firm tofu
2 tbsp dried small shrimp finely chopped
2 thai chili peppers chopped, optional
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
2 scallions thinly sliced, lengthwise
2 eggs
1/4 lb shrimp or protein of choice

Sauce

3 tbsp palm sugar chopped
3 tbsp water
1/4 cup Thai tamarind paste
3 tbsp fish sauce

Optional Garnishes

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Mix together tamarind paste, fish sauce, and water. Roughly chop palm sugar and slowly melt over medium heat in a small saucepan until a dark blonde color. Once melted, immediately add your premixed sauce and stir until the sugar has dissolved and set aside.
Prepare your shallot, garlic, tofu, small shrimp, chilis, bean sprouts, and scallions and set aside.
Over high heat add 1 tbsp of avocado oil and cook your protein and set aside.
Add 3 tbsp of oil over high heat and add your shallot, garlic, tofu, dried shrimp and optional thai chili peppers. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Next add your rice noodles and sauce and mix to combine. Continue cooking over high heat 2-3 min until the sauce has incorporated into the noodles (test noodles for doneness).
Push noodles aside and add a bit of oil. Add 2 eggs and scramble until 90% done, then mix together with noodles. Add scallions, bean sprouts and chopped peanuts and mix. Serve with more bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, lime, and chili pepper and enjoy!

Notes

Rice noodles: Pad Thai is traditionally made with thin to medium rice noodles (I prefer medium). If you have a wider rice noodle on hand, you can use that, too. I have used both fresh and dried rice noodles.

Re-hydrating dried noodles: If you are using dried noodles, here are three key tips: make sure to hydrate them in room temperature water for 1 hour. do not use hot or boiling water, and do not over-hydrate your noodles - any longer than one hour and they will be soggy once cooked.

Tamarind paste: Tamarind is a key ingredient - it gives the dish the immediately recognizable tangy flavor. You must use Thai tamarind paste or puree - do not purchase Indian tamarind (puree or concentrate). Indian tamarind has a completely different flavor and will not work at all for this dish (trust me - I've tried).

Protein: I've written the recipe to include shrimp and tofu, which is traditionally what is in the recipe. If you prefer a different protein alongside the tofu, you can absolutely substitute - chicken, beef, or even pork would taste great! For your tofu, make sure to get the firmest tofu you can find. Anything softer will disintegrate during cooking.

Mung bean sprouts: I love bean sprouts but they require extra handling and care to avoid food poisoning. They are high risk for bacterial contamination, so here are my 5 key tips:

Bean sprouts should be purchased as closely to the day you will prepare and eat them - I do not recommend buying them well in advance!
When buying bean sprouts, you should be looking for crispness and avoiding any that look wilted or mushy. Get them in the refrigerator as soon as you get home.
Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soup before/after handling.
Rinse the sprouts thoroughly under cool water and don't let them get in contact with any other raw foods.
Make sure to wash anything you used to clean or prepare the bean sprouts (cutting board, knives, utensils, etc).

Dried small shrimp: when I learned to make Pad Thai in Thailand, they included this but I've noticed it's much harder to find this in the US. If you can't find it, you can skip it altogether.

Thai chili peppers - these are optional but Thai Chili Peppers are used in countless Thai dishes; they're delicious and spicy and when I can use them, I know they'll make my dish that much better! If you can't find Thai Chili Peppers, I would substitute with Serrano Peppers. Note, Serrano Peppers are not as spicy, so you may want to increase the amount, depending on your spice tolerance.

Scallions - traditionally, Pad Thai is made with garlic chives. I have a hard time finding them, so I substitute with scallions and don't notice a huge difference.

Palm sugar - Palm sugar is commonly used in Thai cooking. It's made from the sap of coconut palm trees and has a caramel-y color & flavor to it that is most similar to brown sugar. It's sold in circular blocks; I buy mine from 99 Ranch (a Chinese grocery chain). If you cannot find palm sugar, the best substitute is brown sugar (1-1).

Watch the Sugar - If using palm sugar - keep a close eye on it as it melts, as sugar can burn. Once melted, add your pre-mixed Pad Thai sauce immediately and stir until the sugar has dissolved completely.

Do Not Crowd Your Pam - Crowding your pan will lead to too much steam - this will cause your noodles to be steamed or boiled, rather than stir-fried. Your noodles will become soggy.

Success is in the Prep - Pad Thai is a dish that cooks FAST once you start - so make sure to have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go ahead of time. I like to have each ingredient portioned and prepared in individual bowls so I can easily toss them in when it's their turn.

Storage and Reheating - Pad Thai can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Rice noodles do not keep well - you will find that the noodles will begin to harden and the texture/bite will be different from when it's fresh. I like to rehydrate them in a hot pan or wok with a tiny bit of water. You can microwave leftovers as well, covered with a wet paper towel (to help steam).

Nutrition