Pad Thai
Stir-fried rice noodles with tamarind, egg, peanuts and lime — sweet, sour and savoury.
📹 See Pad Thai
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About Pad Thai
Pad Thai is Thailand's signature stir-fry: flat rice noodles tossed at high heat with egg, firm tofu, dried shrimp or fresh prawns, garlic chives and bean sprouts, bound in a sauce that balances sweet palm sugar, sour tamarind and salty fish sauce. It is finished with crushed peanuts, chilli flakes and a squeeze of lime.
The magic is in the wok: hot, fast cooking that keeps the noodles springy and just slightly smoky.
🏛️ History & Culture
Pad Thai is surprisingly modern. It was promoted nationally in the late 1930s and 1940s under Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram as part of a campaign to forge national identity, reduce rice consumption and popularise noodles — recipes were even distributed by the government.
Rooted in earlier Chinese stir-fried noodle techniques but seasoned with distinctly Thai flavours, it quickly became a beloved street-food staple and, today, the most internationally recognised Thai dish of all.
🍳 How to make Pad Thai
AI-assisted, not kitchen-testedPad Thai
Thailand's iconic stir-fried rice noodle dish, balancing sweet, sour, salty and nutty flavours, cooked fast in a hot wok for that signature springy texture.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
Recipe ingredients
- 200 g (7 oz) flat rice noodles (Pad Thai style), soak in warm water for 30 minutes until pliable but not soft
- 3 tbsp tamarind paste, if using tamarind pulp, soak in 4 tbsp hot water, strain
- 3 tbsp palm sugar, or brown sugar
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 150 g (5½ oz) firm tofu, cut into 1 cm cubes
- 200 g (7 oz) fresh prawns (or chicken), peeled, deveined; optional but traditional
- 2 tbsp dried shrimp, soaked in warm water, roughly chopped; optional
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 shallots sliced thinly
- 150 g (5½ oz) fresh bean sprouts, rinsed, drained
- 50 g (1¾ oz) garlic chives (or regular chives), cut into 5 cm lengths
- 50 g (1¾ oz) roasted peanuts, crushed for garnish
- 1 lime cut into wedges, for serving
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes, or to taste
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil, for stir-frying
Steps
- 1 Soak the rice noodles in warm water for 30 minutes until pliable but still firm; drain well and set aside.
- 2 Make the sauce: in a small bowl, stir together tamarind paste, palm sugar, fish sauce, and water until the sugar dissolves. Taste: it should be sour, sweet and salty in balance; adjust with a little more tamarind or sugar if needed.
- 3 Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat until smoking. Add 2 tbsp oil, then the tofu cubes and stir-fry until golden on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- 4 Add remaining 1 tbsp oil to the wok. Add garlic and shallots; stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant but not burned.
- 5 Add the prawns (if using) and dried shrimp; stir-fry until prawns turn pink and opaque (about 2 minutes). Push everything to one side of the wok.
- 6 Pour the beaten eggs into the empty side of the wok and scramble quickly until just set but still soft, about 30 seconds.
- 7 Add the soaked noodles and the sauce mixture. Toss everything together over high heat using a spatula or tongs, scraping the bottom to avoid sticking. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until the noodles are tender but still springy and have absorbed the sauce.
- 8 Return the tofu to the wok. Add half the bean sprouts and half the garlic chives; toss for 30 seconds—the sprouts should remain crisp.
- 9 Remove from heat and divide among plates. Top with remaining bean sprouts and chives, crushed peanuts, chilli flakes, and a lime wedge on the side. Serve immediately, with extra fish sauce and sugar on the table if desired.
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✅ Before you go to Thailand
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