Pad Thai noodle is a popular Thai cuisine. It is one of my favorite Thai dishes I must order when we go to Thai restaurants besides mango sticky rice, pad ka prao, red curry, massaman curry, green curry and tom yum kung. Also, this homemade pad Thai noodle recipe has video and detailed instructions to show you how to make easy pad Thai at home for your meals.
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What is pad Thai?
Pad Thai or phad Thai is a popular stir fry noodle dish that originated in Thailand. It is a rice noodle stir fry dish usually served in restaurants or as a street food in Thailand. Typically, it consists of rice noodles, eggs, shrimp, bean sprouts, peanuts, tofu and garlic chives. Then, stir fry the noodles with a combination of sweet, sour, and savory flavors sauce.
Besides, pad Thai is usually cooked in a wok or large frying pan over high heat. The ingredients are stir fried together with the sauce until the noodles are cooked and everything is well combined. It is a versatile dish that can be customized to suit individual preferences such as spiciness, sweetness and additional ingredients.
Authentic pad Thai:
Authentic pad Thai focuses on the sweet, sour, and savory elements. Therefore, ingredients are important. The basic authentic pad Thai noodle dish usually uses rice noodles, shrimp, meat, eggs, bean sprout, garlic chives, lime and peanuts. And, the sauce is a mixture of tamarind, fish sauce and chili sauce.
What makes pad Thai red?
The color of pad Thai can vary depending on the specific ingredients used and the cooking methods. However, if you have come across a red colored Pad Thai, it is likely a result of the addition of certain ingredients such as chili paste or sauce, ketchup and paprika. Often, it gives pad Thai a reddish color.
In this easy pad Thai noodle recipe, I like to use paprika because it gives a reddish color to the noodles visually, but it does not taste too spicy. The red appearance may not be crucial. The most important is the balance of flavors with a focus on the sweet, sour, and savory elements rather than a strong emphasis on spiciness or red coloration.
How spicy is this pad Thai dish?
It's medium mild. You can adjust the amount of sriracha sauce. Some people like to add red chili peppers. However, I used paprika for the colors. The amount of sriracha sauce is to give the noodles spicy flavors. If you cannot handle spicy, reduce the amount of sriracha sauce. Or, you can serve extra red chili peppers on the side of the dish, if you like spicy.
What are the ingredients for easy homemade pad Thai noodles?
In this easy homemade pad thai recipe, I use dried rice noodles, chicken thigh, shrimp and eggs as the main ingredients. Then, I put some garlic chives, bean sprouts, roasted peanuts and lime wedges as condiments on the side of the dish.
What is pad Thai sauce made of?
I used water, sugar, fish sauce, paprika, sriracha, and concentrated tamarind. Some people don’t like fish sauce, you can try to use soy sauce. But, adjust to your taste for saltiness.
You can put some red chili peppers on the side. But, I skip this because it’s already flavorful. If you have a peanut allergy, you don’t need to add peanuts.
What are the substitute ingredients for pad Thai noodles?
Pad Thai noodle is a versatile dish that can be customized to suit individual preferences such as spiciness, sweetness and additional ingredients. For meats, you can use chicken, pork, tofu, shrimp or beef. Although beef is not a common meat used in pad Thai noodle dishes.
For the sauce, you can adjust the spiciness by using chili peppers, chili sauce or paprika if you want a reddish color. Fish sauce and tamarind are very important, so I suggest not using a substitute. However, if you need to you can use soy sauce, salt and vinegar to adjust to your taste.
Cooking tips for how to make easy pad Thai:
- Soak the dried rice noodles for 15-20 minutes. Make sure the noodles completely soak into the water.
- Marinate chicken for at least 15 minutes before cooking.
- Stir fry chicken and shrimp when the shrimp starts changing color, add soaked rice noodles. Then, pour the sauce mixture and mix the noodles. Cover the lid for 2-3 minutes.
- Try to put the noodles and meat on the side of the wok and make some rooms for stir frying eggs.
- Then, mix the stir fry eggs with noodles.
- Turn off the fire, add some garlic chives and bean sprouts. Mix them with the noodles.
- Top some chopped peanuts on the noodles or put on the side of the dish.
FAQS:
Yes, you can use pork, beef or chicken breast. But, personally I still like to use chicken thighs and shrimp for authentic pad Thai dishes.
Yes, you can skip the peanuts. Or, you can use roasted cashew.
I use dried pad thai rice noodles.
Any brand should work and I normally get this brand from Asian stores because of the availability.
Instructions for how to make easy homemade pad thai noodles:
Preparation:
1. Soak one dried rice noodle (around 7oz) into the water for 15-20 minutes. Make sure the noodles are covered by water.
2. Cut a cup of garlic chives around 3 inches long.
3. Minced 3 cloves of garlic.
4. Chop 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts.
5. Cut 1 piece of boneless and skinless chicken thigh into strips.
6. Put ⅛ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder and ½ tablespoon of sesame oil into the chicken. Mix them well and marinate for at least 15 minutes before cooking.
7. In a small container, add ¼ cup of water, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 2 teaspoons of paprika, 1 teaspoon of sriracha and ½ tablespoon of concentrated tamarind. Mix it well and set it aside.
Cooking:
8. Pour ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil into the non-stick wok, turn on fire to medium small, add the minced garlic and stir fry it a little bit.
9. After that, add the marinated chicken and stir fry until it starts changing color.
10. Then, add 12 pieces of large shrimp and stir fry it until it changes color. (Don’t need to cook fully at this point.)
11. Next, put the soaked rice noodles into the wok.
12. The following step, pour the sauce mixture into the noodles. Mix it well.
13. After mixing it with the sauce and rice noodles. Cover the lid and let it cook for 2-3 minutes with a small fire.
14. After that, stir fry the noodles and try to move the noodles to the side of the wok. Then, pour ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil. Crack 2 eggs into the wok.
15. Stir fry the eggs and mix the noodles.
16. Turn off the fire, put ½ cup of garlic chives and 1 cup of bean sprouts keep mixing with the noodles.
17. Put the pad Thai noodles on the plate. Then, put the chopped peanuts, ½ cup of garlic chives, ½ cup of bean sprouts and cut ½ of lime wedges on the side of the plate. (You can serve with red chili peppers if you like spicy.)
Enjoy this delicious, tasty and easy homemade pad Thai noodle recipe! Also, check out these crab stir fry, Asian shaved ice, Chinese spinach amaranth and beef with bitter melon recipes.
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Pad Thai
Video
Ingredients
- 1 piece Rice noodle (Dried for pad thai, around 7 oz)
- 1 piece Chicken thigh (Boneless and skinless)
- 12 pieces Shrimp (Raw large peeled)
- 2 large Eggs
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil (½ tablespoon for stir fry chicken and ½ tablespoon for stir fry eggs)
- 1.5 cup Bean sprouts (1 cup put into the noodles, ½ cup put on the side of the dish)
- 1 cup Garlic chives (½ cup out into the noodles, ½ cup put on the side of the dish)
- 2 tablespoons Roasted peanuts (Put on the side of the dish)
- ½ Lime (Cut them into wedges put on the side of the dish)
Marinate Chicken:
- ½ tablespoon Sesame oil
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
Sauce Mixture:
- ¼ cup Water
- 2 tablespoons Fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Paprika
- ½ tablespoon Concentrated tamarind
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha (Can be adjust the amount to your spiciness)
Instructions
- Soak one dried rice noodle into the water for 15-20 minutes. Make sure the noodles are covered by water.
- Cut garlic chives around 3 inches long.
- Minced 3 cloves of garlic.
- Chop 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts.
- Cut 1 piece of boneless and skinless chicken thigh into strips.
- Put ⅛ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder and ½ tablespoon of sesame oil into the chicken. Mix them well and marinate for at least 15 minutes before cooking.
- In a small container, add ¼ cup of water, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 2 teaspoons of paprika, 1 teaspoon of sriracha and ½ tablespoon of concentrated tamarind. Mix it well and set it aside.
- Pour ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil into the non-stick wok, turn on fire to medium small, add the minced garlic and stir fry it a little bit.
- After that, add the marinated chicken and stir fry until it starts changing color.
- Then, add 12 pieces of large shrimp and stir fry it until it changes color. (Don’t need to cook fully at this point.)
- Next, put the soaked rice noodles into the wok.
- The following step, pour the sauce mixture into the noodles. Mix it well.
- After mixing it with the sauce and rice noodles. Cover the lid and let it cook for 2-3 minutes with a small fire.
- After that, stir fry the noodles and try to move the noodles to the side of the wok. Then, pour ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil. Crack 2 eggs into the wok.
- Stir fry the eggs and mix the noodles.
- Turn off the fire, put ½ cup of garlic chives and 1 cup of bean sprouts keep mixing with the noodles.
- Put the pad thai noodles on the plate. Then, put the chopped peanuts, ½ cup of garlic chives, ½ cup of bean sprouts and cut ½ of lime wedges on the side of the plate. (You can serve with red chili peppers if you like spicy.)
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