In a land as gastronomically diverse and exciting as Thailand, pad Thai is as close as it gets to a national dish. The instantly-recognisable, fragrant blend of freshly fried noodles, tamarind, garlic, chilli,peanuts and sometimesveg is, for many of us, the ideal introduction into Thai cuisine.
In Thailand, street food is a way of life, and mouthwatering (and sometimes mouth-burning) pad Thai is ubiquitous, rarely for more than £1. The dish is thought to have been introduced by the Chinese and modified to meet Thai palates - not unlike our very own chicken tikka masala, then.
The key to this is to have the ingredients prepared and ready to go so you can work quickly. Pad Thai is best eaten instantly after frying in a wok.
SERVES 4
- 50ml tamarind water (mix 1tsp tamarind paste with 50ml water)
- 40ml fish sauce
- 30g palm sugar or 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 200g wide flat rice noodles
- Vegetable oil
- 16 large prawns, peeled or unpeeled
- 4 spring onions, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 1 red chilli, deseeded, finely sliced
- 2 eggs
- 100g bean sprouts
- 4 stalks Chinese chives, chopped
- 2 handfuls of peanuts, roasted and chopped
- Lime wedges, to serve
METHOD
- Combine the tamarind, fish sauce and sugar and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Put to one side for a moment.
- Bring a pan of water to the boil, pour over the noodles and leave for 15 minutes until tender. Rinse under cold water until the water runs clear.
- Place a wok or large frying pan over a high heat and add a small splash of oil.
- Stir-fry the prawns for a couple of minutes until they begin to colour and are cooked through but still juicy. Remove from the pan for a moment.
- Add another splash of oil to the pan and add the spring onions, garlic and chilli and stir-fry for few moments until the onions wilt, then stir in the noodles and the tamarind sauce.
- Return the prawns to the pan, then push everything to the side and crack in the eggs. Break the yolks and scramble them as they start turning opaque.
- Stir the egg through the noodles and add the bean sprouts, chives and peanuts. Stir-fry until well combined, then serve with lime wedges.
More Thai recipes
Diana Henry's Thai stir-fried minced beef with basil and chilli
This is hot, hot, hot but you can leave out some of the chillis if you want to. Waitrose now do Thai basil, though the recipe should really be made with holy basil (and you can only get that in specialist Asian shops). This is served with a deep-fried egg on top and it’s a lovely addition – it mollifies the heat for a start, and deep-frying the egg makes it puff up into a gorgeous crispy edged cloud– but youcan just do regular fried eggs instead.
SERVES
2
INGREDIENTS
For the sauce
- 35ml fish sauce
- 2 bird’s-eye chillies, finely sliced
- 1 garlic clove, very finely sliced
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp coriander, finely chopped
For the beef
- 6 red or green bird’s eye chillies (fewer if you want it less hot)
- 4 small garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for deep-frying the eggs
- 200g good-quality, coarsely minced beef
- good pinch of caster sugar
- about 2 tbsp fish sauce
- big handful of Thai basil (or holy basil from specialist Asian shops)
- 2 large eggs
METHOD
- For the serving sauce, mix together the fish sauce, chillies and garlic and set aside for the flavours to meld.
- Meanwhile, for the beef, coarsely chop the chillies with the garlic and a pinch of salt.
- Heat about 10cm of oil in a saucepan (for the deep-fried eggs) while you cook the beef. (Though if you prefer, you can shallow-fry the eggs in a regular frying pan.)
- Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a wok then fry the garlic and chilli mixture, but don’t let it colour. Add the beef and stir-fry for a minute, until only just cooked.
- Season to taste with the sugar and fish sauce but be careful not to make it too salty. Add 50ml water and gently simmer for a minute, but don’t let it boil or the meat will become tough. There should be enough liquid to make a bit of a sauce.
- Stir in the basil and remove from the heat.
- Fry your eggs. To deep-fry, have the oil really hot and crack in an egg so it’s submerged. Fry until the white is crispy and the yolk still runny (it should take less than a minute). Drain well.
- Add the lime and coriander to the sauce and serve alongsidethe beef with boiled rice and a fried egg on top of each dish.
Jenny Linford's Thai-style minced chicken
FAQs
It was actually created in the 1930s in Thailand. The dish was created because Thailand was focused on nation-building. So this dish was created using rice noodles and it was called Pad Thai as a way to galvanize nationalism."
What is the famous food Pad Thai in Thailand? ›
Pad Thai is a Thai noodle stir fry with a sweet-savoury-sour sauce scattered with crushed peanuts. It's made with thin, flat rice noodles, and almost always has bean sprouts, garlic chives, scrambled egg, firm tofu and a protein – the most popular being chicken or prawns/shrimp.
What makes Pad Thai taste so good? ›
If it's only made of those ingredients, what then makes it so unique? A Pad Thai has tamarind, fish sauce, garlic, dried shrimp, palm sugar, and red chili pepper. These simple ingredients make Pad Thai a bowl of five tastes—salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami.
How is Pad Thai traditionally served? ›
And pad thai is generally served with toppings like peanuts, fresh vegetables, bean sprouts, and cilantro. Pad Thai is one of those undefinable dishes that people can interpret in a thousand different ways. And while the ingredients can vary between other recipes, the dish always includes rice noodles and eggs.
Is Pad Thai junk food? ›
It can definitely be a part of a balanced, well-rounded diet. While pad thai includes many nutritious ingredients, its sodium content is considerably high. You can reduce its sodium by requesting the eatery go easy on the sauce and salt-contributing condiments.
Is Pad Thai actually eaten in Thailand? ›
Pad thai is a noodle dish that has its roots in Thailand. However, it is also a dish that is popular around the world. In fact, you may have even eaten pad thai at a restaurant outside of Thailand before.
How healthy is Pad Thai? ›
Although the ingredients in pad Thai are generally pretty healthy, the calories can still add up fast. Just one cup of a typical pad Thai has about 400 calories and 17 grams of fat, as well as loads of sodium. To balance it out, I always order mine with an extra serving of steamed vegetables to mix in.”
What is the national dish of Thailand? ›
Pad thai ,a national dish of Thailand, is so well-liked around the world that that it has been included in the online Oxford Dictionary since 2022.
What are the 5 flavors of Pad Thai? ›
The Key to Thai Flavors: Balance
These are: salty, sweet, spicy, sour, and creamy.
Why is my Pad Thai soggy? ›
Overcooked noodles are too soft...too soft noodles break into bits. This is why I stress so much that you should only cook pad thai in batches of 2 servings, and the most delicate fresh noodles should be cooked ONE portion at a time. There is a reason why street vendors cook them one order at a time!
Pad Thai is a popular Thai dish that typically consists of stir-fried rice noodles, eggs, tofu or shrimp, bean sprouts, peanuts, lime, and various seasonings. The taste of Pad Thai is a harmonious combination of sweet, sour, salty, and sometimes spicy flavors.
What is the orange stuff in Pad Thai? ›
Many restaurants will add ketchup and paprika to boost the colour in order to make it look more appealing, but this is not traditional. However, we DO make a type of pad thai that is a little orange, and that colour comes from shrimp tomalley which we render out into oil and use it to cook pad thai.
What is authentic Pad Thai sauce made of? ›
Traditional pad thai sauce includes fish sauce, vinegar, sugar and tamarind paste. Tamarind paste is not easily found at a regular grocery stores so I substituted rice vinegar.
Do you eat Pad Thai cold or hot? ›
This dish doesn't take much time to get on the table, but, once it's done you're going to want to sit down and eat it right away. If there's one rule about eating pad thai, it's that it doesn't have a long table life. Eat it while the noodles are steaming hot, or they'll cool and begin to clump together.
What is Thailand's national dish? ›
Pad thai is a national dish of Thailand loved so much worldwide that has made it into the online Oxford Dictionary since 2022, gaining the same international status as the words “sushi” and “pizza.” Under the category Food C2 the website Oxford Learner's Dictionaries defines “pad thai” as “A dish from Thailand made ...
What does Thai mean in Thai? ›
According to George Cœdès, the word Thai (ไทย) means 'free man' in the Thai language, "differentiating the Thai from the natives encompassed in Thai society as serfs".
What is the national animal of Thailand? ›
The elephant is the national animal of Thailand and considered sacred in Buddhist iconography. Since ancient times, Thai people have had a close association with elephants, from their use as warriors on the battleground to serving as beasts of burden, transporting agricultural produce and felled logs from the forest.
What is so special about Thai cuisine? ›
One notable aspect of Thai cuisine is its emphasis on fresh and aromatic ingredients. Thai cooks utilize a variety of herbs and spices, such as lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and Thai basil, to infuse their dishes with distinctive flavors.
