Pad Thai
Updated June 11, 2024
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
Advertisement
Ingredients
Yield:2 to 3 servings
- 8ounces sen lek (dried ⅛-inch-wide flat rice noodles) or other pad Thai noodles
- ¼cup minced garlic
- 2tablespoons minced shallot
- ¼cup minced Thai sweet preserved radish (optional; see Tip)
- 10 to 12peeled and deveined medium shrimp
- 8ounces superfirm (pressed) tofu, cut into bite-size cubes or rectangles (1 cup)
- 4large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2cups bean sprouts
- 1small bunch garlic chives or scallion greens, cut into 1-inch lengths (½ cup)
- 3tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for cooking eggs
- Chopped peanuts, chile powder and lime wedges, for serving
- ⅓cup fish sauce
- ⅓cup tamarind liquid or concentrate
- ⅓cup coconut or other palm sugar or dark brown sugar
For the Noodles
For the Sauce
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (3 servings)
763 calories; 36 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 17 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 79 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 37 grams protein; 2753 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Prepare the noodles: Place dried noodles in a large bowl and cover with hot tap water. Let soak for 20 to 30 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients, allowing the water to cool, and stirring and separating the noodles occasionally with your hands. When ready, noodles will be white, limp and almost soft to the bite. (They will cook a little more later on.) Pour off all the water, fluff noodles with your hands, and set aside.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, make the sauce: Combine the fish sauce, tamarind and coconut palm sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring often, just until sugar has dissolved, 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Step 3
Line up the ingredients in the order they’ll be cooked: Place the garlic, shallot, radish and shrimp in a bowl, then line up the tofu, noodles, sauce, eggs, bean sprouts and chives. When ready to cook, place 1 cup of hot tap water near the stove.
- Step 4
Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a 14-inch wok, a heavy 12-inch skillet or a large Dutch oven medium-high heat until shimmering. (If using a smaller pan, cook in 2 batches.) Add the contents of the garlic bowl and stir-fry over medium heat, adjusting the flame so the ingredients are sizzling but not popping or scorching, until the shrimp are nearly pink, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tofu and stir-fry to heat through, about 2 minutes.
- Step 5
Add noodles and raise the heat as high as it goes, tossing and separating them with a wok turner, tongs or both. When noodles are sizzling, add about half the sauce and 1 tablespoon water, and stir-fry, tossing to coat and cook through.
- Step 6
Taste a noodle for doneness and seasoning. If needed, add more sauce and water, and keep cooking, turning often, until noodles are softened and savory.
- Step 7
Push noodles to one side of the pan, add enough oil to lightly coat the other side, and add the eggs. Use the spatula to scramble the eggs, stirring and scraping until cooked through and just dry, 1 to 2 minutes, then stir them into the noodles.
- Step 8
Add the bean sprouts and chives, and stir to combine. Serve immediately, passing the peanuts, chile powder and lime wedges to adjust seasoning to taste.
Tip
- Thai sweet preserved radish, often sold already minced or shredded online and in Asian markets, delivers a tangy chewiness. For the taste you want in pad Thai, be sure to buy the dry-packed Thai variety and not Chinese or other types of preserved radish.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Mel
Best sauce 1tbsp tamarind concentrate,3 Tbsp fish sauce ,1tbsp sugar,2 tbsp lime juice From Suzanne Foo Fresh Inspirations2005
Rebecca
This was a big hit for us! I was dubious about 1/3 cup of fish sauce, but I thought the sweet/salty/tart balance was good, especially w a squeeze of lime. I nuked the palm sugar and it mixed in fine-I didn’t want to use another pan or have the smell of evaporating fish sauce put off my kids. I added broccoli, ginger and red pepper flakes, and would experiment with frying time/order, as the end result was delicious, but a bit wet. Also, anything crunchy (ie bean sprouts) should go on top!
SR
This recipe needs adjusting to hit the "this is delicious!" pad thai mark. Cooked it exactly as written. Result was both a bit bland and a bit overpowering with the tamarind tang. Next time I would (1) add a dash of koji and a dash of hot chili to the sauce (2) slightly reduce the ratio of tamarind ingredient (3) remove the garlicky shrimp and tofu from the pan before cooking and tossing the noodles in the sauce (4) toss the shrimp and tofu back into the dish with the egg.
macman2
Put noodles in room temp water for one hour while prepping. Noodles still flexible but very firm which makes for better Pad Thai. Used the suggested Susanna Foo sauce proportions but doubled it. Fish sauce still too salty for my taste, but otherwise came out pretty good and worthy of serving to family.
Elizabeth
I have tried out so many recipes for pad Thai, and last recipe I tried I said to myself that I was done; I would simply eat it from restaurants from now on because it’s always so disappointing. Well! This time was different! I changed the proportions slightly at times but mostly kept the same and it was delicious.
Agnieszka
Great tip from a recepie for Singapore style noodles: due to heat limitations of an average home stove stir fry in batches starting with eggs, followed by garlic and protein, finally the noodles and sauce. Remove each cooked ingredients to a side bowl when done and add back when noodles are nearly done in order to reheat and combine flavours.
Ep
I attended a cooking class in Chiangmai. Here’s what I was taught, my family loves my pad Thai. For 1 to 2 servings, 1/3 cup water 2 tsp tamarind paste 1 1/2 tsp palm or brown sugar 1 tbs fish or soy sauce 1 tsp molasses Pinch of chili powder Put water in bowl add tamarind paste and rest of ingredients.
GK
Very, very disappointing. I have made pad Thai many times and this was really a poor recipe from the proportions through the technique. 2-3 servings? More like 4-5. My own technique involves cooking the shrimp and tofu and eggs separately from the noodles and combining just before serving. This “one wok” approach yielded a gluey, indistinct mess. Do not bother.
Paul Falanga
Sweet= palm sugar Salty = fish sauce or shrimp paste Spicy = chilis Herbal= cilantro Citrus= tamarind, keffir lime leaf Balance to taste.
sef
This was surprisingly bland. I would suggest adding some red pepper flakes and lime to the sauce and making sure to use it ALL. The recipe seems to suggest you use only half the sauce, maybe a little more, which I did. Didn't really figure out what the problem was until later. I added the rest of the sauce to the leftovers and am hoping it will be better tomorrow.
Kevin
Do not use hot tap water; it’s been sitting in the water heater or pipes and may contain who knows what kinds of impurities. Warm the water on the stovetop or in the microwave.
david
I did this exactly according to the recipe. There were a few problems. (1) The shrimp are cooked in step 4b, right after the garlic and shallots. Then they stay in the pan overcoooking until the end. By the time you're adding the bean sprouts the shrimp are chewy and dry. (2) The noodles are cooked, and cooked some more in steps 5 and 6. They are sauced with a sugary sauce. Then we move them to the side of the pan and cook four eggs till they are dry. The noodles are now burnt onto the pan
Steve
I am a big fan of Red Boat. Two ingredients — anchovies and salt.
charles.pibel
I have always (30 years) used Squid Brand Fish Sauce
Lisa
Yuck. Made it exactly as stated, but it was not delicious. Would definitely not make this again.
TaiL
I made a lot of edits, and used about three times the heat as we do around here, but this was good. It's another good base recipe that's easy to mess with depending on what you have in the kitchen.
Lizzie
This recipe was not worth the effort. I followed many of the comments, and it was just meh. The tamarind adds a sour note, and I was wanting more freshness. Next time I am craving Pad Thai I will order carry out.
pamela
The noodle package directions say to boil them for 7 minutes, then drain and stir fry. I followed this recipe with the hot water soak etc. and yes, it was indeed a gooey gloppy mess! Fortunately my husband will eat anything, including picking sprouts and shrimp out of glop!
Noah
Should give some type of sourness level suggestion for sauce, following the directions lead to super sour pad Thai. Seemed like directions were for a super high heat wok in professional kitchen. Without the super high heat, cooking entire recipe in one pot lead to overcooked shrimp, overcooked noodles, and egg gunk all over everything. May be a good recipe in theory, but poorly translated for home cooks.
Robert
This is not a terrible Phat Thai recipe but needs a few adjustments. I lived in Thailand for many years and consider myself an expert on Thai cooking. Most cooks add some lime juice to the sauce, and 99% of the Phat Thai in Thailand uses dried shrimp, not fresh (although you can get it with both or just fresh too). Unless you have a dedicated wok burner you can't get a wok hot enough to fry this properly, and the technique shared here will result in a gluey mess. Cook everything separately.
Peter
Cook the part separately and combine at the end, this made for a goop.
Sarah & Matt
Made tonight using the suggestion from Mel about the sauce ratios, and doubled it based on another commenter's note. We loved it. I think the key is having a NONstick large skillet; and make sure the noodles still have a slight bite on them before you put them in the pan - otherwise they'll be too soft and get sticky. Like another commenter, I've been looking for the Pad Thai recipe to rival a restaurant, and I think this one gets close! Will riff on this one a bit more...
Andrea
This was awful - gluey noodles, too much egg, overcooked shrimp. I had to bribe my family to finish their plates. Leftovers going straight in the rubbish bin.
Mark
Doubled the recipe and 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar and 1/3 cup lime juice is a great sub for tamarind.
Jim
I made this pretty much as directed and it was good enough that I made it a second time a week later. The first time I poured boiling water over my noodles, and I ended up with pretty mushy Pad Thai. The second time I used hot tap water as directed. I left the noodles in the water at least 30 minutes. They were still very al dente, but they came out perfect once they cooked with the rest of the ingredients as directed. I used all the sauce. Three eggs. Next time I'll add more spicy to the sauce.
Chloe
Unfortunately, this recipe was a flop. Four eggs were far too many — it was an eggy, gluey mess.
Kevin Merz
I was taught to use dried shrimp (finely chopped) as well as fresh shrimp.
Kerrysg
This was a disaster for me. The flavors were close to right, but the noodles were a gelatinous mess--perhaps I soaked them for too long? Also could have used a little more heat.
Madison, WI
Had to throw out the sauce it was so bad. Whole house stunk. Replaced the sauce with one from a different pad thai recipe (random search) and it turned out good, though. Next time I'll try the sauce combos recommended by other reviewers.
Catherine
Well this turned into a gloppy mess.
Private notes are only visible to you.
Advertisement
