How To Make Pad Thai
Loaded with shrimp, tender noodles, and a tangy, savory sauce, this pad thai tastes as good as its resto version. Serve with nuts and chili for some heat.
Serves:
Ingredients
For Pad Thai:
- 14ozflat, wide rice noodles
- 8tbspfish sauce
- ¾cuprice vinegar
- 2tsptamarind paste,also sometimes called concentrate
- 1cupgranulated sugar
- pinch of paprika,or cayenne powder
- 12tbspcanola,or vegetable oil, divided
- 4large eggs
- 1lbshrimp,peeled, deveined, and defrosted
- â…“cuproasted unsalted peanuts,chopped roughly
- 1cupbean sprouts
For Garnish Optional:
- 1lime,cut into quarters
- 2tbsproasted unsalted peanuts,chopped roughly
- chopped cilantro,for garnish
- red pepper flakes,for garnish
Instructions
Prep the Noodles:
-
In a large container, preferably one with a lid, soak the noodles in cold water, enough to cover so that no noodle is poking out.
-
Soak for at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours. (If soaked for longer, the noodles have a tendency to break apart more easily during cooking.) It can be refrigerated or not.
Sauce:
-
In a shallow bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, vinegar, tamarind concentrate, and sugar until smooth.
-
Taste. Adjust the sauce as needed. Add a pinch of paprika or cayenne powder for color.
-
Bring a large pot of water to boil.
-
Divide all of the ingredients into 2 batches. Arrange them near the stove. Prepare each batch completely, one after the next.
Eggs:
-
Heat a wok or other large pan with high sides over high heat, which will be maintained throughout cooking the pad Thai.
-
Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil. When the oil starts to shimmer a bit, it’s ready.
-
Crack the eggs for this batch into the pan and, using the tip of a wooden spoon, gently loosen and break the yolk.
-
Have enough oil in the pan so it looks as though the egg is floating, or suspended, in the oil. This gives more surface area to cook the egg without it burning or turning it into scrambled eggs.
-
Gently shake and flip the egg around in the pan. Break it up a bit with the spoon, but don’t scramble it by any means. This should take about 1 minute.
Shrimp:
-
Add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of oil to the pan if the pan seems too dry, and add the shrimp for this batch.
-
Toss them gently in the pan for about 1 minute and move them around with the wooden spoon to get some color on them.
Noodles:
-
Take several handfuls of the noodles (about half the total amount) out of the water they’re soaking in, and transfer them to a fine-mesh sieve.
-
Hold the sieve over the pot of hot water and gently dip the noodles up and down, in and out of the water, to soften them but not cook per se.
-
Shake out the excess hot water and taste to make sure the noodles have softened but still have a little give to them.
-
Transfer the noodles to the hot pan with the shrimp. Keep the noodles long; don’t chop them up in the pan.
-
Taste to make sure they have softened; the noodles don’t need to be completely cooked at this point because they will continue to cook in the wok.
-
Toss them gently in the pan and stir them briefly to keep them from sticking together. When the noodles look shiny, it’s time for the sauce.
-
Quickly whisk the sauce if the sugar seems to have settled, and add about ¼ cup to the pan. Gently toss and flip the noodles in the pan.
-
Again, stir them quickly to integrate the sauce; when there’s no more sauce in the pan, it’s ready and the noodles have absorbed the sauce.
-
Add the peanuts and the sprouts, and toss all ingredients together quickly. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until everything is heated through. The noodles will soften and look more translucent.
-
Turn the heat off the pan and taste to make sure there is enough sauce to flavor the dish. Serve immediately in individual bowls with wedges of lime, additional peanuts, chopped cilantro, and/or chili flakes, if desired.
-
Repeat for making the second batch of pad Thai
Nutrition
- Calories:Â 1210.81kcal
- Fat:Â 56.83g
- Saturated Fat:Â 6.18g
- Trans Fat:Â 0.21g
- Monounsaturated Fat:Â 32.90g
- Polyunsaturated Fat:Â 15.90g
- Carbohydrates:Â 139.32g
- Fiber:Â 4.20g
- Sugar:Â 54.22g
- Protein:Â 34.82g
- Cholesterol:Â 328.88mg
- Sodium:Â 3728.81mg
- Calcium:Â 154.62mg
- Potassium:Â 543.17mg
- Iron:Â 3.38mg
- Vitamin A: 163.50µg
- Vitamin C:Â 9.87mg
Have your own special recipe to share? Submit Your Recipe Today!
Related Recipes
Pan-Fry & Skillet
Noodles
Pad See Ew (Thai Noodles with Beef and Broccoli) Recipe
Noodles
Vegetarian Pad Thai with Tofu Recipe
Noodles
Thai Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao) Recipe
Stir Fry
Lighter Shrimp Pad Thai Recipe
Noodles
Stir Fry
Noodles
Salad
Healthy No Noodle Pad Thai Recipe
Instant Pot
Easy Vegetarian Pad Thai Recipe
Rice noodles and tofu are simmered in the instant pot with vegan fish sauce, coconut aminos, and rice wine vinegar for a flavorful vegetarian pad thai.
Noodles
Pad Thai With Shrimp and Peanuts Recipe
Noodles