Thailand Street Food Pad Thai

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Pad Thai Recipe Document

Recipe

Pad Thai Master Recipe

(Makes 2 large servings)

Ingredients:

8.5 oz. (240 grams) pre-soaked rice noodles* (also known as banh pho, rice stick, sen lek) – (you’ll need 4 oz. (113 grams) of dried rice noodles to make 8.5 oz. of pre-soaked noodles)

⅔ cup (150 ml) pad thai sauce, recipe below

Vegetable oil

2 eggs

6 large shrimp (100 grams/3.5 oz.) shelled and deveined

1 medium shallot, about 3 tbsp (30 grams), finely sliced 

2 large garlic cloves (10 grams), chopped (optional)

2 tbsp. (11.5 grams) sweet preserved radish (or 1 tbsp salted radish, soaked, rinsed, and dried)

1 tbsp (7.5 grams) medium size dried shrimp

2.5 ounces (70 grams), about ½ cup – pressed or super/extra firm tofu (cut ½ inch long by ¼ inch wide)

1.5 cups (3 oz, 85 grams) bean sprouts, separated (1 cup for cooking, ½ cup for garnish)

4 garlic chives (20 grams), cut into 1-inch pieces (green parts only)

¼ cup (40 grams) peanuts, for garnish

Garnishes: lime, bean sprouts, chili powder, garlic chive bottoms

Noodle directions:

1. Soak noodles in room-temperature water for 1-2 hours, or longer (you’ll need to experiment with your particular brand), drain, cut noodles in half, and store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

*(4 oz. dried rice noodles makes roughly 8.5 oz or 240 grams soaked) 

Cooking Directions:

1. Add oil to pan over medium-high heat
2. Add eggs and cook until scrambled. Remove eggs from the pan and set aside. 
3. Add oil to the pan over medium heat. 
4. Add shrimp to oil and cook until done. Remove shrimp from the pan and set aside. 
5. Add more oil to the pan over medium-high heat, then add shallots and garlic, stirring frequently, until just starting to brown 
6. Add preserved radish, dried shrimp, and tofu. Toss with shallots and garlic until everything is well mixed. 
7. Lower heat to medium-low, then add the noodles to the pan and the pour sauce over the noodles. Toss everything together until the noodles are well coated in the sauce and everything is mixed and the noodles have absorbed most of the sauce. 
8. Add the eggs and shrimp and toss to combine with the noodles. 
9. Toss in 1 cup of the bean sprouts, all of the garlic chives, and ½ of the peanuts.
10. Mix thoroughly until the bean sprouts and garlic chives start to wilt, but are still firm, and the shrimp is heated through. 
11. Turn off the heat and serve noodles on a plate with slices of lime, the remaining peanuts, chili powder, and a few slices of garlic chives.      

Pad Thai Sauce 

(for 2 servings, makes roughly ⅔ cup or 150 ml)

4 tbsp (48 grams) palm sugar

¼ cup (60 ml) water

1 tbsp (18 grams) pure tamarind pulp, prepared* (if using tamarind concentrate, double or triple)

2 tbsp (30 ml) fish sauce

Directions:

1. Finely shave palm sugar with a knife or a grater
2. Add palm sugar and water to a small pot over medium heat
3. Whisk until sugar has dissolved completely and remove from heat
4. Whisk in prepared tamarind and fish sauce
5. Taste and adjust sauce with more sugar, water, tamarind, or fish sauce
6. The prepared sauce can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month

Note: I would make larger portions of the sauce because it stores well and makes it much easier to make Pad Thai quickly. 

*Tamarind preparation: take a block of tamarind and pour an equal amount of boiling water over it in a small bowl. For a 16 oz. block of tamarind, use 2 cups. For a 14 oz. block, use 1 ¾ cup water. Allow tamarind to soak in hot water for 20-30 minutes. After the mixture has cooled slightly, mix it with your hands until the seeds and pulp have loosened from the block. Then pass the mixture through a strainer to remove the fibrous material. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the strainer to harvest all the tamarind paste. You want a very thick paste that is not watery. This will give you a more pure tamarind flavor. The paste can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to 1 month, or frozen in smaller portions for up to 6 months.   

Amazon ingredient affiliate links:

Palm sugar: https://geni.us/DVqi

Seedless wet tamarind: https://geni.us/Wr34

Tamarind concentrate: https://geni.us/fhLfd

Squid Brand fish sauce: https://geni.us/SWFT3Bf

Rice noodles (medium size): https://geni.us/BDUE

Sweet preserved radish: https://geni.us/4FCTg

Dried shrimp (medium size): https://geni.us/Eut3kU

Dry roasted peanuts: https://geni.us/y6paTaA

Dried Thai Chilis (whole): https://geni.us/99OzHy

Thai crushed chili flakes: https://geni.us/q6HN

Thai chili powder: https://geni.us/ON0m

Good Thai Cookbooks:

Simple Thai Food: https://geni.us/C5Bu7U

Bangkok: https://geni.us/C5Bu7U

It Rains Fishes: https://geni.us/AOqHB

Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Jason Farmer may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from amazon.com