How To Make Authentic Pad Thai

Like Pad Thai? This pad Thai recipe will get you excellent and authentic results.

Chinese rice noodles have been used in Thai cooking for centuries in Thailand but it wasn’t until the 1930s that Pad Thai, the most famous of all of Thailand’s noodle dishes was created. There are a couple of stories about how this delicious and authentic pad Thai recipe came to be.

The Prime Minister of Thailand, Plaek Phibunsongkhram who served from 1938 to 1944 and then again 1948 to 1957 is behind both stories.

Phibunsongkram, who was also a dictator ordered that the new dish should be made using Chinese noodles but that it should be called pad Thai as a way of promoting nationalism.

Another story goes that during WW2, good quality Thai grown rice was in short supply due to the war and heavy rains and floods. Phibunsongkhram promoted the use of rice noodles instead of rice to be eaten as a side and as part of main dishes.

Whatever the truth is, pad Thai has become one of Thailand’s most loved national dishes and it has made its way all around the world. I challenge you to find a good Thai restaurant that doesn’t have it on the menu.

No need to go out now though. My pad Thai recipe will get you awesome results. 

Pad Thai is usually made with chicken, tofu and prawns though other meats are often thrown in by daring chefs. If you order it from street stalls in Thailand, you will most likely get the most popular combo though.

What noodles to use for this pad Thai recipe.

Take a look at the thickness of the rice noodles I used to make this pad Thai. They are only a couple millimeters thick, kind of like fettuccini noodles.

This is what you are looking for when you want to serve an authentic pad Thai recipe. Of course, like every recipe, you could use something else but it won’t be the same.

Make this pad Thai recipe vegetarian.

If you would like to make this dish vegetarian, omit the fish sauce, prawns and chicken. You could double up on the tofu. When purchasing tofu, you need to look for the hard pressed variety and not the softer tofu that is supplied in water. That soft tofu is better for soups.

I purchase Chinese pressed tofu that is marinated in soy sauce, dried and then pressed. This tofu stands up really well to the high heat of the wok.

The required tamarind water is available at shops but you could also make it yourself. Simply soak block tamarind in some hot water for about 30 minutes, break it up and run through a fine sieve. You could also use tamarind concentrate. About 1 ½ tbsp. concentrate mixed with water.

When soaking your rice noodles, be sure not to over-soak them. Four minutes is plenty!

Love Thai food? Try some of these delicious recipes!

Thai Green Curry
Thai Red Curry
Beef Massaman Curry
Chicken Satay and peanut sauce
Thai Drunken Noodles
Steamed Sea Bass with Garlic and Lime Sauce
Tom Yum Gai
Tom Kha Gai
Hot and Sour Prawn Soup

Yield: 4

How To Make Authentic Pad Thai

Print

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 5 tbsp Thai fish sauce
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 70ml (1/4 cup) tamarind water (see above)
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1½ tbsp white rice wine vinegar (unseasoned)
• 1 tbsp Sriracha sauce
• 1 tsp dried red chilli flakes
• 200g (1/2 lb) dried rice noodles soaked in bath hot water for four minutes
• 2 tablespoons rapeseed (canola) oil
• 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• ½ cup (100 g) Chinese or Thai firm tofu, sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried shrimp
• 2 skinless chicken thighs cut into small pieces
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons packaged salted turnip (optional)
• 6 jumbo prawns, peeled and cleaned
• 1 cup (240 g) bean sprouts, plus more to garnish
• ¼ cup (50 g) dry-roasted unsalted peanuts, crushed
• 5 green onions ( scallions), cut into 2-inch pieces
• Quartered limes to garnish

Instructions

1. Start by mixing the liquid ingredients in a bowl. Set aside. Now heat the oil in a wok over high heat. When it begins to shimmer, add the dried shrimp and garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds. Add the tofu and chicken and brown in the oil for about a minute.
2. Push all of these ingredients to the side of the wok and crack two eggs into the empty side. Allow them to cook for about a minute and then stir the par-cooked egg into the other ingredients.
3. Add the prawns and let them cook with the other ingredients until about half cooked through. This should only take about a minute or two. Then add the liquid ingredients.
4. Stir in the salted turnip (if using) and the soaked rice noodles until the noodles are nicely coated in the sauce mixture. Then fold in the green onions and bean sprouts. The hot noodles will cook the sprouts and onions through. You are only really steaming them. Stir in half of the roasted peanuts and continue cooking until the noodles look wet but there isn’t a lot of sauce left. You don’t want the noodles dripping with sauce, they should just be moist from having cooked in the sauce.
5. Transfer to four heated plates and garnish with some more peanuts, red chilli flakes, bean sprouts and lime wedges.

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I hope you enjoy this authentic pad Thai recipe as much as my family and I do. If you tried it, please let me know how it went in the comments. Have any tips on making this recipe even better? I’d love to hear them.

While you’re here, why not try that other hugely popular Thai noodle dish drunken noodles.