Recipe

Pad Thai

2 servings · prep 20 min · cook 8 min

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• lunch
• dinner
• thai

Authored by the maintainer; Bangkok street method, cooked one portion at a time.

Ingredients

the noodles

• 180 g flat rice noodles, 5 mm wide (sen lek)

the sauce

• 3 tbsp tamarind paste (or 4 tbsp tamarind concentrate) — Phetchabun tamarind orchard
• 3 tbsp fish sauce — Phú Quốc fish sauce factory
• 3 tbsp palm sugar, grated (or light brown sugar)
• 1 tbsp sweet preserved radish (chai po wan), chopped

the protein

• 200 g raw shrimp, peeled (or 200 g firm tofu, cubed)
• 2 large eggs
• 60 g pressed firm tofu, diced small
• 1 tbsp dried shrimp, chopped (optional but traditional)

the aromatics

• 3 cloves garlic, minced — Tropea allium farm
• 3 shallots, finely sliced
• 3 tbsp neutral oil

the finish

• 150 g fresh bean sprouts
• Small bunch garlic chives (or scallions), cut into 4 cm batons
• 40 g roasted peanuts, coarsely crushed
• 2 limes, halved
• Dried chili flakes, to taste

Method

1. Soak the rice noodles in warm tap water for 45 minutes until pliable but not soft. They'll finish cooking in the wok. · 45 min
2. Whisk the tamarind paste, fish sauce, and palm sugar in a bowl until the sugar dissolves. Taste — it should be aggressively sour-salty-sweet.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok over high heat until smoking. Add half the shallots, garlic, dried shrimp, and pressed tofu. Stir-fry 60 seconds. · 1 min
4. Add the shrimp. Cook 90 seconds until just pink. Push to the side of the wok. · 2 min
5. Add 1 tbsp oil to the cleared space. Crack in the eggs. Scramble loosely until set but still soft, 30 seconds. · 1 min
6. Drain the noodles. Add to the wok with the preserved radish and the sauce. Toss to coat — 2 minutes of constant motion. · 2 min
7. When the noodles are glossy and have absorbed most of the sauce, add three-quarters of the bean sprouts, the chives, and half the crushed peanuts. Toss 30 seconds — the sprouts should stay crunchy. · 1 min
8. Plate. Top with remaining bean sprouts, peanuts, and a lime half on the side. Chili flakes on the table.

Notes

Cook one or two portions at a time. A home stove cannot generate the
heat needed for four portions in a single wok — you get steamed
noodles, not stir-fried noodles. Cook in sequence and plate as you go.

The traditional accompaniment is a small dish with lime wedges,
chili flakes, fish sauce, and palm sugar — the diner balances the
bowl to their own preference. Pad thai is not a finished dish; it's
a base.