There was a time, not so long ago, when I wouldn’t even have considered trying to make Pad Thai at home. It was out of the question. The ingredients would be way too hard to track down, I was unsure of how to use a wok and just how authentic would my version of Thailand’s national dish really be anyway? It was easier to just sit down at Bangkok Bay and order my stir-fried noodles as prepared by a trained chef.
But wouldn’t it just be fun to try?
I finally did give a homemade Pad Thai recipe a try this past weekend and you know what? So easy! And it actually looked and tasted like what we’re used to in a restaurant (although it might be a touch Americanized vis à vis the truly authentic Pad Thai on Chez Pim). I was able to easily procure all of the ingredients at my usual store. As for the wok – well, I opted to keep that in the cabinet and just used a skillet.
Pad Thai
Adapted from the Restaurant-Style Pad Thai recipe on the back of the Annie Chun’s Pad Thai Rice Noodles package
Prep time: 20 min | Cook time: 10 min | Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2-3 servings
INGREDIENTS:
Sauce:
- 4 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1-2 pinches crushed chilies or pepper flakes
Pad Thai:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or canola oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 1/2 lb. medium sized fresh prawns, cleaned and deveined (or 8 oz. chicken or diced tofu)
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 8 oz. pad thai rice noodles (cooked, drained and rinsed as directed for stir fry)
- 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
Garnish:
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- 3 tablespoons roasted peanuts, chopped
- 3 tablespoons scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
DIRECTIONS:
- Mix together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
- Heat wok or pan over high heat. Add oil, garlic, shallots and prawns. Cook until prawns are opaque; transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Add eggs to the pan (if there’s not much oil left in the pan, you can add a little splash – I didn’t need it), then scramble. Reduce the heat to low; add sauce and noodles. Toss until well mixed. Add prawns and bean sprouts. Toss well.
- Garnish with cilantro, peanuts, scallions and lime wedges.
No way – how do you make it sound so easy? I mean, it makes sense once I think about it, but then why do all the other recipes seem so complicated??
I was surprised too!
This sounds easy enough! I love pad thai and I’m sure making it at home is way better for me. My husband would be pretty happy if I made this for him one night 🙂
I’ve never made Pad Thai. Can’t wait to try it!
Thank goodness these ingredients have become more accessible to all of us. Looks like a wonderful pad thai 🙂
We actually used to make pad Thai pretty often. I still have my dirty and dog-eared printout of the recipe from the Boston Globe. (It was very similar to this one, but I think it added chicken.) It’s so fresh and yummy, and much less greasy than restaurant take-out. Did the kids like it? I don’t think mine would, but I suppose I could give it a try again, with appropriate adaptations.
Yeah, my kids loved it – even the bean sprouts (I think they assumed they were thick, crunchy noodles :-)).
Thank you for posting this!! I love Pad Thai and have been looking for something like this for some time to try on my own. Many thanks. Jocelynn 🙂
We LOVE to make Pad Thai! Your version looks so much easier though. Actually, ours is not all that complicated but we did get many of the more unusual ingredients at the giant Asian supermarket–which is an outing in itself for us. When my husband and kids like to make dinner they usually choose Pad Thai. I will have to share this recipe with them an an option.
Ah, do you guys make it with the tamarind?
I’m surprised to hear you say “easy”…I would’ve thought it was too complicated (and I shy away from complicated :). However, what’s not to LOVE about pad Thai? It’s one of those foods I could eat every week and not tire of it.
This looks so easy and yummy!