Pad Thai for beginners

Completely foolproof recipe -not kidding you- on Monday.

Well here it is. A bit ahead of schedule even. ;-)

Pad Thai is one of the most popular Thai dishes, perhaps second only to Tom Yum Goong. It's also one of the most requested recipes here on Chez Pim. Why, then, has it taken me this long to post this recipe, you asked? I don't know...perhaps it's because I don't actually have a recipe! Is that a good enough reason?

Then what am wasting your time for, you are wondering, yes? Well, it's true that I don't have a recipe, but what I have, and will share with you here, is way better than a recipe. It's in fact a fool-proof way to make Pad Thai -Pad Thai for just about anyone from beginners to experts. I must warn you that I will a bit wordy. I could easily write a very short description and make everything look and sound easy -but that means I'd be leaving you to figure out the details on your own. Or I could explain every step of the way so that you understand what goes into a Pad Thai and what distinguishes a great one from the usual blah. The piece might look a little intimidating, but I think it will in fact be easier than any easy-looking recipe. And, I promise you, if you read through the entire thing, you'll never have to look at another Pad Thai recipe. You'll be set. Really you will.

There are so many silly Pad Thai recipes around, a quick google reveals one with ketchup as an ingredient. What an abomination! Not even the fabulous June Taylor's artisanal ketchup can rescue that one! A few other recipes I came across would have us make four or more portions of Pad Thai at once –which, I can guarantee you will result in clumps of oily, sticky noodle unfit for human consumption.

The textures and flavors of a proper Pad Thai derive largely from the way the dish is cooked, that is to say its quick footloose dance in an ultra hot wok. That simply means you can't do many servings at once.

No, no, I'm not going to make you drive around town procuring all the exoticities required to make a proper Pad Thai only to feed just you and your sweetheart. It is entirely possible to feed a whole crowd. You just have to do it like they do on the streets of Bangkok -cook one or two portions at a time. Your friends and dinner guests must be a bit patient, but they will kiss you in the end –no, not the rear end, just the end of your party, get your mind off the gutter you!

Another common mistake in a Pad Thai recipe is to season while cooking in the wok, which once again get in the way of that super-heated wok-quickstep I mentioned before. If you follow those recipes that have you measure a tablespoon of fish sauce and one of tamarind and yet another of palm sugar into the hot wok during the cooking, you are –it pains me to say- doomed to failure. By the time you're done adding all the whatnots, your noodle turns gooey, your protein done to the texture of a rubber eraser, and your perfectly innocent Pad Thai becomes what I call a sorry excuse of the dish. Bad all around.

Once again a little street sense can help a whole lot. Pad Thai vendors in Thailand don't season their Pad Thai one portion at a time. They usually have a giant vat of sauce pre-made waiting patiently by the wok station. As they cook a portion they add the sauce -no guess work, no fumbling with this bottle and that, a ladle full of the pre-seasoned sauce and that's it. Easy enough, yes?

That's how I do it. I make my sauce beforehand. I don't even care if I make too much sauce, since it keeps quite well in the fridge for a long time –comes very handy for a quickie Pad Thai fix later. I also prepare all the other ingredients and have them ready. (You can be fancy and call it mise en place like the French do, or just a simple meez like all the American cooks I know.) When my guests arrive I get the wok smoking hot and make one or two portions at a time until everyone has their fill of the noodle-y goodness. They can even take the wok on a spin and make one on their own. My friends get a kick out of that, yours might too.

So you begin by preparing the sauce.
There are four ingredients in the Pad Thai sauce, Tamarind pulp (for the sour flavor), Fish Sauce (for the salty part), Palm Sugar (for a slight sweetness), and Paprika or Thai chilli powder (for the spice). Two cups of sauce will make about 6-8 portions of Pad Thai. You can make your Pad Thai sauce vegetarian by using this sauce instead of fish sauce.

To make about two cups of sauce, you should begin with about ½ cup each of Tamarind (*see the note below for how to prepare tamarind pulp), Fish Sauce, and Palm Sugar. If you substitute white and/or brown sugar for the Palm Sugar, you should use only about 1/3 cup. Melt all these together in a small pot over a low flame. Taste and adjust the flavor balance until it suits you. Then add the chilli powder, begin with a teaspoon or two, depending on your taste, and keep adding until it tastes the way you like it. By the time you're done flavoring the pot should be simmering happily. Turn off the heat and let the sauce rest while you get to the other ingredients.

At this point in the game I like my sauce to lead with a salty flavor, follow by a mild sourness, then just a gentle sweetness and a soft caress from the chilli at the back of my throat at the very end. A finished plate of Pad Thai will be served with a sliver of lime and extra chilli powder to be mixed in at the table, so you could keep these two flavors in the sauce mild for now. I don't know about you but there is nothing I hate more than a cloying sweet Pad Thai. If your sauce starts out super sweet now it will be very tough to correct later.

Those of you with a scientific mind might want more precise measurements or proportion or whatnot. I'd do it if I could, but the problem is most Thai ingredients are not standardized in the way that a Western ingredient, say, white granulated sugar, is. A cup of granulated sugar is always the same, but a cup of your Palm Sugar or Fish Sauce might not have the same intensity as mine. So the easiest thing to do is just to taste. And herein lies another beauty of preparing the sauce ahead of time. You can take your time to taste and adjust the sauce precisely to your liking, which would be hard to do à la minute in the wok.

Now that you have your sauce ready and waiting, you can prep the other ingredients.
Here's a list of what you need, and the quantity to use per portion.

Thin rice noodle, also called Rice Sticks.
Get them fresh if you can find them at your nearby Asian markets. If not, buy dried noodle and soak in warm water until soften. Don't soak until the noodle is soft enough to eat, or it will turn into mush in the wok. Just do it until it's pliable, then drain well. You will need about 1-2 loosely packed cups per portion, depending on how carb-happy you are. You can use more or less, entirely up to you and your friends. A 500g (or about 16oz) bag of dried noodles should be enough for 6-8 portions. Buy a little extra just to be sure. It's cheap and, if left unsoaked, will last just about forever.
Depending on the freshness of your 'fresh' rice noodle, you might want to soak it anyway just to soften it a bit more. Follow the same step as the dried noodle but do not soak for as long. One normal bag of fresh noodle, usually around 500g, will be enough for 3-4 portions.

Shrimps, or chicken, or for vegetarians see under 'Tofu' below
The more traditional version of Pad Thai uses shrimps. I use about 7 pieces of medium size shrimps per portion, peeled of course. You can be as generous as you want.
You can also easily substitute chicken, about 2oz of chicken meat (cut into bite-size pieces) per portion will be plenty.

Tofu
I like to use the pressed tofu that comes in square blocks. You can use just about any firm-textured tofu you can find, even the pre-fried varieties from Chinese markets. As long as it doesn't disintegrate when fried in the wok, you will be fine. I cut the tofu into thin, bite-size pieces, and use about a small handful in each carnivorous portion. For a vegetarian portion, with only tofu and no other meat, you will have to use more. A little guess work is involved here but it's easy enough, yes? (To make it completely vegetarian, you can use this sauce in place of fish sauce.)

Eggs
I usually crack one small egg into the wok while cooking each serving. If you dinner guests like less egg you can make two servings at a time and only crack one egg into the wok while cooking, essentially cutting the egg quantity in half in each portion.

Ground Peanuts
I use roasted and unsalted peanuts (sometimes I roast my own) for this. Ground the peanuts roughly, beware not to overdo it as you will end up with peanut butter and not ground peanuts. You will need 1-2 tablespoons per portion, depending on how much your friends like peanuts.

Flat-leaf Garlic Chives, also called Chinese Chives
Bai Gui-chai as they are called in Thai. Although most restaurants use the green part of green onions or spring onions, Garlic Chive is the more traditional herb for Pad Thai. Wash and dry the chives carefully, then cut into 2 inches pieces. I use a handful of them per portion.

Beansprouts
I love a lot of beansprouts in my Pad Thai, so I use almost a full cup per portion. You can use as much or little as you like. You can even skip them entirely.

Pickled Turnips (optional)
You can buy pickled turnips pre-chopped in a plastic bag, but I think the whole ones are fresher. I chopped whole turnips into small bits, and use about 1 tablespoon per portion.

Dried shrimps (optional)
The cheaper versions of Pad Thai on the streets of Bangkok are made with only tiny dried shrimps and no fresh ones at all. I don't want to go that far, but I still like to add a bit of these salty dried shrimps for extra flavor -you can easily skip it altogether. I take a bit of dried shrimp and pound in a stone mortar and pestle until fluffy. It's important to use the mortar here and not your cuisinart, which will turn to dried shrimp into hard, dried chunks (entirely capable of cracking a tooth) instead of fluffy bits of salty shrimp. I use about 1-2 tablespoon per portion.

Chopped garlic (optional)
I like to use a little bit of garlic in each portion, give it an extra kick. You don't have to.

To serve as condiments at the table you will need:
Slivers of lime, extra ground peanuts, extra chilli powder, fish sauce, and even a bit of white sugar. Just like other street food in Thailand, everyone can tailor the final dish to their own taste. I suggest a squeeze of lime for sure, and anything else that pleases you.

Toast yourself with a glass of champagne now that the prep is done before your dinner guests arrive. A nice off-dry and not oaky champagne will go well with the Pad Thai later too. Lovely Rieslings will do fine as well.

While you're savoring your champagne, let me tell you a bit about that temperamental beast that's your well-seasoned wok (**see note below). The success of your Pad Thai depends on it. A wok is not built for heat retention or long and even cooking, unlike Western style pots and pans. A Le Creuset pot, for example, is built like a marathon runner, slow to warm up but has a long staying power. A wok, on the other hand, is more like a sprinter. It heats up really fast, and loses it just as quickly. The thin iron steel material in a good wok transfers more or less all the heat from the flame directly to the content inside. This is great for the ability to control heat, you can turn the fire up and down and the heat in the pan will rise and fall just as quickly. This also means that a wok can sear and cook a small amount of food lightening fast. Adding too much all at once and letting the heat escape would turn a wok into a useless piece of tin in a blink of an eye. And since the caramelization and charring from a hot wok is where the wok-flavor, or wok-breath as some call it, comes from, your utmost goal in wok-cooking is to start out hot and keep it hot! Make sure that all your ingredients are at room temperature, and that you add them in sequence and let the wok reheat back up before each addition. At no time should you add a huge amount of ingredients all at once, unless you want a Pad Thai stew.

Now you are ready to make a Pad Thai.
Follow these steps carefully and the best Pad Thai you've ever had will be the one you've just made! Keep the sauce pot warm on another burner next to your wok. Keep a bowl of water handy too, if things get to hot in the wok you can sprinkle the water on it to slow it down.

1. Heat a large wok over high heat until very hot, to the point of smoky.
2. Add a splash of oil, about 3-4 tablespoons. Don't be shy, this ain't no diet food.
3. If you are making chicken Pad Thai, add the chicken first, cook, stirring vigorously, until it's half way done, about 1-2 minutes, then add the tofu, a tablespoon or two of the sauce to flavor the chicken, and a pinch of garlic if you're using it. If you are making tofu or shrimp and tofu Pad Thai, then only add the tofu (and garlic) for now. Cook for another minute until the tofu is crisp and slightly brown at the edges.
4. Add the noodle, about 2 loosely packed cups for one portion is my standard, and then a ladle (about ¼ cup) of warm sauce. Stir rigorously, keep everything moving in the wok, and cook the noodle until soft. Remember to break up the noodle and don't let it lump together. If the sauce evaporates too quickly and your noodle isn't quite ready, sprinkle a bit of water and keep stirring. Add a bit of oil if the noodle still stubbornly sticks together. As I said, this ain't no diet food.
5. When the noodle is ready (taste it to be sure), push it up to one side of the wok and crack an egg into the middle. Let it set for 10-15 seconds and toss everything all together.
6. Add the shrimp meat, pickled turnips, ground peanuts, ground dried shrimp, beansprouts. Keep things moving. Add more sauce if it looks a little pale.
7. When the shrimps are done, shouldn't take more than a minute, add a handful of Garlic Chives. Turn the heat off, and quickly give the wok a good stirring to mix everything together.
8. Add the finished Pad Thai to a plate and serve to your first lucky dinner guest. Give the used wok a quick rinse with warm water, wipe off any excess bits of food with a warm towel, then put the wok back on to the fire.
9. As soon as it heats back up to a smoking point, you're ready to do another portion. Repeat this process until all your dinner guests are fed. Keep them lubricated and happy with ample supply of Riesling, Champagne, and/or beer while they wait. That's how I do it!

That's it friends, your lesson in Pad Thai. It's a bit long, like I said, but this will be the last thing you'll ever need to read about Pad Thai. You might never go out for Pad Thai again, even!

So, go on, throw your own Pad Thai party. Your friends will love you (even more.)

-----------------------

*A note on tamarind:
You can buy tamarind in blocks or readymade pulp that comes in plastic or glass containers (see the photo above). If you can't find a local market that carries tamarind you can order it online. If you buy readymade pulp, check to make sure that the ingredients only contain tamarind and water, no sugar or anything else. If you buy block tamarind, soak the block in 4 cups of hot water in a large bowl. Mesh the tamarind and water together and let sit until the water cool down enough not to burn your hands. Stick your hands -your impeccably clean hands as Julia Child would say- into the bowl and work the tamarind and water together until the consistency is a bit looser than room-temperature ketchup. Add more warm water if needed. Then, strain the mixture to remove the pits and tough membranes from the tamarind pulp. The consistency will be thick enough that you'd need to press it through the strainer. Use as much as you need for the Pad Thai sauce and keep the rest in a glass jar in your fridge. You'll have tamarind pulp handy for a long time.

This recipe is highly adaptable. Some people don't like the intensity of tamarind. Fine, just use less tamarind and add simple white vinegar til your desired sourness (pun intended). You won't be able to get rid of tamarind all together. Without it your Pad Thai won't be much of a dish, but you can use about half the tamarind I use and supplement the rest with vinegar.

**A well-seasoned wok
First of all, you'll need an iron steel wok -the cheapest kind made of a thin layer of iron steel that's sold in practically any Chinese market. There's no need to buy anything fancy, mine was less than $15 and it's working out great. You just have to keep it well-seasoned and it will last practically forever.

At any point in the making of this superb Pad Thai, if anything sticks to the pan and won't come out easily with a gentle push of a metal spatula, your wok isn't well-seasoned. No, no, you don't have to rush out to buy a replacement. You just have to season it again.

There are plenty of ways to season a pan, here's how I do it. First, add to your wok one cup of oil –make sure you brush the oil over all the inside surface of the wok- and heat the wok until it is smoking. Tilt the pan around to keep lubricating the surface with oil and let it continues to smoke for a few minutes –make sure your smoke vent is running and all the windows are open, by the way. Then, take the pan off the heat and dispose of the oil. Pour half a cup of kosher salt into the wok and, with a kitchen rag, rub the salt all over the inside surface of the wok. Throw out the salt, wipe the wok clean with a damp towel. Pour a small amount of oil into a paper towel and wipe the oil all over the inside surface again. Your wok is now seasoned and ready.

tag(s): food | Thai Recipes | Pad Thai | PadThai

Comments

[clotilde]

I'll be sitting here, waiting!

[Piperita]

I can't wait!!! I just adore Pad Thai!

[Kalyn]

Look forward to it! This one will go in the del.icio.us cookbook for sure.

[McAuliflower]

...tease!

[Susan at Food "Blogga"]

This is a like waiting for a pot to boil... The picture looks great.

[beastmomma]

That looks amazing and sounds delicious. I am looking forward to trying it!

[Rasa Malaysia]

Hey Pim,

Regarding ketchup, I find many Southeast dishes become the victim of ketchup. When the cooks (even authors of so-called southeast asian cookbooks) can't figure out what the recipe is, they tend to use ketchup. I am not kidding!! I have come across a lot of Malaysian dishes cooked with ketchup when the real recipe calls for sambal. Go figure! ;)

[Kalyn]

Pim, I've saved it already. I would have never guessed there was tamarind in Pad Thai; never quite could identify what that slightly sour taste was before this! Thanks.

[McAuliflower]

Oh- Kalyn, get ready to add tamarind to everything (curries too).

Sounds good Pim- you hit my favorite flavor itches.

I also like to dress mine with a splash of lemon or lime, crispy fried shallots, cilantro and that sweet chili garlic vinegar sauce.

I've never been much of a fan of adding peanut sauce as is so popular around here.

[Marc]

Thanks for the lengthy description of the method, I now have a better understanding of the dish and learned a few new tricks.

[elarael]

Hello! I love your site, though the new format is taking some getting used to...I am looking for how to access the archives, can you direct me? And thank you for such a wonderful, generous sharing of your talent and good fortune!

[Eager Eater]

Excellent work. I recently made Pad Thai, with results I was not totally satisfied with. You inspired me with some fresh ideas. Thanks!

[Veron]

Never thought to see tamarind in pad thai. I am bookmarking this. Will definitely make it soon. Hubby is a fan of pad thai!

[The Guilty Carnivore]

I love the prepared tamarind paste/sauce in the jar. So convenient and so many uses too (tom yum, canh chua).

I must admit, in my early versions I succumbed to ketchup - it added sweetness and more importantly "redness". However, since I've discovered tamarind paste and like you suggest add paprika, those days are long gone.

Add fresh noodles cannot be beat in terms of consistency and stir fry convenience.

Thx for the wonderful primer.

[joanna]

In English we do not say "shrimps". It is always "shrimp", just like "fruit". Please remember this.

Thanks.
Joanna

[Chubbypanda]

My mind likes being in the gutter, thank you very much. It likes splashing in the puddles. =)

Thanks for this pad thai technique. I think most stir-fried Asian foods can be made using one root technique. The real key is understanding the way your ingredients cook in the wok, and hence the order you should use when adding them to the wok. Proper wok cooking is all about heat control. This excellent post has just taken me one step closer to fried noodle mastery.

I found the section on frying rice noodles, which behave differently compared to wheat noodles, particularly useful.

[Gemma]

I love pad thai so thanks for the recipe as, yes, all the others I have seen do involve ketchup!

[Nellie]

Dear Joanna,

In civilised society we do not leave curt, nitpicking comments (in English or any other language) on someone else's blog without even thanking them for the recipe they have just shared in generous detail. I'm sure your Thai grammar is absolutely perfect, but that is still no reason to be so persnickety about Pim's English grammar.

Nell

P.S. Also, Joanna, there are circumstances under which "fruits" is the correct word, not "fruit." Look it up.

[Brendon]

Pim, this is an exceptional post. I've been struggling with pad thai for years. I love the detailed description of cooking, links to ingredients, and the photo stream right on the post. Wow! I'm a bit curious about paprika. Do you use it instead of chili powder to keep the spiciness down? I assume it's not traditional. And, what kind of chili powder do you use? (Type, brand, etc.) Finally, a wok question: do you always use a metal spatula? Or do you ever use wok chopsticks? Whenever I use a metal spatula on my carbon steel wok I seem to gouge through the seasoning layer. Is my wok just too new? (I thought I seasoned it pretty well--I can cook an egg in it without problem.) In any event, thanks for a wonderful post.

[Zach@MidtownLunch]

As someone who has fumbled about with silly ketchup pad thai recipes, and who just got back from Thailand, ate every meal on the street (and finally learned how to make proper Pad Thai)- I can say this is a perfect explanation of how to make great Pad Thai!!! Well done... (and btw- I say "shrimps" all the time. Sometimes even "Shrimpies", and I'm 100% American)

[The Guilty Carnivore]

Hey Joanna:

shrimp | sh rimp| noun
( pl. same or shrimps )

From the Oxford Dictionary. Oxford...that's in England, I believe, where they speak English, presumably. Please remember this.

Thanks.

[Jess]

I make pad thai about three times a week--it's my favourite fast food! But I wasn't adding the sauce until after the egg. And things get a bit sticky. A ha. Now I know.

[Ed]

Pim this is the best ever. I can't wait to make this at home a in the past my noodles have always stuck (and sucked). I must say that I much prefer those dried prawns to fresh, so much so that I snack on them instead of Pringles. Who the hell are these people who want to put ketchup in this dish???

[shauna]

Pim, I am so excited about this. What an act of generosity. Many Thai restaurants in the US use bottled fish sauce or oyster sauce, most of which have gluten. So I'm doubly glad to see this primer on how to make it at home.

What a generous gesture.

[Joanna]

What's up with folks defending bad language use? Who said I can speak Thai? Maybe I can, maybe I can't. The website it is English. It is for the author's benefit that I told her in English the correct plural form is "shrimp". And it is.
The same goes for "fruit". Of course there is a special use for "fruits" but not in the sense of "five apples and three pears". Rather, as in "fruits of your labour", so it is idiomatic.

The recipe is nice but could be improved with better grammar. Cheers.
Joanna

[carla]

Dearest Pim,

Thank you, thank you so very much! For years I have been struggling to, at the very least, be able to make a decent Pad Thai. Unfortunately without any success, mostly due to the famous ketchup ingredient those recipes were calling for. Well last night, you inspired me. I followed your directions, for the yummy noodles and am very happy to say that it was a big hit! Ketchup Americanizes Pad Thai. Tamarind brings the authenticity of what a Pad Thai should be.

Once again, thank you Pim, for your generosity in sharing your Pad Thai with us, and so well detailed.

Carla

By the way, "shrimps", is just fine.

[Elise Bauer]

Oh my Pim, this is the definitive piece on Pad Thai! Thank you so much for taking the time to post.

Regarding shrimp versus shrimps, I have never heard the word "shrimps" used in common speech where I live. That said, I looked it up in Google and clicked on their dictionary link and lo and behold the dictionary, which is The American Heritage Dictionary, concurs with the Oxford English dictionary which states that the plural is indeed, shrimp OR shrimps.

So a lesson for us all, just because the use of a word is unfamiliar, doesn't mean that it is incorrect.

Thanks again Pim for a great post.

[Michelle]

I found your blog through Food Blogga and you've hooked me. I hear about how fabulous Thai cuisine is and have never seen recipes that looked good--I'm printing this one off and will drag out the wok.

[Nellie]

Ahem, Pim, sorry to bother you with this, but could you get to the bottom of why "Joanna" is now posting under my name? I know you approve these comments before they are posted, so you might want to figure out if Joanna is a troll (not the Scandinavian kind, no, but the blog-haunting kind, if you know what I mean). If you have the time, that is. On the other hand, you clearly have many better things to do, like making this pad thai for your very lucky friends :-) .

Joanna, no, "fruits of your labour" is not, in fact, the only case in which "fruits" is acceptable. Also, please see the numerous messages posted above on this contentious topic: "shrimps" is CORRECT in both American and British English. So no one is defending "bad language use" -- to do that, we would have to try to argue that (for example) "The website it is English" (to quote your own comment) is an acceptable construction.

Moving on to more productive talk:

Folks, what's so great about this recipe is that it can be used as a primer not just for pad thai but for almost any noodle-cooking in a wok. The same principles apply: don't crowd your wok, have your sauce ready so there are no unwanted delays, put in "wet" ingredients at the end (I sometimes even add them in after removing the dish from the heat, depending on what's in the sauce). Kudos to you, Pim, for laying it all out so clearly. Thanks aplenty.

The Real Nell

[jimmy]

Hi Pim...it's been awhile...nice to see you are still writing...Just got back from "our" favorite city - Paris. They are still doing a good job at L'Entredgeu. Their foie-gras, and pigeon plat is a treasure! So r u. Also, lunch at L'avant Gout is sooo good. Got another idea from David Lebovitz blog - lunch at Cuisine de Bar. That was fun, and full of locals wanting to be seen...Happy New Year Pim....Btw, 'fishes' is cute....Jimmy-in-Seattle

[Jessica]

I am really excited to try this! It seems that restaurant versions of pad thai are really hit or miss for me. Some versions (at what were probably more authentic places) I absolutely loved, while others served horrible sticky, peanutty, sugary globs I just can't do. It seems that this approach might just be what I'm looking for!

Easy question: I know that it's hard to give measurements in this case, but is there a general starting ratio of the four sauce ingredients? I'm all about the tinkering and adjustments, but I'd love to have a basic starting suggestion, like "3 parts tamarind, 1 part fish sauce, 2 parts sugar, 1 part paprika" or something. Any thoughts or recommendations?

[reznicek111]

Thank you for this lovely recipe, Pim! I found your website through Slashfood, and I'm very grateful to learn a "foolproof" method of making this favorite dish. An excellent site you have put together!

[Grateful]

Thank you for the recipe and all the notes to make it a success and not a failure. My husband loves asian noodle dishes and so far every dish I've tried I've destroyed over the last several years. He recently turned me on to reading food blogs and this is the first I've read that shows me where I've gone wrong before.

Also thank you to Nell for your comment with the short version of basic principles to cooking asian food. All errors I'm guilty of.

[Piggy]

Thanks for the great post! Your recipe is so detail that it beats any of those southeast asian food cookbooks out there!

[robin]

Pim,

Thanks so much for the recipe! Unfortunately, my first experience with Thai Food was Pad Thai and I think they followed your "do not do" section because my shrimp and chicken were overcooked and the noodles were all gummy and they stuck together. I think I'll try to make your and see what happens.

[arfi]

what a long journey to worth a bowl of heaven. it's similar to one of soup in Indonesia. it looks delicious!!

[Harold]

Pim (and others),

I am about to embark on the preparation of this dish, having had both restaurant and prepared versions of this recipe. Both have been enjoyable but relatively lacking in real flavor.
I do have an important query, though. I live in an ethnically deprived area and have, thus far, been unable to obtain one of the important ingredients in the sauce--namely tamarind. I have found (and purchased) tamarind nectar but no tamarind pulp was to be found. Is there some reasonable substitute that can be produced? (I certainly don't want to go down the ketchup route, especially since I dislike ketchup in almost any use).
A second dilemma--Fish sauce. I am allergic to fish and am somewhat hesitant to use it in the sauce preparation. Any suggestions for substitutes here, short of me enjoying my recipe only to succumb to anaphalaxis? I suspect that in eating out in various Asian restaurants, I have had fish sauce in their preparations but do not wish to deliberately use something that may be unhealthy to me. Perhaps ignorance is bliss. [Note: I am not allergic to other food products coming from the water, so shrimp, oysters, crab, etc. are fine].

Any insights would be appreciated.
Harold

[erin]

sounds delish!

[Charles]

Pim,

I've never even heard of Pad Thai. I arrived at your blog from Elise's "Simply Recipes". But I will say this post is an absolute gift. From the ingredients listed and the techniques you discussed, I can't wait to try it out.

I always figured there must be more to a proper wok than the shape. I'm going to be hitting the Asian grocery near my place this weekend.

Thanks again.

[The Wine Makers Wife]

Pim, My husband and I went to Manresa on Saturday night. Jeremy Fox was doing amazing things back in that kitchen. We will be back, a perfect bled of spohistication, romance, relaxation and of course- we were there to learn, and we did. I wish we could go back in March... Sadly, I don' think I would have ever gone to Manresa if not for your blog, so thank you so very much.

[Pim]

Rasa Malaysia, ketchup for Sambal is even worse than ketchup for tamarind. Yikes.

Kalyn, there is a chef in France I know who uses tamarind to thicken one of his stews, it adds depth and sourness, he said. Interesting, no?

elarael, The archives are on the right column. It's all there, really!

Joanna, um, thanks.

Chubbypanda, you are absolutely right.

Nellie , Zach, the Guilty Carnivore, Elise thanks. :-)

Oh, Nellie, I fixed the part that Joanna was impersonating you too. Thanks for pointing it out. ;-)

Brendon, there's a thai chilli I use that has a certain amount of smokiness in it. I basically blend my own from a few different kinds of chilli I get at my local mexican market. I find Paprika adds a nice smokiness, which can be overwhelming when used in huge quantities, but for this recipe it works just fine. It also adds a nice color to it without being too spicy.

Jessica, there's a basic measurement in there for making two cups of sauce. I'd go from there.

Harold, you can mail order tamarind. I just added the link to the article. I don't know of anything that can be a substitute for tamarind, but if you are really hard luck you might try mixing some tamarind juice (I might try reducing it first to get rid of some moisture) with regular white vinegar? It might not be as intense but it might just work. In the post I have links to a sauce that I recommend for vegetarians. It's a soy sauce, but unlike your usual dark and smoky soy sauce this one is clear and with less pronounced flavor that makes a great substitution for the fish sauce. You'll have to mail order it as it is hard to find, but you can use it as a standard sauce for everything that calls for fish sauce.

Thank you so much everyone for the compliments. Try this and leave a comment to see how things turn out.

cheers,
Pim

[Anh]

Hi Pim,

I tried out the recipe and it worked like a charm. The taste was spot on, but mine was a bit dry. That's mainly my fault though as I was holding back a bit on the oil even though in the back of my mind I was hearing you say "this ain't no diet food", but my expanding wasteline cried out for mercy =) In any case, thanks for the wonderful post.

btw, would you happen to have the recipe for the Kanom Krok that you had in Thailand? I had some at the Wat Thai in North Hollywood, but have not been able to replicate this recipe. You mentioned on a past post that these yummy morsels contain coconut milk, sugar, and a bit of salt, but I have read elsewhere that there is also some jasmine rice in the mix as well. If you get a chance to look into this I would love to know. Thanks again for this delicious post!

Anh

[Kate]

Hey Joanna?

"The website it is English"?

Pot, kettle, black.

[Cal]

Ooh yum. I've always wanted to know how to cook Pad Thai.

(And note to Joanna, as a Brit I can confirm that not only is 'shrimps' perfectly acceptable it is in fact the preferred usage over here. To use 'shrimp' to refer to the plural actually sounds quite strange. (Mind you, we generally only call the really tiny ones (less than an inch) shrimps - anything else is a prawn!)

[qBaz]

I'm going to be making this for a bunch of folks tomorrow, all of whom love Pad Thai... the only question remaining in my mind is on the tamarind, as the only source for it locally provides it in the form of "Tamicon" concentrate. Since I'm not exactly sure how much to dilute it, I'll just end up having to go on taste, I suspect. Thanks for the excellent writeup!

[Angela]

Thank you, Pim, for the lesson in technique, as well as a thorough explanation of ingredients. I have experimented with inadequate pad thai recipes in the past and been frustrated by the poor results. Now that I live in Sydney, I have ready access to all the ingredients (no silly substitutions) and can't wait to make this part of my regular repetoire.

PS. I've always been afraid of those little dried shrimps, but you've given me the courage to give them a try.

[Alanna]

THIS is why people love-love-love food blogs, the responsiveness and detail that's possible in an online environment like no other place. Wonderful post, Pim. I especially like the added ingredient of champagne ... with which I toast the cook!

[Shore]

Delicious. Just now, I knew Pad Thai has tamarind in it. I usually don't like anything with tamarind.

[Anoop]

Thank you so much for including a vegetarian variation! (and for the naysayers: the veg option doesn't mitigate the dish's cultural authenticity--there are millions of vegetarians in Thailand).

[Mike]

Hi,

My collegue and me have created a web site where you can upload your food and beverages photo's.
We would like that see what everybody from all over the world eats everyday. We would like to build up a community.

This is a very beautiful photo we would like to see on our site

Kind regards,
Mike

See you on
http://www.smaarua.com

[Josh (Jot)]

thanks for addressing this topic. it tends to be a favorite amongst khon farang, but the recipes available are icky just to read. i learned phat thai from carefully watching the to-order cooks at the canteen at thammasat, and my style is different in some ways that might be helpful to others.
1. i put egg in the wok first, followed by garlic (optional? come on, now), chopped shallots, and pickled radish. i use the sweet kind, but the salty kind works too. despite what i had seen other cooks do, i used to add it towards the end, thinking that too much cooking would soften it. in reality, frying it in the oil a bit keeps it crunchy and flavorful.
2. i don't mix a sauce beforehand; whenever i have, my results have been mediocre. i keep a bottle of fish sauce and soy sauce (for color and msg) by the stove, as well as sugar. i also (this is highly unorthodox, i warn you) squirt a bit of naam phrik sriracha for heat and redness; i couldn't bear to add ketchup and rather than just dried chile, sriracha has a bit of garlic and vinegar which deepens the flavor. i also don't use the tamarind concentrate because it makes my noodles sticky, instead i keep a can of tamarind juice by the stove. pick a good brand: foco is good, caravelle is better. tamarind juices intended for the latino market are not preferred. i add a bit of everything to the wok once i've thrown in the noodles.
3. i add chives, then bean sprouts, and sprinkle peanuts on the top once it's plated. i used to roast peanuts, but i used to do all kinds of labor-intensive, authentic things. in the two years since i've returned from the golden peninsula, i've adopted many a convenient trick and shortcut. store-bought fried salted peanuts. food processor. buzzzz. done.
4. fresh rice noodles.
5. the closest thing i've found to the firm, yellow-skinned tofu of bangkok is either the atsu-age/hawaiian-style/fried tofu cutlet, or even better, a kind often labeled as dried or baked tofu. don't get soy sauce flavored one; although great for phat sii-eew, it is awful in phat thai.
6. best way to season a wok: use the hell out of it. and when you're finished cooking, do what the ladies at the thammasat canteen do: still hot, thrust it under running water, and use your spatula to dislodge any debris. don't scrub. sometimes, a bit of leftover phat phrik khing flavor blends nicely into your first batch of phat thai.
once again, thanks for the great post, and i hope my suggestions are helpful for fried noodle addicts like myself.

[Sasha]

Hi,

I can't remember what brought me to your blog but I just made your pad Thai and it was perfect! I have made Pad Thai before but it never came out as well and this was even easier than my old recipe. My daughter was very reluctant for me to try a new recipe but even she agreed it was fantastic. I did have a little problem with getting the shrimp to cook through at the end and wonder if you ever add them earlier? Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe/explanation.

Sasha

[Victor]

Hi Chez, this recipe is great. My gf and I just gave it a try and it was excellent - we have room to play around and experiment. Thanks a lot!

[Deborah]

This is incredible... I can't wait to try it!!!

[JamesOnly]

I'd been wanting to learn how to make Pad Thai for the longest time and the recipes I came across weren't descriptive enough, had way too many ingredients for a quick dish, or the portions were ridiculous. I came across this the other day and I just tried it tonight. It came out perfect! I invited some friends over and they loved it. The only thing i changed, was i put a 1/4 cup of Fish Sauce because it was so strong. This recipe rivals a restaraunt here that i frequent. Thank you so much.

[Brandon]

Sounds Great! I can't wait to try it. The only thing i would add for less experienced people is to make sure to use oil with a low smoking point or you'll have a huge fire the second you put the oil in the hot wok.(speaking from experience)

[Leslie]

Hi,

A question on tamarind. The only thing I could find is a jar of tamarind paste. It is a 5 0z jar of 100% fruit with no seeds and is very thick. It is so thick that if I lay the jar on its side, the paste does not move. Should I really use 1/2 cup or in this form does it need a bit of water to make it less thick? Many thanks, Leslie

[David]

How long will the sauce keep in the refrigerator? I would like to make up a large batch of it and a few other Asian sauces (teriyaki, ginger) and keep them handy for easy meal preparation during the week.

[PhiT]

I love this recipe, It was a very very good idea to prepare the sauce beforehand like that.
Thanks for sharing the technique !!!

[Jose]

i stand here upon the failure that is my first batch of pad thai, but the flavor is there... the hope is there...

the noodles, they are rock solid

my wok, brown with stuck, coated noodles

my resolve undamaged

tomorrow i will season the wok and try, try again

[kathie]

I have an electric wok, that I have not used in awhile, because I was so discouraged how my stir fry dishes were turning out. I also had a metal wok, but it became pitted with rust when it got wet under my sink.

Do you think I should go out and buy a new wok? I read your seasoning tips, thanks. Also, can you use a metal wok on an electric range?

I adore pad thai. I have had it where they put cucumbers in it. How do they prepare them? Also, it is often served with a thin, sweetish, sourish clear sauce. How do you make that?

Thanks for all your time and trouble.

Blessings on your gift to us and may God bless you for sharing with us so freely.
Kathie, San Antonio, TX

[maccyd]

Great recipe for the pads Thais! Also, hilarious grammers lesson from the peoples! I have much laughter in my head and eat as I write. More More!

[grog]

Pim, from the boundless depths of my bloated stomach, I thank you!

[suhsix]

Thank you so much for this Pad Thai recipe. Followed your every word and it turned out amazing. I dont think I was quite ready for the smell of the fish sauce however, hahaha.

Thanks again.

[Nini]

Hi Pim! thanks so much for the pad thai recipe. It's my favorite Thai noodle dish but always been afraid to try it at home. Your recipe sounds easy and I will try it. Thanks for sharing :)

[Nai]

I finally made a good batch of pad thai. Thank you so much, Pim, for your recipe.

[Joy at Try Thai Food]

Hi!
That's the longest article I ever saw and you really made it easy to understand. Thank you, I will keep reading your site. :) Joy (^_^)

[Christa in Minneapolis]

Hi Pim-

I have been a bit obsessed with Pad Thai lately, and due to my "need", too much of my pay check has been going to the Thai restaurants in town. I was scared away from making this at home after a bad fish sauce experience about a year ago, but I literally just finished your recipe, and I am delighted! It was delicious! I can't wait to have my friends over for dinner. Making the sauce before hand was key!

Thanks again-
Christa

[Ursula]

All I can say is, YUMMMMMYYYYY!!! Attempted your Pad Thai recipe for the first time last night. Had some guests over but thought "What the heck!". It was a runaway success. Followed your advice to the T and it worked out very well. Will be making this often. All my other Pad Thai recipes have been placed in the bin. Won't be needing them any more.

[gt pv]

Thank you and thank you.
You are awesome, Pim.

[Amber]

A fantastic Pad Thai, the best I have eaten since I was in Thailand last year. Thank you Pim!

[didi hall]

i need to make this for 50 people. can i prepare it the day ahead, a couple of servings at a time and reheat it?

[Dave]

I made this recipe for my girlfriend and myself and we both got very sick. Not sure if it was the tamarind or what as the chicken and shrimp were not bad, but man, we were in the bathroom all night!

Neither of us had ever had tamerind before.

[Karla Pengsagun]

Sa wah dee kah Nong Pim,
My Thai husband, 11 year old daughter and myself worked out what we considered to be the Perfect Pad Thai recipe. Even though we have lived in Thailand for several years, I myself had never understood the fascination with Pad Thai, but after making the sauce from scratch I finally had my first great Pad Thai dish.
Perhaps the collective unconscious at work when I went to look on the internet to see how to tell people about the recipe, I discovered you had already posted the exact same recipe just without the measurements. May I offer a link to the recipe with measurements? http://www.templeofthai.com/food/one_click_cooking/padthaikit-9100000138.php
Khap khun kah! Chok dee to you.

[Brandon]

Cool recipe. For those who do not like the smell of fish sauce, try the dish called PAD SEE EW.

Nellie, there is not post by Joanna under your name.

Joanna, you are an idiot. I too agree that 'shrimp' is the common used plural form in the USA, but WHO CARES?!?!?!

Let Pim do her thing.

[Juliette]

by god, the make-ahead sauce concept is one of those that makes me smack my forehead and cry "now why the hell didn't I think of that?!"
i cannot wait to try this out. i have made passable pad thai at home in the past, but i already have a feeling that this will be much better, not to mention more reliable.
one question on woks, however: maybe i'm just parroting cook's illustrated, but for western stoves (especially electric ones) aren't woks not the best choice? i prefer a flat bottom pan, so as to better touch the heat source. in fact i usually use a nonstick pan, but i realize i sacrifice the wok-char factor. mm, plus i think it's not so safe to super-heat teflon... uh-oh...

[Karla Pengsagun]

Juliette, regarding woks see this article by Kasma Loha-unchit, Thai cooking teacher, cookbook author: Wok: Flat or Round Bottom,
Which is Better for Your Kitchen?
http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/features/woktype.html

Kasma has a similar wok article in her unfortunately out of print book, Dancing Shrimp (I had to look at the cover to see if it was shrimp or shrimps!) - btw I highly recommend this book which you can find at places like powells.com in Portland OR (awesome source for 2nd hand Thai cookbooks)

Re. Ambers question about 50 servings - yes that would work - pad thai is sometimes served at Thai funerals (where you feed everyone that comes for days on end).

[Beau]

Cudos to you,Pim.I'm Thai and sick of those celebrity chefs who claim their dishes as Thai-this, Thai-that. Non of them have a clue about authentic Thai. Maybe you should be on food network.

[Michael]

Very good. First time I have made pad thai and this was a big help. Just take your time and follow the instructions. Thanks for the info!

[N.]

Good tips here - thanks for posting this!

I read your recent post about content thievery and I felt compelled to warn you about ImportFood.com. They have taken recipes that were posted to various mailing lists and newsgroups by the late Colonel Ian Khuntilanont-Philpott in the 90s and have passed them off as their own without any credit given to the Col. or to his wife, Muoi Khuntilanont. I brought this to their attention a few years ago, but they denied any wrongdoing. The recipes are still up and while they may have omitted a word or 2 here and there, they are still the same. Hopefully if you see for yourself (check out their recipe for Kaeng Phak and then compare it to the Col's recipe for it: http://www.users.bigpond.com/catch22inc/kaeng_phak.html), you might reconsider promoting their business. I have no connection with either party, I'm just someone who used to frequent the same mailing lists and boards that the Col. did and because he's no longer here to defend himself and his word, I think it only fair to him that someone give credit where it's due.

[jackee]

i like thai food and always with wine its give me good taste.

[claudia]

i was so thrilled with myself after seeing your recipe. pad thai is one of my guy's favorite foods so after researching and more researching i devised my own recipe which was almost identical to yours. i have to mail order some of my ingredients but it's worth it. anyway - i stumbled across your besutiful blog and thought to myself "i am awesone" if only because i am a middle aged nyc jew living in nashville and somehow my pad thai kicks ass. hooray for meeeeee!

[eMo]

Hi Pim

love your blog so much, and i am going to try your pad thai recipe during weekend.

I'd like to know if you have an authentic recipe for "gueyteow pad ki mow" (i used to call it drunken noodles)? i used to have it almost every day a few years back, but i cannot find it in my country now.

would really like to make it myself so i can eat it as often as i want.

P.S. are they any websites containing good thai recipes written in english that you'll recommend?

thanks

[Kat]

I just made Pad Thai for the second time tonight, and it turned out "ok". I notice many recipes call for fresh cilantro or basil. Is it not traditional to add the cilantro? I love your blog, by the way. Added it to the del.ic.ious cookbook, as another reader commented. I am really getting into Asian cooking, mostly Vietnamese and Thai now, and I have been frustrated stumbling on such commercial or basic recipes. Thank you for doing this! This will help my Asian cooking techniques and flavors immensely!

[deb]

My son made this for me for my birthday and it was great, we all really enjoyed it. I will be having a go at making it myself. My son is now in China studying martial arts in Jilin province, he is getting all the authentic Asian food he can eat there. Thanks for the recipe and the technique.

[Yong Tze]

I just tried this tonight and it turned out great!! Thanks for sharing this real way of cooking pad thai.

[Michelle]

Thanks tons for this detailed writeup! I will make ketchup-based pad thai no more! I just made this tonight and it was great, not to mention a lot faster than the other recipes I'd been using.

[Vero]

Oh Pim, ma belle, thank you so much for this in-depth explanation. I read this post back in Jan when you posted it so I referred back to it tonight when I convinced my husband that we shouldn't get takeaway and make our own pad thai instead.

I knew I had some tamarind in the cupboard, and that I could get the other bits from Sainsburys a couple minutes walk.

It was completely worthwhile. I'm sure we sat down to eat in the time it would take for the takeaway to arrive, and it's a whole lot more satisfying!

[Krystal]

In response to this posting:
In English we do not say "shrimps". It is always "shrimp", just like "fruit". Please remember this.

Thanks.
Joanna

English spoken in the UK and Australia pluralize most everything with an added "s/es". Shrimps, Fruits, Fishes, Deers... etc. Please remember that there are varying versions of the English Language.

And this pad thai recipe is delicious... hard to find fish sauce in Texas though. :)

Best Regards,
Krystal

[fonz]

i dont know why you pick on the english that people use, no ones perfect, i bet your not and the food isnt going to taste any better casue someones said "shrimps" instead of shrimp.

[Tommy]

Pim-

I made this tonight (and blogged about it!) and I have to say, you were right. This IS the best PT I've had. Astounding. Thanks!

[Amber]

Just want to say thank you so, so much! I've tried to make Pad Thai three or four times and it was never even close to right. When I told my husband I was going to try again, he says, "You do remember what happened last time, don't you?" So I gave it a shot and followed your verbose directions and it came out great! Thank you for the wordiness. It explained so much better than a simple recipe would have. It was well worth the read.
Amber

[Euge]

Pim, your recipe looks the business! your writing on the wok is spot on too. Photos are tops! Good job all round so I'll have to give this a go. Re the egg, had a great pad thai once and it was wrapped in an egg parcel - you break in to get at the noodles! So good.

[Jonathan Kandell]

Anyone else notice that the cheaper fish sauces work better in pad thai than the expensive delicate ones? The latter are better for adding to food at the table, the former for cooking imho.

[Charlie Choi]

Just out of curiosity, is it common for local Thai restaurants to use ketchup rather than tamarind for their pad thai sauce?

[Anu]

Hi,
I am a beginer in cooking thai food and your pad-thai looks amazing.My husband loves pad-thai and I am sure he's gonna love this too.
This is definitely going in my cook book.

[Anna]

I can't wait to try this recipe! I've tried making pad thai in the past and it was always a disaster. My family is from Laos and my Mom makes the best "pad see ew" and she makes the sauce ahead of time too!

[Lucy]

Thanks so much for the recipe! I didn't follow it very closely, but it still turned out great!

[david]

Pim
I found your site by accident today and just loved reading it. I had to immediatly comment on my own site about it! I also then got thinking I have rice noodles, shrimp and basically all the other stuff! Following you guidelines it was fantastic. I've tried making Pad Thai before with mixed success, I'm thrilled to have now learnt the 'technique' cheers david

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[lanny]

just read your advice to season the wok, you mention about kosher salt?? was it suppose to be coarse salt? I'm not aware that there is a special kosher salt. tks

[rachel m]

I am excited to try this recipe!! I'm living in Alberta right now and there no Thai restauarnts or anything here. I have been surviving off a recipe that my friend has improvised on and tried to obtain by constantly going to a local (back on PEI) Thai couples small restauarant that they had in their home. Mmmm best food ever! She would go and just watch the guy make it over and over again.

This is what she was using to recreate the recipe (not that it matters, but give you an idea of what other moc pad thai is out there.:

Oil
Egg
Rice Stick
1/4 cup Vinegar
1/2 Sugar
Chili Sauce to taste
Dash of Soya Sauce
Shrimp
Green Onions
Bean Sprouts
Peanuts
Lime wedges

It's actually is pretty good.. well I think so. I usually used less sugar, but like you said.. This Ain't No Diet Food!.

[Trisha]

Pim,
Just came across this and I am to-the-hilt thrilled. Pad thai is a favorite of mine (as was your more recent rant on screwed-up pad thai), but I have always been beyond frightened to make it. Here you give comprehensive instructions AND tell me how to season my wok! I will fear no more. Thank you, thank you.
Tchin-tchin!

[Chris]

A fantastic and deatailed methodology for making one of my favorite dishes. I have not been able to get back to Thailand for several years now but Pim's technique will help me deal with my Pad Thai jones.

[Nori]

Pim,
I was led to your website after looking up confit recipes to make this weekend. What an incredible discovery to have stumbled upon this treasure of a recipe! I now will be making your Pad Thai along with your dried tomato confit. What a great way to spend a Saturday!! Thank you!

[Venkatesh Iyer]

I have never been to Thailand, but would love to have it.

[Fig Sister]

Pim,
I made this as the main course for a New Year's Party, and it was amazing. I really appreciated your comprehensive instructions, and although I was a little daunted by the 9+ pages of step-by-step, it was easy to make and everyone loved it.
Thank you. Thank you!

[Jennifer]

I've never tried to make Pad Thai before, it looked so complicated! After reading your recipie for beginners, I decided to give it a try. I've got to say that what I made was the best tasting Pad Thai EVER - what a great recipie! Thanks!!!

[Ann]

Thank you so very much for sharing your Pad Thai cooking secrets with the world! My friends and I were out at a Thai restaurant the other day when everyone started talking about their horrible Pad Thai making experiences. Hearing this, I decided to go home and Google an authentic recipe. Yours sounds wonderful, and I will be trying it tonight...I'm sure it will not disappoint. Thanks again!

[Tiffany]

Hi Pim and thank you for this recipe but MOST of all for the detailed instructions.

I have been making asian food (all types) for many years and when I come across something that is so explict in the instructions I really take notice. I am not a good cook, I am a get by, but my family loves my cooking. Everyone LOVED this recipe, especially the little ones. I knew there was tamarind in this (and can't imagine anyone actually thinking it was katsup) and have always used it, but the recipe i was using called for 1/2 lime juice to be added into the wok and my pad thai was always SUPER sour, not a nice balance, and dumb me couldn't figure it out. But your equal parts of Tam, FS and Sugar then peppers to taste is perfect!... I make my sauce ahead of time and keep in the fridge. The only thing i add to it is 2 TBS of Ground Peanuts.. It does effect the consistency of the sauce but not the flavor since the thing we adore about pad t is the combo of flavors... to us PT without peanuts would be just Pad... (in my opinion). Thank you SO much for your time!

I am so grateful to you for your post that I can manage (barely) to over-ook your gramatical errors (just kidding)...

MUAH thank you so much again and keep 'em coming!

[Murray.podro]

Your recipes are abolutely Fantastic Keep up the
good work noone gives a dish the attention to detail like you! Just great Here in the uk They dont With one or two exeptions give such loving attention
Murray Podro

[b]

Thank you Pim for this amazing recipe! I just made two servings of this tonight for dinner and your directions were superb, the proportions excellent and the vegetarian suggestions much appreciated. Now onto the Pad See Ew... i can't wait!

[rebecca]

thank you so much for the awesome recipe!!! it was so easy for this first-time pad thai-maker to follow. i couldn't find tamarind paste, so i ended up using an approximately 2:1 combo of pomegranate and umeboshi pastes. it turned out delicious. :)

[Mindy]

I'm going to go for it with this recipe, luckily I usually land jelly side up. My only question is what kind of oil? Did I miss it in the instructions? (I read twice) Type of oil can change a dish's flavor so much! I'm going to go with Vegetable with a dash of Seasame if I don't hear back, hope that isn't a tragic mistake?!

[Lance N. Pham]

Dude or dudet! I had eaten enough to tell which restaurant make good pad thai. I love pad thai and always want to make it. Your recipe and instruction are just what I need. It rocks. I will try it and post my comment late.

[Brett]

I'm looking forward to trying this. It will be a major upgrade from my ramen, peanut butter, brown sugar and lime approximation. Though it's quick and easy and tastes good, it's not really pad thai :)

Your writeup here is detailed enough to give me hope that I can pull it off! Thanks!

[EV]

Pim,
I'm such a huge fan of Thai food. Thanks for this wonderful recipe. It turned out top-notch. I'm from Seattle where I discovered and fell in love with Thai food. I like it with shrimp (and I like it with shrimps too). I now live in San Diego and just can't seem to find a Thai restaurant that matches up to my Seattle faves (suggestions anyone?) Suffice it to say my kitchen has become a den of creation. Your recipes have made my home the preferred place for my friends to gather for Thai food. Our favorites are panang curry, pad kee mao (yummy drunken noodles), this version of pad thai and tom kha gai. Thank you thank you THANK YOU!

Joanna,
Please don't e-scold me for using "faves" above- God forbid my use of this word would warrant a replay of your expression "the recipe is nice but could be improved with better grammar." In all fairness to grammar, you could stand to cut down on the use of fragmented sentences. Unless used for purposes of art (i.e. poetry), sentence fragments suggest that your thinking is fragmented because you're only presenting a piece of a complete thought. Was it your intent to give the impression that your thinking is incomplete? I believe this rule applies in all adaptations of the English language, no? Please remember this.
EV

[Taliadouros]

Oh thank you thank you thank you!!!
(that's for the grammar police to rip me apart about)

I live in a rural town on the coast of Maine and have to travel at LEAST 30 minutes to get Pad Thai (luckily it is really good Pad Thai). I've been dying to figure out how to make it. This "guideline" is incredible and I can't wait to start experimenting with it. You've done an amazing job of explaining the how's and why's... I'd never have figured out out without you!

Thanks a bunch!
Kim T.

[Reid]

Hi, I found your blog and actually carried out making this recipe. It's verbose, but really helpful! The dish turned out great and thanks to you, I am happily stuffed!

[mike payling]

Yes, fantastic recipe. Now, those shrimp/s
If only everybody spoke British English, they would be called PRAWNS, and it is always the case that it is one prawn, two prawns. Shrimp, or more commonly shrimps, are small prawns.
Mike P

[BTickell]

Chez Pim,

Had Pad Thai in D.C. this weekend and it was great. Nice explanation of how you make your Pad Thai. I can't wait to try out your recipe!
I will be investing in a wok soon, any suggestions of what kind or brand of wok?

Joanna please post again so we can laugh at you. The fact that you are so quick to ridicule Pims grammar when obviously your grammar needs work.

[Thanks for the laugh Kate, I laughed my butt off.]
Hey Joanna?
"The website it is English"?
Pot, kettle, black.
Posted by: Kate

Cheers!

[BTickell]

Chez Pim,

Nix the wok suggestions.
I looked around and found on your blog a link to your suggestions for "Which wok for you?"

http://www.chezpim.com/blogs/2008/02/which-wok-for-y.html

Thank you,
BTickell

[js]

Thank you for sharing your tips for pad thai!

We are beginners and we've made our first attempt at pad thai earlier this week after consulting your tips.

Thanks to you -- the cooking went smoothly and the results are delicious! I'm happy to report that our final product even looked like yours. (Pictures are on the blog.)

Thank you again and I'm glad to have found your blog. Enjoying the posts very much.

[MichaelnTheKitchen]

*warning* possible culinary heresy alert;

(Any)Worcestershire Sauce's *main* flavour is tamarind paste in white vinegar. With a little adjustment of the other 'sours' involved, WS *might* serve those who are tamarindously challenged, or perhap as an emergent substitute.
(Pim; please delete all of the above if this post falls into the dreaded 'ketchup'-type subtitution category)

Also, thanks to all grammaruffians and spellingomers...whenever I see the first nascent whine, I can PgDn through the post...saving much time !!!

[Jeremy]

Fantastic post! I love pad thai, and have been fortunate enough to live around the corner from a great Thai restaurant for several years. I'm looking forward to trying this recipe soon, since I'm moving and will likely go into withdrawl.

[Donald]

Wow!!!

We just ate our first pad thai dish. I used this well-informed post for reference and the dish turned out fantastic.

Thanks.

[Siu Mei]

Hi Pim

Would you have imagined that more than a year after this entry, you're still getting comments ?

Just want to say that this is the best pad thai recipe that I've come across. I've introduced this to friends, shared this at food forums & most recently on my blog too.

Thank you so much.

[Nancy]

Yummy....I was drooling all the way. I must try out this drooling recipe.

[Ian G.]

My Thai girlfriend's Mom made me Pad Thai, using soy sauce, and I asked the two of them why there was no tamarind in it. They were very insistent that tamarind was 'not authentic' - but I was sure they were wrong, since I had my own recipe developed from Kasma Loha-Unchit's and David Thompson's writings. Your methods and theirs are quite similar. I like the idea of pounding the dried shrimp, and doing small portions. I think mine ends up getting too steamed because the heat can't handle the volume of food. Thanks for your ideas - and for publishing them.

[Ian G.]

Oh, I forgot. Last time I was in Bangkok, I had a a great Pad Thai in a very traditional place near the D'Ma Pavilion Hotel. The tofu had been deep-fried in advance, and was dropped into the pan near completion of cooking. It added a great 'springy' texture to the dish, so I tried it at home. It is definitely worth the extra effort. Just chop the tofu into little cubes and deep fry for about .. 10 minutes, until they are a bit brown. Strain and reserve the oil for later reuse, and drop into the pan just before adding the sauce.

[Heather]

Hi,

I tried the recipe and it didn't turn out very well. I used the wrong noodles first of all. I've since bought the right style rice noodles and will try again. When you say "soak until pliable" what do you mean? Because my noodles never cooked in the wok. I ended up taking them out, boiling them and putting them back in the wok.
Thanks, heather

[Thai Lover]

I'm nuts about Thai Food, this recipe rocks, as the pre-mixed bottled sauces taste funky and my husband always complains about the authenticity of Pad Thai from the out-of-the-box varieties. This recipe made me look like a real cook - cooking from scratch is the way to go.

The only thing I did to alter the recipe was add a Chicken Tofu Steak from Helen's Kitchen which is easier to get my husband eating vegetarian because its a little more tasty and comes frozen (so I can grab it out of the freezer when you want without worrying about it spoiling). I think Helen's Kitchen called it Vegetarian Chicken Tofu Steaks, it tasted better than plain tofu, you guys might want to try that option. I found it at Whole Foods.

[Michael]

Amazing recipe! Just finished dinner and it turned out great. Best part is that it's dead simple to make --- and I was able to find all the ingredients at the tiny Asian grocery where I live. Thanks!

[Leah]

Finally made this last night. It was fabulous and erased a horrible concoction I made years ago.

Thanks! L.

[Jo-Ann McDermott]

This question may have been answered in your blog but I was unable to find it. What kind of chili powder do you use. I'm looking forward to trying your recipe. Thanks.

[matt]

The recipe sounds awesome! Next time I make pad thai, it will be this one. One question on a semi related note: I have a recipe for a chutney that calls for 2/3 cup tamarind in a block, soaked in 4 cups boiling water. I can opnly find concentrate. How much concentrate should I use? I do not want to overpower it.

[Twelvefield]

I just tried the pad thai recipe. The way I made it, it tasted like very authentic vomit, salty-sour digestive juices with a hot sweetness. It was a complete disaster, but fortunately my wife and I were the only victims. Well, not a complete failiure: I nailed the texture of the noodles right on the mark, but then I've always been preternaturally good with noddles from all cultures. So I had great noodles in puke sauce.

I seriously doubt that the source recipe was the problem. I can see that other people have had success with this, so the error must have been in my kitchen. A big part of good cooking is learning from mistakes, so every cook must expect to fail from time to time. I just wanted to share this failiure, and so move on.

[Sahan]

hi there!!! thank you for sharing your cooking experience with all of us ... what i wanna know is how to make the noodles by my self or home made. hope ur not getting confused or anything!!! like make the noodle by hand.

[Cristina]

Thank you for posting this awesome recipe! I just finished making it, and I swear it's the best I ever had! Your suggestions and step-by-step instructions as well as your pictures contributed to my success.

Thanks!

[Blythe]

Pim,
I really appreciate this recipe...I have struggled for years to make pad-thai and it has always turned out as a mushy, soupy, disaster...sometimes a disaster whose taste was similar to cat food. I can hardly wait to try this. I like this 'julia child' type of recipe that explains crucial techniques.