Thursday, April 21, 2011

Pad Thai

This is a must order noodles dish for me when I dine at Thai restaurant. Pad Thai is one of the most popular Thai dishes, perhaps second only to Tom Yum Goong. The key to perfect Pad Thai is in the cooking of the noodles - learn how to get them chewy-perfect pad thai sauce which is tangy, sweet and a little spicy. When it's all put together, you'll find there isn't a noodle dish better than world-famous Pad Thai.

Ingredients:

Half packet Thai rice sticks – you can get this from the regular supermarket at the Asian section
4 oz beef tenderloin – slice thinly and marinate with some soy sauce and pepper
14 shrimps – peel and deveined
2 cloves garlic - chopped
2 shallots - sliced thinly
2 cups bean sprout – remove the tails
2 spring onions – cut into 1” length
Some pepper and fish sauce to taste
Some peanuts – for garnish




Pad Thai Sauce:

1 tbsp of tamarind paste – dissolved in ¼ cup warm water
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp chili paste – I used sambal Oelek
2 tbsp palm sugar


1. Dunk the noodles in a pot of boiling water. Allow the noodles to soak until soft but still a little firm (al dente). Drain and rinse in cold water and set it aside.
2. Remove the seeds of the tamarind paste (if any) and combined all the sauce ingredients together. Stir well and set it aside.
3. Heat up the wok over high heat. Add in 2 tbsp of oil, sauté garlic and shallots until fragrant and lightly brown. Add in the beef and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add in the shrimps and continue to stir fry until the shrimps turns pink.
4. Add in the noodles and pad Thai sauce. Stir-fry the noodles using "lift and turn" method (like tossing a salad) to prevent noodles from sticking and breaking. Stir-fry this way 1-2 minutes. If you find your wok/frying pan too dry add in a bit of more oil (do not add water or your noodles will be too soggy)
5. Add the bean sprouts, spring onions and sprinkle in some pepper. Continue "tossing" for 1 more minute, check for seasoning, adding more fish sauce until desired flavor is reached (I usually add at least 1 more Tbsp. fish sauce). Toss well to incorporate.
6. Dish out and garnish with some peanuts and lemon or lime wedges.


Note: You can replace the beef with any type of protein and the spring onions with Chinese Chives.

17 comments:

Hello Scrumptious said...

MMmm looks so delicious. I wanna copy your recipe except I'm missing palm sugar. Do you think i can use brown or white sugar instead?

Lisa H. said...

Gert...
you are making me hungry again..
just had a bowl of boring cereal for breakfast :(
Will KIV and a MUST to try soon :D

Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

this look similar like a plate of fried Kuey Teow..have not try this Thai noodles before, if i manage to go Bangkok soon, i must try this defintely..

Puan Ros @ Sinaranmenu.blogspot said...

Hi there, a yummy looking dish.will visit your kitchen more often..

The Sudden Cook said...

One of my favourites! I would add dried chilli flakes too and mix it all up!

Jenn@ChasingFoodDreams said...

Yum!! Big fan of Pad Thai but I don't like it too sweet though.

Cannot wait to try this.. :)

j3ss kitch3n said...

whenever i step into a thai restaurant this is my to order dish very delicious!

Min said...

Yummy! Your pad Thai makes me hungry now. I tried in Bangkok before and they really taste great. Need to find the noodles before I can cook this dish.

Jeannie said...

Looks like our local fried kuey tiao without the dark soya sauce perhaps....it's lunchtime and I am drooling over your photo!

Awayofmind Bakery House said...

I love Pad Thai, is like the fried kuey tiao!! It makes me hungry!!

hanushi said...

Me too... This is the must order dish at Thai restaurant, second to this is pineapple rice... :) :)

Cuisine Paradise said...

You caught my heart! I love Pad Thai! Especially with lots of crash peanuts and lime wedges to go with it :p

ann low said...

I'm getting hungry too! I love Pad Thai too and this is also a must order when I visit the Thai restaurant.

Victor said...

I usually order pad thai. I never made my own version. Love the flavors in it.

ICook4Fun said...

JadeHeartz, thank you. You can replace it with brown sugar.

Lisa, sorry about that. It is not a good idea to visit food blogs early in the morning isn't it. I feel the same way too sometimes :)

Sonia, yea but this noodles are much thinner. Can you get it in Malaysia? It comes in dry form.

Puan Ros, thank you.

Sudden Cook, yea the spicier the better for me :)

Jenn, if you like it less sweet, cut down on the palm sugar.

Jess, yea me too :)

Min, thank you. I love the Pad Thai from there too. It has been a long time since I went to Bangkok. I would love to make a trip there when I go back home.

Jeannie, this type of noodles are much thinner.

ICook4Fun said...

Ah Tze, yes quite similar.

Hanushi, yea I love pineapple rice too.

Ellena, look like most of us love Pad Thai. I think it is the sweet and sour flavor :)

Ann, just like I told Ellena most of us love this noodles :)

Victor, me too :)

My Little Space said...

Gert, I think those are the dried packet hor fun! It's quite thin and light, unlike the fresh hor fun. Sounds truly delicious. Just the kind of fried noodle I like. Thanks for the tips.
Kristy