This Authentic Pad Thai will transport you to South East Asia in just one bite!
I learned to make this dish in Thailand and my teacher made it crystal clear; if it doesn’t have tamarind, it’s not Pad Thai! I can hear Kim’s voice yelling that every time I make this and it makes me smile.
If you like Southeast Asian cuisine, I suggest picking up tamarind concentrate or paste, palm sugar, and fish sauce. This trio of pantry staples is a must for Southeast Asian cooking.
Authentic Pad Thai
I learned to make this dish in Chiang Mai, Thailand; just one bite transports me back!
Equipment
- 1 small saucepan
- 1 large pot
- 1 wok or large frying pan/skillet
- 1 wok spatula
- 1 pair of tongs
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp tamarind concentrate
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup palm sugar
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 garlic cloves
- 5 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup shallots chopped
- 8 oz dried rice stick noodles
- ½ lb chicken breast thinly sliced; may sub for another protein like shrimp
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cup bean sprouts divided
- 1 cup carrots julienned (cut into matchsticks); divided
- 4 scallions trimmed and sliced diagonally
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts crushed
- 1 lime wedges for serving; optional
Instructions
- Heat a small pan over med-low heat and add tamarind concentrate, water, palm sugar, fish sauce, and garlic. Cook until palm sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat, let cool for 10 minutes; transfer to a small bowl until needed.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add noodles and cook for 2 minutes, draining immediately and quickly rinsing with cold water. The noodles won't be fully cooked but don't worry; they'll continue to soften while cooking in the sauce.
- In a wok (a large frying pan works too) heat 2 tbsp of oil over high-heat. Add chicken and cook for 2 minutes. Remove protein from the wok and transfer to a plate.
- Add 1 tbsp oil to the wok, add shallots and stir-fry for 1 minute, then add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Ensure you're constantly stirring so the garlic doesn't burn.
- Add noodles to the wok and drizzle remaining 2 tbsp of oil overtop. Stir-fry for 2 minute. This will help noodles soften and provide a surface for the sauce to cling to. Add 3 tbsp of sauce to the noodles, stirring constantly until sauce clings to noodles, about 1 minute.
- Add protein back to wok and fry for another 2-3 minutes, adding more sauce as needed. It's important you add sauce a little at a time. You want the noodles to slowly soak in and absorb the sauce.
- Move Pad Thai over to one side of the pan. Crack an egg on the other side and scramble with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds. Add green onions, half the carrots, and half the bean sprouts, and stir-fry for 1 more minute, mixing everything together.
- Test the firmness of the noodle. If the noodle is too firm, stir-fry for another minute and add more sauce if needed.
- Remove Pad Thai from heat. Garnish with remaining carrots, sprouts, cilantro, toasted peanuts, sliced Bird’s eye chili and lime wedges.
Wow!! This recipe is amazing! Ive tried MANY other Pad Thai recipes before and they never quite hit the way you want them too, like they were coming from a restaurant. This one changes all that! Also, do not skip on the Tamarind. It’s a must! 10/10!
Thanks for trying this out! I agree, Tamarind is an absolute must! My instructor in Thailand said, “If it doesn’t have tamarind, it’s not Pad Thai. It’s just a stir fry”.