Pad Thai Recipe (with Chicken or Shrimp) - Cooking Classy (2024)

FAQs

What makes Pad Thai taste so good? ›

Tamarind is the ingredient that is the heart and soul of Pad Thai sauce, giving the sauce the sour flavour that Pad Thai is known for. It's an ingredient used in South East Asian cooking, like this Malaysian Beef Rendang.

Often made with shrimp (or prawns), chicken or tofu, pad thai also contains scrambled eggs and bean sprouts, and is typically garnished with crushed peanuts, cilantro and a squeeze of lime. The ingredients in the sauce are what give the dish its distinctive flavor, but they vary greatly from recipe to recipe.

Its main purpose is to add saltiness; and the secondary purpose, but still very important, is to add umami or savory flavor. You can think of it as soy sauce, but with fish!

Very similar to pad thai, right? The only two differences here are the noodles and using cashews instead of peanuts. Left to right, top to bottom: Garlic chives, beansprouts, mee krob noodles, pressed tofu, lime, shrimp, roasted cashews, egg.

Ingredients. Sauce: Palm sugar, Water, Tamarind, Shallots, Sweet radishes (sodium benzoate), Garlic, Soybean oil, Potassium chloride, Maltodextrin, Miso (soybean, rice), Salt, Hydrolyzed vegetable proteins, Yeast extract, Paprika oleoresin, Citric acid, Alpha-tocopherol, Chili oleoresin.

These are: salty, sweet, spicy, sour, and creamy. For the dish to taste authentic, all five flavors need to be in a perfect balance. Cooking Thai food isn't easy, and if the flavors don't complement one another, something will taste off.

The vinegar-sugar mix works well in dishes like pad thai chicken. If your recipe calls for 1 tablespoon tamarind paste, substitute with 1 tablespoon vinegar mixed with 1 tablespoon brown sugar. If using fresh lime juice, substitute 2 tablespoons lime juice for every 1 tablespoon tamarind paste.

Tamarind concentrate: This is the starring ingredient in pad Thai that gives the sauce its signature tangy, sweet, and fruity flavor. Granted, some American Thai restaurants have switched to using ketchup in its place, which gives the dish a notably different and less-tangy flavor.

It can definitely be a part of a balanced, well-rounded diet. While pad thai includes many nutritious ingredients, its sodium content is considerably high.

Worcestershire sauce

Made of anchovies, molasses, tamarind, vinegar, cloves, onion, and other seasonings, it's a delicious alternative to fish sauce. Since both sauces are made using anchovies and fermented for up to 18 months, they have a similar umami flavor.

What can I use instead of fish sauce in Pad Thai? ›

Soy sauce. Anyone who wants to make a fish sauce substitute can mix soy sauce with vinegar or minced anchovies to achieve a taste similar to that of fish sauce. People can also make a broth using soy sauce, either on its own or by adding mushrooms.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water until smooth to make a slurry (see note). Whisk the slurry into the tamarind sauce and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, whisking continuously, for 2 minutes. As the cornstarch cooks, it will thicken up the sauce.

—Tamarind: This sour, sweet, and tangy fruit is the most important ingredient for achieving that true pad Thai flavor. For this version, we opted for tamarind puree, but tamarind paste will work too (make sure it's a product of Thailand rather than India).

Pad Thai, a Thai dish of stir-fried rice noodles and other ingredients, is one of the culinary heritages of Thailand. In the southern region of Thailand, Pad Thai has different characteristics from other areas because coconut milk and curry paste are used to produce a thick sauce prior to cooking.

Pad See Ew often boasts broccoli and greens and even a scrambled egg. Taste – Pad Thai is all about contrasting texture and a taste that straddles the line between sweet and savory. Pad See Ew is deeper and darker in taste and has a chewier texture thanks to the wider style of noodles.

Thai cuisine achieves this remarkable fusion by incorporating a diverse range of ingredients. From aromatic herbs like basil, cilantro, and lemongrass to spices like ginger, turmeric, and galangal, every bite is a tantalizing mix of bold and balanced flavors.

In fact, Thai food consistently ranks among the top five most consumed and popular ethnic foods. What makes Pad Thai the most popular of all Thai dishes could be attributed to taste, ease of preparation, low cost, and high availability as street food.

When it's sold in restaurants outside Thailand, the noodles are sometimes bright orange – that's because sauces or spices, like paprika, have been used instead of tamarind. Authentic Pad Thai is a light reddish-brown colour.

Stir in chicken, green onions and peanuts, and heat through. Taste and add one additional seasoning as necessary. You can add more Sriracha if you want it spicier, soy sauce for a salty bite, or a squeeze of lime for a tang. Top with cilantro and serve.