Weather is warming up in Vancouver, and I enjoy spending some time outside, tending and watering the plants everyday in my little garden. It gives me immense pleasure and helps in keeping myself active and busy. Last week the weather was gorgeous and my daughter invited her old school friends over for lunch. I wanted to serve something simple, speedy and satisfying, which the girls would like. Then, pad thai came to my mind that everyone knows and loves!
Pad thai needs no introduction! It is one of the the most widely recognized Thai dish in the entire world. It is a stir fry dish of flat rice noodles with some scrambled eggs, crunchy mung bean sprouts, roasted peanuts that are flavored with a tasty mixture of tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar.
It is one of those dishes that I always order when eating out in a Thai restaurant, not because that I am gluten free but because that, it is just so mouthwatering. After making it several times at home my family says that I make really great pad thai. The textures and flavors of a proper pad thai depends upon the way the dish is cooked and mingled with a perfectly balanced sweet, sour, spicy and salty sauce, which makes the dish so delicious.
Firstly, rice noodles used for pad thai are flat and of medium thickness. They are not cooked in boiling water as you do for spaghetti. If you try to boil you will end up in a mushy mess. Instead the dried noodles are soaked in room temperature water for about 15- 30 minutes (depending on the brand) until soft but not overly so. The noodles are drained well and blanched in boiling water for a moment and and then again drained (this prevents the noodles from clumping together when stir fried).
Secondly, the recipe requires a little time for preparation, but the cooking time is very fast, hardly 10 minutes. So it is important that you have all the ingredients ready to go before you start cooking. The dish is finished with traditional garnishes of mung bean sprouts, fresh thai basil, chiles, peanuts, green onion and wedges of lemon or lime to create delicious harmony.
There are many variations of this dish, but the recipe I am sharing is the one my family particularly like. You can change up the ingredients to your liking and create your own version.
"Pad thai' is a Thai noodle dish made from stir fried noodles, eggs, peanuts, mung bean sprouts and a tasty sauce mix of tamarind paste, fish sauce and palm sugar.
Ingredients
- 283 g (10oz) rice stick (banh pho)
- 35 g seed less tamarind, dissolved in 1/3 cup warm water and strained
- 1/4 cup peanut butter (optional)
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 -3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup brown sugar / palm sugar
- 4 tbsp canola oil, plus more for browning tofu
- 1 cup mung sprouts
- 115 g green beans, sliced at angle
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup thai basil, roughly torn
- 3 green onion, chopped
- 3 fresh red or green thai chilies, chopped
- 1 450 g medium firm tofu, sliced
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup unsalted peanuts
Instructions
- Dry fry the unsalted peanuts in a pan until they're slightly browned and fragrant. Ground roughly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk fish sauce, peanut butter (if using), brown sugar and strained tamarind. Set aside.
- Lightly oil a cast iron or non stick pan, heat it on medium. Add a bunch of tofu slices without overlapping. Cook on both sides until slightly browned. Cook the remaining slices by adding oil as needed.
- Soak rice noodles in room temperature water for 15 minutes, until just pliable (the soaking time will vary according to the brand). Meanwhile bring a pan of water to boil. Drain the noodles well and blanch them in boiling water for a moment and drain once again.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large wok, add garlic and green beans. Stir fry until tender and beginning to color. Transfer to a bowl, leaving behind as much oil as possible.
- Crack the eggs into the wok and scramble gently, cook until just set, about 1 minute.
- Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil in the wok over high heat. Add the softened rice noodles and fry for about 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken broth and the fish sauce mixture. Cook tossing occasionally until the noodles have absorbed the liquid, about 4-6 minutes. Check the seasoning.
- Add the tofu, green beans, chilies and torn basil leaves, toss a few times.
- Divide among plates or bowls.
- Garnish each serving with some scrambled egg, mung sprouts, peanuts and green onion.
- Serve hot with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over the noodles.
Bam's Kitchen
Beautiful Pad Thai and love your tidy little garden area as it looks so inviting. Ready for a Pad Thai party…
Blackswan
I’m pleasantly surprised to see you cooking Thai food, dear! You should show more of your home; your backyard is beautiful!
easyfoodsmith
Loveky garden there! I crave for one. Living in a metro city in multi story buildings is certainly no fun.
I love Pad Thai and it looks ideal for the hot sultry weather here.
Chai a Cup of Life
I love pad Thai and your back yard! You live in Canada right??
Balvinder
Yes!I live in Canada.
Choc Chip Uru
Pad Thai is one of my favourite dishes so this is definitely up there in best recipes 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Kitchen Belleicious
your garden looks great and the pad thai looks even greater.
Monica
Whoever invented pad thai was a genius. I just adore it! A while back, I had to make a homemade version too since I kept craving it and now I’m glad I can make it at home. I never did find tamarind so I use lime juice…I really would like to find it since I bet it makes for far more authentic flavor. Yours looks delicious and healthy, not loaded down with grease like it sometimes can be.
Balvinder
Monica, tamarind has a bright sourish taste that is a must ingredient for a proper pad thai. You can get it from any store (i guess) as I buy mine from a regular super market. Check out your Asian or ethnic isles.
anne
Bal , I want your backyard *sigh* It looks wonderful and I can imagine myself manning the grilling station lol Mmmmm Pad Thai …. the sweet and sourish flavor , the texture contrast , just delicious ! I bet your kiddo and her friends loved it !
Von
Pad Thai !! <3 I used to order it all the time when I went to Thai restaurants, but then I realised that it was actually quite simple to make so now I tend to order stuff that I can't cook haha. Yours looks delicious!
Abbe@This is How I Cook
Pad Thai is one of my faves. i actually did a post on it a long time ago. I’ll have to compare it to yours as there are so may versions! When the noodles are cooked right, it is so good and yours looks very, very good! I want to come for lunch!
Balvinder
Thank you Abbe! There may be different versions of pad thai but the recipe I made is authentic thai recipe (except that I used brown sugar instead of palm sugar).
Sridevi Ravi
Great recipe! I had Pad thai last weekend at a restaurant called Green Mango Tree with a special pineapple sauce as I did not want fish sauce. I thought they had some secret ingredients and not doable at home. You have revealed the secret! Thank you!
Balvinder
Pineapple sauce sounds interesting! But not sure how it would taste in a pad thai. If you do not like the taste and smell of fish sauce you can use soy sauce.
Katerina
Your Pad Thai looks very inviting Balvinder just like your garden!
Kitchen Belleicious
your pad thai looks perfect. the noodles are cooked perfectly which is so hard to do. Wishing we could have this tonight
Coffee and Crumpets
Hi Balvinder! Finally made it over here! Sorry I haven’t come by sooner. It’s been so hectic here with me being unwell and the kids with end of school. It was just too much for my health. I am doing better and slowly getting back into a routine.
Your garden is beautiful! Did I tell you my sister lives in Canada? She’s in Ontario though, opposite to you.
I adore pad Thai. It’s always my go to in a Thai restaurant. I make it still home too.
Yours looks fab!
Balvinder
No problem, Nazneen! First health then blog and moreover I am not that regular in commenting on blogs. Glad you like the pad thai!
Jennifer Eloff
What a pretty home you have! Love your gardening! Unusual dish … sounds tasty!
Jennifer Eloff
Haha…just read your post. Guess I must be living under a rock not to know that dish! Frankly, I am not familiar with Thai cuisine at all. 😉
Balvinder
Well, it might be true for my in laws who do not know Thai cuisine but its hard to imagine for you. You lived in Canada and now live in…(i forgot the name), you write books. It does seem strange. But at the same time I am glad my recipe familiarized you with Thai cuisine 🙂
ela@GrayApron
I’ve hear about it but never had it. Looks tasty and authentic!
ela h.
Juliana
I love pad thai, but never cooked it at home…I like the idea of using tofu…looks delicious Balvinder
Enjoy the rest of your week 😀