Thailand cuisine has plenty of delicious foods, but if we say that the most popular Thai food is Pad Thai (ผัดไท), we wouldn’t be wrong. Both native Thai people and tourists visiting Thailand love this food. If you are a lover of Thai foods, I am sure you will find this post quite useful because we will give you the Pad Thai recipe. You can even try to make this Pad Thai recipe at home. In addition, we will also provide you with essential Thai cooking vocabulary in the Thai language for this recipe, so you’ve got an informative and tasty blog post! Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
Pad Thai Recipe: Preparing To Make Pad Thai
The Pad Thai recipe contains accessible ingredients that you can find in any Asian market and it is easy to make but it may take a long time to prepare if you are new to the cooking. The most important part that you need to pay attention to is the Pad Thai sauce as it should have a balanced flavor in terms of sourness and sweetness. So let’s get to the ingredients, shall we?
The Pad Thai Sauce Ingredients
- Fish sauce – น้ำปลา (nam pla)
- Garlic – กระเทียม (gra tiem)
- Palm sugar – น้ําตาลปี๊บ (namtan peep)
- Tamarind paste – น้ำมะขามเปียก (nam ma kham peik)
- Shallots – หอมแดง (hom daeng)
Stir-Fry Pad Thai Ingredients
- Shallots – หอมแดง (hom daeng)
- Garlic – กระเทียม (gra tiem)
- Dried shrimp – กุ้งแห้ง (gung haeng)
- Pressed tofu – เต้าหู้เหลือง (toa hu luang)
- Sweet preserved radish – ไชโป๊วหวาน (chai po wan)
- Chili flakes – พริกป่น (prik pon)
- Eggs – ไข่ (kai)
- Roasted peanuts – ถั่วคั่ว (tua kua)
- Rice noodles (medium) – เส้นผัดไท (sen pad thai)
- Garlic chives – ใบกุยช่าย (bai gui chai)
Choosing The Perfect Noodles
There are various types of noodles on the market but we can’t use just any kind of noodles for Pad Thai. We need dry rice noodles in medium size. If you have no choice then you can use any type of noodles but the traditional Pad Thai recipe contains medium rice noodles.
Noodle Soaking
Medium-sized dry and flat rice noodles take about an hour to soak at room temperature water. (Thinner noodles take shorter and wider noodles take a longer time to soak). Remove the noodles when they become opaque white. Also, they must be totally pliable.
How To Make Pad Thai Step-By-Step?
1. Cook The Noodles: Put rice noodles in a pot and add enough water to cover the noodles and boil them for 7- 8 minutes. They don’t have to be completely soft, but bendy.
2. Chop shallot, garlic, and ginger and put aside.
3. Whisk two eggs in a bowl with a fork and add a 3-finger pinch of salt. Again put aside.
4. Make The Pad Thai Sauce: Whisk fish sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and soy sauce in a small bowl and put aside, we will add the sauce at the end.
5. Cook The Meat: For chicken; slice chicken into thin strips and season it with salt and pepper. Then, dry the tofu with paper towels pressing down firmly. For tofu; cut the tofu into small cubes and sprinkle salt and pepper. For shrimp; peel and season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Then, cook the seasoned chicken, shrimp, or tofu in a pot with hot oil over medium-high heat. Put aside.
6. Stir-Fry The Pad Thai: Gather your chopped shallots, whisked eggs, cooked noodles, cooked meat, and Pad Thai sauce on the stove. Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in the pot on high heat, add shallot-garlic-ginger, and stir, cooking for just a few minutes is enough.
7. Make a hole in the center of the pot, scoot the shallot mixture to the side of the pan, and add the whisked eggs into the hole. With a wooden spatula, scramble them and let them become brown just a little, and try to mix them with the shallots.
8. Add the drained noodles and toss with the egg mixture. Stir and fry them constantly for 3-4 minutes until the noodles become soft and pliable.
9. Add the Pad Thai sauce you prepared and cook for a minute. It may smell quite fishy at first but it will mellow out. Add the cooked chicken, tofu, or shrimp and turn and toss the noodles for a few more minutes.
10. Toss in the bean sprouts and roasted peanuts and sprinkle with chili flakes. Squeeze a little lime juice. Don’t forget to taste! Adjust the sourness and sweetness until they balance each other. Give one more toss and it is ready to serve. Enjoy your meal!
Cooking Vocabulary In Thai
| Thai Words | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ไก่ | gai | Chicken |
| หมู | moo | Pork |
| เนื้อ | neau | Beef |
| เป็ด | bped | Duck |
| ไข่ | kai | Eggs |
| ก๋วยเตี๋ยว | gooay dteeo | Noodles |
| กุ้ง | goong | Shrimp |
| ปลา | pla | Fish |
| อาหารทะเล | ahaan talay | Seafood |
| ปลาหมึก | pla meuk | Squid |
| หอย | hoi | Shellfish |
| น้ำเปล่า | nam plao | Water |
| น้ำแข็ง | nam kang | ice |
| ร้อน | ron | hot |
| พริก | prik | chilies |
| เผ็ด | ped | spicy |
| เผ็ดมาก | ped mak | very spicy |
| เผ็ดนิดหน่อย | ped nid noi | a little bit spicy |
| ไม่เผ็ด | mai ped | not spicy |
| ผัด | pad | stir-Fry |
| ต้ม | tom | soup |
| แกง | gaeng | curry |
| นึ่ง | neung | steamed |
| ทอด | tod | deep-fried |
| ย่าง | yang | grilled |
| เต้าหู้ | taohu | tofu |
| ผัก | pak | vegetables |
| ถั่ว | tua | nuts |
| ถั่วลิสง | tualisong | peanuts |
| มังสวิรัติ | mangsawirat | vegetarian |
| เจ | Jay | vegan |
| ช้อน | chawn | spoon |
| ส้อม | sawm | fork |
| มีด | mid | knife |
| จาน | jaan | plate |
| ถ้วย | thuay | cup |
| แก้ว | gaew | glass |
| ชาม | chaam | bowl |
| ตะเกียบ | tagieb | chopsticks |
| เขียง | khieng | cutting board |
| หม้อหุงข้าว | maw hoong khao | rice cooker |
| กะทะ | gath | frying pan |
| เตา | tao | stove |
| ต้ม | tom | to boil |
| ปิ้ง | phing | to grill |
| สับ | sap | to chop |
| ทำอาหาร | tamahan | to cook |
| ตัด | tad | to cut |
| ทอด | toot | to fry |
| หมัก | hmak | to marinate |
| ผสม | pasom | to mix |
| ลอก | lok | to peel |
| แล่ | lae | to slice |
| ห่อ | ho | to wrap |
| ถั่วงอก | thawngxk | bean sprouts |
| เนย | noei | butter |
| น้ำปลา | nam pla | fish sauce |
| มะนาว | manaw | lime |
| หัวหอมใหญ่ | hoom | onion |
| ข้าว | khao | rice |
How Do You Say Pad Thai In Thai?
The Thai word for Pad Thai is ผัดไทย (phàt thay).
Other Vocabulary For Pad Thai in Thai
Now that you know how to say ‘Pad Thai’ in Thai, you can try practicing talking about Pad Thai in Thai with these example sentences.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pad Thai
What Is An Interesting Fact About Pad Thai?
What’s the back story? Siam was renamed Thailand in 1939 and soon after a competition was run to create a “national dish”. Pad Thai was the dish picked by Prime Minister Phibun, partly because the noodles made it a thrifty (and filling) choice during those tough World War II years.
What Makes Pad Thai Famous?
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. It is a dish that hits all the flavorful notes – sour, sweet, bitter, salty and umami.
Why Do People Love Pad Thai?
The important sourness aside, there are two other vital tastes of Pad Thai: salty and sweet. The saltiness results from fish sauce – a potent ingredient that needs to be used sparingly, since radish and dried shrimp are already salty – and the sweetness comes from coconut sugar, toddy palm, or sugar cane.
Want To Cook Some Pad Thai?
In conclusion, Pad Thai is a delicious and popular Thai dish enjoyed by many people around the world. Its unique flavors and combination of ingredients make it a favorite for both locals and tourists. Whether you cook it at home or enjoy it at a restaurant, Pad Thai is sure to satisfy your taste buds and leave you wanting more. Enjoy this tasty treat and experience the wonderful flavors of Thai cuisine!
