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How to Make Pad Thai at Home

Name: How to Make Pad Thai at Home
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 8 oz dried rice stick noodles; 3 tbsp fish sauce; 3 tbsp tamarind paste; 2 tbsp palm sugar; 1 tbsp rice vinegar; 2 tbsp oil; 2 eggs; 2 cloves garlic; 1 cup bean sprouts; 3 green onions; to taste crushed peanuts; to taste lime wedges; to taste chili flakes

Pad Thai comes together in minutes once your ingredients are prepped. The key is having everything measured and ready before you heat the wok. Rice noodles get soaked until tender, then tossed with a sweet-sour-salty sauce, scrambled eggs, and your choice of protein. High heat and constant movement create those signature slightly charred edges.

Total time: 1 hr
Hands-on: 20 min
Serves: 2
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

8 oz dried rice stick noodles
3 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tbsp palm sugar
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp oil
2 eggs
2 cloves garlic
1 cup bean sprouts
3 green onions
to taste crushed peanuts
to taste lime wedges
to taste chili flakes

Step by step

Soak the rice noodles. Put 8 oz of dried rice stick noodles in warm water for 30-45 minutes until they bend easily but still have bite. They'll finish cooking in the wok.
Make the sauce. Whisk together 3 tablespoons fish sauce, 3 tablespoons tamarind paste, 2 tablespoons palm sugar, and 1 tablespoon rice vinegar. Taste and adjust - you want sweet, sour, and salty in balance.
Prep your mise en place. Have everything ready: drained noodles, sauce, 2 beaten eggs, your protein of choice, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 cup bean sprouts, 3 chopped green onions, crushed peanuts, and lime wedges.
Heat the wok. Get your wok screaming hot over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil and swirl to coat. The oil should shimmer and almost smoke.
Cook the protein. Add shrimp, chicken, or tofu and cook until just done. Push to one side of the wok and keep the heat high.
Scramble the eggs. Pour beaten eggs into the empty side of the wok. Let them set for 10 seconds, then scramble. Mix with the protein.
Add aromatics. Push everything to one side again. Add garlic to the empty spot and stir for 10 seconds until fragrant.
Toss with noodles and sauce. Add drained noodles and sauce. Toss everything together for 2-3 minutes until noodles are tender and slightly charred in spots.
Finish and serve. Add bean sprouts and green onions. Toss for 30 seconds until sprouts are just warmed. Serve immediately with crushed peanuts, lime wedges, and chili flakes.

Tips & troubleshooting

Never rinse the soaked noodles with cold water - you want them slightly sticky for the sauce to cling
Keep the heat high throughout cooking. Pad Thai should have some charred edges and wok hei
If your wok isn't big enough, cook in two batches rather than crowding
Palm sugar gives the best flavor, but brown sugar works in a pinch
Real tamarind paste is worth finding - it has complexity that vinegar alone can't match

Variations

Vegetarian Pad Thai. Use firm tofu and replace fish sauce with soy sauce mixed with a pinch of seaweed powder for umami depth.
Pad Thai with Chicken. Cut chicken thigh into bite-sized pieces and cook until golden before adding eggs.
Shrimp Pad Thai. Use large shrimp, peeled and deveined. Cook just until pink and curled.
Bangkok Street Style. Add preserved radish and dried shrimp for authentic funk. Use more tamarind for extra tang.

Questions

Why do my noodles turn mushy?: You're either soaking them too long or cooking them too long in the wok. They should still have bite when you add them to the pan.
Can I make pad thai without tamarind?: You can substitute with lime juice mixed with a little brown sugar, but the flavor won't be quite the same. Tamarind has a unique sweet-sour complexity.
What if I don't have a wok?: Use the largest skillet you have and cook in smaller batches. The key is maintaining high heat and not crowding the pan.
How do I know when the noodles are ready?: They should be tender but still have some chew, and parts of them should have slight char marks from the hot wok.