Pad Thai

This is a family recipe, so it may not be accurate. It is still delicious, though.
Ingredients
- ½ pound (225 g) rice noodles
- ¼ cup (60 ml) fish sauce
- 3+ tablespoons (50 ml) white vinegar (or rice vinegar)
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon (75 ml) tamarind juice
- ¼ cup and 1 tablespoon (75 ml) palm sugar (or granulated sugar)
- 4 tablespoons (60 ml) vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) dried red chili pepper flakes (or to taste)
- ½ pound (225 g) of shrimp, tofu, chicken, squid, or beef (or a combination thereof)
- Assorted vegetables (e.g., shredded carrots, white onions, red or green peppers)
- 2 eggs
- 4 chopped green onions
- ¾ pound (340 g) bean sprouts
- ¾ cup (175 ml) chopped unroasted peanuts
Optional
- Wedge of lime (garnish)
- Cilantro (coriander) leaves (garnish)
Steps
- Soak noodles in warm water about 20 minutes, then strain. Alternatively, pour boiling water over noodles and sit 7 minutes.
- Mix fish sauce, vinegar, sugar and tamarind juice in a small bowl.
- Heat vegetable oil in a wok on high. Brown chopped garlic and chili peppers 1 minute.
- Cook meats/tofu in the oil until browned, 6–8 minutes.
- Add assorted veggies. Cook until tender.
- Add noodles. Crack eggs over noodles, let cook, then mix.
- Add fish sauce mix and mix. Turn heat to medium.
- Add chopped green onions and bean sprouts. Stir fry 2 more minutes.
- Serve on a large plate or bowl. Garnish with chopped peanuts and, optionally, chopped cilantro or coriander and a lime wedge.
Notes from the original
- A squirt of ketchup can be used instead of tamarind for a quick-and-easy variation.
- If you can only find tamarind paste rather than tamarind juice, you can combine 25 ml (5 teaspoons) paste with 50 ml (3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon) water (for unsweetened paste) or with 35 ml (2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon) water + 15 ml (1 tablespoon) lime juice or lemon juice (for sweetened paste) to make "reconstituted" tamarind juice.
- Chop cilantro/coriander and mix it with the noodles and other ingredients at the last minute. Take care not to overcook it, or it will become slimy.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:Pad Thai” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2025-10-17, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo. SamedFEB10 - 102.JPG by Tuxta, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia. Resized; otherwise unchanged.






