Classic Pad Thai

You might be thinking, “a Pad Thai recipe? Right before Easter?” But who is having a regular Easter anyway with current events? Plus you don’t have to make it tomorrow. But whether you are alone or with family or roommates, planning on cooking a whole spread or just having something simple, I hope you are still able to remember the reason for this Holiday and enjoy your Easter Sunday.

 

In the past when I have made Pad Thai, I haven’t wanted to go out and buy the authentic ingredients; specifically fish sauce and tamarind paste. But this time around I was determined to make a more authentic Pad Thai. One that would hopefully win the approval of this guy.

Hopefully my Pad Thai is better than Gordon Ramsey’s and won’t get that reaction 🤣

Either way, Pad Thai is actually pretty simple to make and though I have been too lazy in the past to go out and get fish sauce and tamarind paste, they weren’t hard to find once I looked for them. There are a lot of different flavors and textures in Pad Thai, yet they come together beautifully; the sweetness from the sugar and the sourness from the tamarind paste, the range from soft to firm from the noodles, tofu and chicken, then finally the crunch of the bean sprouts and the peanuts. So much deliciousness in one pan!

Yeah you can make a version of this with lemon juice instead of tamarind paste or replace some other ingredients but please try to get all the ingredients at some point. There is one thing I must warn you about though; it did not smell like it tasted. I’m assuming it was the tamarind paste but that smell was not cute. It just sat in the air for more than a day. It was still worth it though so I hope you give this recipe a shot.

Classic Pad Thai

This recipe yields about 8 servings

• 1 lb wide rice noodle
• ½ cup palm sugar or raw sugar
• ½ cup fish sauce
• ½ cup tamarind paste
• 2-3 tablespoon oil
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut
• Salt to taste
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 shallots, minced
• 2 egg
• 8 oz tofu, cubed, optional
• 1 bunch green onion, sliced, plus more for serving
• 1 cup bean sprout, plus more for serving
• lime, for serving
• crushed peanuts, for serving

Method

Cook rice noodles according to package instructions and set aside.

Whisk together palm/raw sugar, tamarind paste and fish sauce in a small pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and let it reduce for about 5 minutes or until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together palm sugar, tamarind paste, and fish sauce. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let it thicken for about 5 minutes or until the sauce coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove sauce from heat and set aside.

Heat a large pan or wok over high heat then add oil. If using tofu, fry it until lightly browned then remove and set aside. You might want to add some more oil afterwards then add the chicken and salt to taste. When chicken is almost completely cooked, add garlic and shallots and stir for about a minute. Move the chicken aside and add in eggs then stir them to scramble until cooked.

Add your cooked and strained rice noodles to the pan and stir. Then mix in the reduced sauce until everything is incorporated. Add the tofu, green onions and bean sprouts. Stir until evenly mixed then remove the pan from the heat. Serve with lime and crushed peanuts if desired, and enjoy!