Our Ultimate Pad Thai Recipe: Making Authentic Flavours Simple at Home

Do you ever yearn for that perfectly balanced, aromatic plate of Pad Thai from your favourite Thai restaurant, with its delightful mix of noodles, crisp vegetables, and that signature sweet, sour, and savoury taste? Perhaps you’ve dreamt of bringing that culinary magic into your own home but felt a bit daunted by the recipe. We’re here to show you that it’s not only achievable but also immensely satisfying. We have carefully broken down this famous dish into clear, manageable steps, so you can transform your craving into a creation. Prepare to master the art of Pad Thai and delight everyone, yourself included!

Why You’ll Adore This Recipe

• Genuinely Authentic Taste: We avoid shortcuts, using traditional ingredients such as tamarind and fish sauce to craft a sauce that tastes just as it would from a street food vendor in Bangkok.
• Faster Than Ordering In: From preparation to serving, you can have this wonderful meal ready in under 30 minutes, making it the perfect answer for a busy weeknight.
• Wonderfully Customisable: Our recipe serves as an excellent foundation for your own creativity. Whether you lean towards chicken, prawns, tofu, or an abundance of extra veggies, you can easily tweak it to your liking.
• Clear, Simple Guidance: We lead you through every single stage, from soaking the noodles to the final toss in the wok, ensuring your Pad Thai is wonderfully balanced and delicious with every attempt.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp tamarind concentrate (paste)
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 4 tbsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 200g dried flat rice noodles (about 5-7mm wide)
• 2 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 150g firm tofu, pressed and cubed
• 150g boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
• 150g raw king prawns, peeled and deveined
• 2 large eggs
• 100g beansprouts
• 3 spring onions, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
• Fresh coriander, for garnish
• Lime wedges, for garnish
• Dried chilli flakes, for garnish

To ensure a smooth cooking process, we suggest having all your ingredients prepared and ready before you begin. This culinary practice, known as ‘mise en place’, is essential as the stir-frying happens very fast!

For the Pad Thai Sauce:

• 3 tbsp tamarind concentrate (paste)
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 4 tbsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1-2 tbsp water, to thin if needed

For the Stir-Fry:

• 200g dried flat rice noodles (about 5-7mm wide)
• 2 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 150g firm tofu, pressed and cubed
• 150g boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
• 150g raw king prawns, peeled and deveined
• 2 large eggs
• 100g beansprouts
• 3 spring onions, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
• Fresh coriander, lime wedges, and dried chilli flakes, for garnish

Understanding the Key Components of Pad Thai

The real magic of this dish is found in the harmony of its primary elements. When the noodles, sauce, and protein are perfectly balanced, the result is truly exceptional. Grasping these components is the first step in learning how to make Pad Thai to perfection.

The Noodles: Heart of the Dish

The very foundation of a spectacular Pad Thai lies in the noodles. We opt for flat rice noodles, which you can often find labelled as “Pad Thai” or “rice sticks”. The key to achieving perfect authentic pad thai noodles is to soak them in warm water until they become pliable but maintain a firm, al dente-like texture. Boiling them typically results in a sticky, mushy disappointment. The soaking method ensures they can finish cooking in the wok, where they will absorb the rich sauce without disintegrating.

The All-Important Homemade Pad Thai Sauce

This is where all the incredible flavour is created. A truly genuine Pad Thai sauce achieves a delicate balance of four primary tastes: sour, salty, sweet, and a touch of spice.

• Sour: The distinctive tangy and sour note comes from tamarind concentrate. This is a crucial ingredient, well worth finding at an Asian supermarket or a well-stocked grocery store.
• Salty: Fish sauce contributes a deep, savoury, umami quality that is fundamental to Thai cuisine.
• Sweet: To balance the other elements, palm sugar adds a gentle, caramel-like sweetness. Light brown sugar makes a fine substitute if palm sugar is unavailable.

Preparing this sauce in advance allows the flavours to meld together and means you can add it to the hot wok efficiently and evenly.

The Protein: Crafting a Classic Chicken and Shrimp Pad Thai

There’s a good reason why the pairing of chicken and shrimp (or prawns, as we call them) is such a classic. The tender chicken and succulent prawns provide a fantastic combination of texture and flavour. We also incorporate firm tofu, which beautifully absorbs the sauce and introduces another textural layer. The secret is to cook each protein component swiftly over a high heat to keep them tender and prevent them from becoming tough.

Step-by-Step Cooking Guide

Are you ready to begin? Just follow our straightforward steps for a perfect result.

1. Prepare the Noodles and Sauce: Submerge the rice noodles in a large bowl of warm (not boiling) water. Allow them to soak for around 20-30 minutes, or until they are flexible yet still firm to the bite. Drain them thoroughly and set aside. As the noodles soak, whisk all the sauce ingredients—tamarind, fish sauce, palm sugar, and rice vinegar—in a small bowl until the sugar has fully dissolved.
2. Cook the Proteins: In a large wok or frying pan, heat the oil over a medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and stir-fry for about 30 seconds until it becomes aromatic. Add the sliced chicken and continue to stir-fry until it is almost cooked through. Next, add the tofu cubes and prawns, cooking for a further 2-3 minutes until the prawns are pink and opaque.
3. Scramble the Eggs: Move the protein mixture over to one side of the wok. In the cleared space, crack the two eggs and use your spatula to scramble them until they are just cooked. Once done, gently fold them into the rest of the protein mix.
4. Combine Everything: Add the drained noodles to the wok, followed by the prepared Pad Thai sauce. With a pair of tongs, toss everything together constantly for 2-3 minutes. You want to ensure every noodle is coated in the sauce, allowing them to finish cooking and soak up all that wonderful flavour.
5. Add the Finishing Touches: Remove the wok from the heat. Stir in half of the beansprouts, all of the spring onions, and half of the chopped peanuts. Give it a final toss to incorporate these additions. The retained heat will lightly wilt the beansprouts while preserving their crunch.
6. Serve Immediately: Portion the Pad Thai onto plates. Garnish liberally with the remaining beansprouts, chopped peanuts, fresh coriander, and a generous squeeze of juice from the lime wedges. If you enjoy some warmth, add a sprinkle of dried chilli flakes.

Top Tips for the Perfect Pad Thai

• • Don’t Overcrowd the Wok: If you are making a larger quantity, we advise cooking in two separate batches. An overcrowded pan will reduce the temperature, causing the ingredients to steam rather than stir-fry, which can lead to a soggy dish.
  • Prep in Advance: Stir-frying is a very quick cooking method. Ensure all your vegetables are chopped, proteins are sliced, and the sauce is mixed before you even switch on the heat.

–

• Taste and Adjust: The sourness of tamarind paste and the sweetness of palm sugar can vary. We recommend tasting the sauce before adding it to the wok and making any necessary adjustments. It should taste a little potent on its own, as the flavour will be mellowed by the noodles and other ingredients.
• High Heat is Your Friend: Using a very hot wok is vital for achieving that subtle smoky flavour (known as ‘wok hei’) and for cooking everything quickly, preventing it from becoming waterlogged.

Serving and Pairing Suggestions

While Pad Thai is a wonderfully complete meal on its own, for a truly impressive Thai feast, we enjoy serving it with a vibrant, zesty salad. It complements our Tangy and Refreshing Green Papaya Salad Recipe (Som Tam) perfectly, as the salad offers a cool, crisp counterpoint to the warm noodles. The peanut flavour is so essential to Pad Thai, and if you’re a fan, you are sure to love our Crunchy Asian Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing as well.

FAQ

Bringing Thailand to Your Table

And there you have it—our comprehensive guide to creating a truly authentic and delicious Pad Thai from the comfort of your kitchen. By concentrating on a well-crafted sauce and employing the correct techniques, you can elevate your home cooking beyond takeaways and truly master this treasured Thai classic. The wonderful medley of textures and the vibrant burst of sweet, sour, and savoury notes make it a dish you’ll find yourself returning to time and again.

Why not give this easy Thai noodle dish a go this week and whisk your senses away to the lively streets of Thailand? We would be thrilled to see your results! Please share your thoughts in the comments below and tell us if you put your own special spin on it.

Recipe Card

Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp tamarind concentrate (paste)
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 4 tbsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 200g dried flat rice noodles (about 5-7mm wide)
• 2 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 150g firm tofu, pressed and cubed
• 150g boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
• 150g raw king prawns, peeled and deveined
• 2 large eggs
• 100g beansprouts
• 3 spring onions, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
• Fresh coriander, for garnish
• Lime wedges, for garnish
• Dried chilli flakes, for garnish

Instructions

1. Prepare the Noodles and Sauce: Submerge the rice noodles in a large bowl of warm (not boiling) water. Allow them to soak for around 20-30 minutes, or until they are flexible yet still firm to the bite. Drain them thoroughly and set aside. As the noodles soak, whisk all the sauce ingredients—tamarind, fish sauce, palm sugar, and rice vinegar—in a small bowl until the sugar has fully dissolved.
2. Cook the Proteins: In a large wok or frying pan, heat the oil over a medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and stir-fry for about 30 seconds until it becomes aromatic. Add the sliced chicken and continue to stir-fry until it is almost cooked through. Next, add the tofu cubes and prawns, cooking for a further 2-3 minutes until the prawns are pink and opaque.
3. Scramble the Eggs: Move the protein mixture over to one side of the wok. In the cleared space, crack the two eggs and use your spatula to scramble them until they are just cooked. Once done, gently fold them into the rest of the protein mix.
4. Combine Everything: Add the drained noodles to the wok, followed by the prepared Pad Thai sauce. With a pair of tongs, toss everything together constantly for 2-3 minutes. You want to ensure every noodle is coated in the sauce, allowing them to finish cooking and soak up all that wonderful flavour.
5. Add the Finishing Touches: Remove the wok from the heat. Stir in half of the beansprouts, all of the spring onions, and half of the chopped peanuts. Give it a final toss to incorporate these additions. The retained heat will lightly wilt the beansprouts while preserving their crunch.
6. Serve Immediately: Portion the Pad Thai onto plates. Garnish liberally with the remaining beansprouts, chopped peanuts, fresh coriander, and a generous squeeze of juice from the lime wedges. If you enjoy some warmth, add a sprinkle of dried chilli flakes.

Nutrition (per serving): Nutrition information not provided in the article.