Pad Thai is known as being one of Thailand’s most iconic dishes, and it has become a staple meal in homes all over the world. People enjoy Pad Thai for its delicious balance of flavours,

Pad Thai is known as being one of Thailand’s most iconic dishes, and it has become a staple meal in homes all over the world. People enjoy Pad Thai for its delicious balance of flavours, its rich tangy sauce, and its simplicity to make. However, if you’re new to cooking Pad Thai, perhaps you might be unsure of the ingredients or how to make it properly for an authentic Thai experience. In this post, we help master the art of making Pad Thai, sharing the essential ingredients, our recipe, and cooking tips for how to make it perfectly.

What Ingredients Make a Pad Thai?

To make a flavourful Pad Thai, you need to know all of the ingredients so you are prepped and ready to start cooking. These ingredients and seasonings combined together to creade Pad Thai’s signature sweet, salty, sour, and spicy flavour profile.  Here is a list of key ingredients to make a Pad Thai and we stock the majority of these at Thai Food Direct:

• Rice noodles
• Protein source (chicken, shrimp, or tofu)
• Eggs
• Garlic, spring onions, bean sprouts, onions, peppers
• Tamarind paste
• Fish sauce
• Palm sugar
• Chilli paste or fresh chillies
• Optional - lime wedges, peanuts

Pad Thai typically takes around 20-30 minutes to cook, with some prep time needed beforehand for the noodles, making it a fairly quick dish to put together. Below, we share an authentic Pad Thai recipe, that’s simple and quick to make:

Prepare the Noodles and Sauce

Start off by first soaking the rice noodles in a bowl of warm water for around 20-30 minutes. Do this until they become soft, but still firm to the bite, as you want them to hold up well during stir frying. Once ready, drain the noodles and set them aside for when it’s time to add them into the pan towards the end of the process.

To make the sauce, combine tamarind paste, fish sauce, palm sugar, and chilli paste (if you like some added spice ) in a small bowl, along with a little water. Make sure the balance of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy is just right for your taste, and remember that you can always add more but it’s challenging to take away flavours.

Cook the Protein and Vegetables

The next step is to cook the protein source and vegetables. People tend to opt for chicken, shrimp, tofu, or a combination of a few protein sources. Slice it into bite sized pieces, heat some oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium high heat, and cook it until it’s brown or golden. Once cooked, remove it from the pan and set it aside to add back in later.

In the same pan, stir fry the vegetables, adding a little more oil and vegetables like garlic, bean sprouts, carrots, peppers, and spring onions. Cook them for a couple of minutes until they’ve softened but are still slightly crisp, ensuring that they don’t go soggy or mushy.

Combine and Serve

Next, add the noodles back into the pan alongside your protein source, and pour the sauce over the top. Ensure to mix everything together well so that it’s fully coated in the sauce. Then, push everything to one side of the pan, and crack an egg into the empty side. Scramble the egg and let it cook, and then mix it through the rest of the ingredients in the pan.

Once finished, put the Pad Thai into a bowl, and garnish with a lime wedge, some crushed peanuts, and fresh coriander on top - and enjoy!

Tips for Cooking Pad Thai

Whilst Pad Thai is generally quite straightforward to make, there are some steps you can follow to make it even better. Below, we share some tips for cooking Pad Thai:

Use High Quality Ingredients

The ingredients used can make all the difference, so it’s vital to choose high quality, authentic Thai ingredients. Be sure to use Thai rice noodles, as they provide the ideal texture for stir frying and are best for absorbing flavours. Additionally, try to use fresh vegetables, as they will also add plenty of flavour and texture to the dish.

Perfect Stir Fry Technique

It’s also important to perfect the stir frying technique when making Pad Thai. Keep all the ingredients moving in the pan to avoid burning and ensure they’re evenly coated in the sauce. Be sure not to overcrowd the pan with ingredients, as this will help to achieve even frying and prevent the noodles from becoming soggy.

Get the Flavour Balance Right

The ideal Pad Thai combines four main flavour elements: sweet, salty, sour, and spicy. Be sure to balance your use of tamarind paste, fish sauce, palm sugar, and chilli. You don’t want any one flavour to overwhelm the others, allowing each to equally enhance the overall dish.

Buy Pad Thai Ingreditents at Thai Food Direct

Here at Thai Food Direct, we stock authentic ingredients delivered straight from Thailand. We offer a wide range of produce for making a traditional Pad Thai, including noodles, fresh vegetables, sauces, and seasoning powders. We also stock protein sources with both frozen meats and seafood, as well as tofu and other ingredients including peanuts and chilli. We also provide quick shipping and delivery across the UK.