Thai · medium
Pad Thai
Thailand’s beloved street-food classic: chewy rice noodles wok-tossed with tamarind, fish sauce, shrimp, egg, crunchy peanuts, and bright lime.
Steps
- 01
Soak rice noodles in room-temperature water until pliable but still firm, 20–30 minutes. Drain well.
~25 min
- 02
Whisk tamarind paste, fish sauce, and palm sugar with 2 tbsp water until the sugar dissolves. Taste for a balance of sour, salty, and sweet.
~5 min
- 03
Heat a wok over high heat with oil. Stir-fry shrimp and tofu until shrimp turn pink. Push to one side.
~3 min
- 04
Add garlic and shallot, then crack in the eggs. Scramble briefly until just set.
~2 min
- 05
Add drained noodles and the sauce. Toss vigorously so every strand is coated and the noodles soften in the sauce.
~3 min
- 06
Toss in most of the bean sprouts and chives for the final 30 seconds—they should stay crisp.
~1 min
- 07
Plate immediately. Top with crushed peanuts, remaining sprouts, and lime wedges. Serve hot.
~1 min
Tips
- Undersoak the noodles slightly; they finish cooking in the wok and stay chewy instead of mushy.
- Work fast over high heat—pad Thai is a street-food stir-fry, not a slow sauté.
- Adjust the sauce before it hits the pan: more tamarind for sour, palm sugar for sweetness, fish sauce for salt.