Pad Thai

 

How To Make Pad Thai

INGREDIENTS

• Rice Noodles: Rice noodles are traditional for pad Thai, but not all are created equal. You’re looking for thin, flat rice noodles that aren’t too thick, preferably made in Thailand—dried is more readily available, but fresh works too.
• Peanut Oil: A standard for stir-fries the world over, peanut oil adds a tinge of nutty flavor and has a high smoke point. If you don’t have any peanut oil on hand, feel free to swap in another neutral oil, like canola oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil, or safflower oil.
• Shrimp: Medium, savory-sweet shrimp are my favorite to pair with the tangy, umami flavor bomb that is pad Thai. That being said, feel free to swap in your favorite protein—chicken, tofu, or stir-fried vegetables would also be great here.
• Eggs: Scrambled eggs add even more savory richness to this dish that’s equal parts salty, fatty, acidic, and spicy. Not in the mood for eggs (or making a vegan version)? Feel free to skip the eggs.
• Tamarind Puree: This sour, sweet, and tangy fruit is the most important ingredient for achieving that true pad Thai flavor. For this version, we opted for tamarind puree, but tamarind paste will work too (make sure it's a product of Thailand rather than India). If you opt for the latter, you’ll need to separate the paste from the seeds by first soaking the block in warm water, then use your fingers to remove the seeds.
• Palm Sugar: Similar to coconut sugar and jaggery, palm sugar is an unrefined sugar with a slightly floral, rich caramel flavor that adds distinct flavor to pad Thai. It usually comes in a hard, solid block or disc that can seem intimidating. Simply use your box grater, microplane, or a mortar and pestle to get it to a more manageable, granulated consistency. Can’t find palm sugar? Try light brown sugar instead.
• Thai Fish Sauce: Also called nam pla, Thai fish sauce is what provides the salty, rich umami flavor to pad Thai. Though fish sauce is fairly easy to find in the supermarket (technically even Worcestershire sauce counts!), for this recipe, you’ll want to source an option that says “product of Thailand.”
• Bean Sprouts: Also known as mung bean sprouts, bean sprouts add a bit of crunchy, fresh vegetal flavor that helps balance out all of the more pungent ingredients.
• Lime Juice: The best pad Thais have plenty of acidity to them, which lime juice delivers in spades—be sure to have plenty of limes on hand for mixing the sauce and for squeezing with wedges when serving.
• Garlic & Shallots: Our so-called Allium Alliance, garlic and shallots key for building a foundation for our pad Thai, with garlic adding a bit of savory bite, while shallots add a mellow sweetness.
• Cayenne Pepper: Thai food utilizes many kinds of pepper for adding heat, but often they can be tricky to find at the store. I’ve found that using the readily available earthy, fruity pepper like cayenne pepper more than does the trick for pad Thai.
• Peanuts: Adding a bit of crunch and fattiness, peanuts also help to neutralize spice if you accidentally go overboard with the cayenne pepper.
• Scallions: Also labeled as green onions, scallions, when stir-fried are maybe my favorite part of pad Thai. They lend a mellow savory onion flavor and slight crunch.