Pad Thai Easy Recipe - Foxy Folksy (2024)

FAQs

What is Pad Thai sauce made of? ›

Pad Thai Sauce is made with fish sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar and tamarind. Tamarind is the ingredient that is the heart and soul of Pad Thai sauce, giving the sauce the sour flavour that Pad Thai is known for. It's an ingredient used in South East Asian cooking, like this Malaysian Beef Rendang.

TAMARIND SUBSTITUTION

Although ketchup is a common replacement for tamarind paste, we prefer this tasty mixture: 1/4 cup (50 mL) tomato paste, 2 tbsp (30 mL) rice vinegar or freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice, 2 tbsp (30 mL) Worcestershire, 2 garlic cloves, minced, 1 tbsp (15 mL) brown sugar and 1 tbsp (15 mL) water.

It can definitely be a part of a balanced, well-rounded diet. While pad thai includes many nutritious ingredients, its sodium content is considerably high. You can reduce its sodium by requesting the eatery go easy on the sauce and salt-contributing condiments.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water until smooth to make a slurry (see note). Whisk the slurry into the tamarind sauce and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, whisking continuously, for 2 minutes. As the cornstarch cooks, it will thicken up the sauce.

You've probably had pad thai in your local restaurant, but what you had may not be anything like the authentic version. First, it should not have ketchup or any tomato product in it. Second, it should not be syrupy sweet. And finally, it shouldn't be just a heavy, soggy clump of noodles with bits of green onions.

Why is Pad Thai pink? The thing that has turned rice noodle into pink colour is a tamarind sauce and fish sauce that commonly use when cooke Pad Thai. So basically Tamarind sauces add to give a hint of sour and sweet.

In This Recipe

Our authentic Pad Thai Sauce contains real tamarind, the Asian fruit that gives Pad Thai its unique flavor.

Although both dishes are stir fried noodles, they are different in the aspect of taste. Pad thai is made from stir fried rice noodles while Chow Mein is made from stir fried noodles. Pad Thai is a common street food cuisine of Thailand, for which there is only one version available.

Lemon for 'Pad Thai' is still alright if lime is not available. Lime works better to balance the salty (soy and fish sauce) in the dish.

Pad Thai – Sigh…

everyone's favorite dish is probably the worst offender on the Thai restaurant menu. This tasty stir fried noodle dish can pack 700 – 1400 categories in a restaurant serving. The extra calories come from the fact that this dish is made primarily of rice noodles that are then stir fried in oil.

What is unhealthy in Thai food? ›

Thai dishes to limit

These include fried foods and meals that are high in sugar and sodium. Thai menus also include some less healthy options, like fried appetizers and drinks made with added sugars.

Stir Fried Noodle and rice dishes: Most stir-fried noodle and rice dishes contain oil and simple carbohydrates which are bad for weight loss. And sorry for Pad Thai lovers, you have to cross it out from your favorite Thai food while trying to manage your weight loss diet.

Overcooked noodles are too soft...too soft noodles break into bits. This is why I stress so much that you should only cook pad thai in batches of 2 servings, and the most delicate fresh noodles should be cooked ONE portion at a time.

What's the secret to an authentic Pad Thai? When it's sold in restaurants outside Thailand, the noodles are sometimes bright orange – that's because sauces or spices, like paprika, have been used instead of tamarind. Authentic Pad Thai is a light reddish-brown colour.

To prevent noodles from soggy, I will be soaking the rice noodles in warm water first for 5 minutes while preparing the other ingredients. It will allow the noodle to cook faster by pre-soaking the noodle, which prevents it from getting soggy for those that like spicy, drizzle sriracha sauce all over the noodles.

The blend of sweet, salty, umami and (tamarind) sour. Sweet, but not too sweet because, in the original receipt, palm sugar is mostly used. The characteristic of palm sugar is that it's not as sweet as fine cane sugar and it also has the unique aromatic odour. I give it 50% of the taste in Pad Thai sauce.

Pad Thais can be both sour and sweet, depending on the region they're made in and who is making the dish! Generally, in Thailand, pad thai will include ingredients like dried shrimp and fish sauce which lends tangy umami to the overall dish.

Pad Thai Adaptations

But the backbone of the dish remains the same – rice noodle, eggs, tofu and dried shrimps. As for the all-important sauce, it consists of a balanced nuance of three tastes: saltiness from either fish sauce or soy sauce, sweetness from palm sugar, and sourness from tamarind juice.

When it's sold in restaurants outside Thailand, the noodles are sometimes bright orange – that's because sauces or spices, like paprika, have been used instead of tamarind. Authentic Pad Thai is a light reddish-brown colour.