Easy Authentic Pad Thai Recipe

Today, let’s make authentic Pad Thai. Because of the word “authentic”, some of you might think “It’s not gonna be easy today.” But don’t worry about it! As always, with me, it will be ridiculously easy, so buckle up!

PAD THAI (2 servings)

Ingredients:

• 4.2 oz (120g) rice noodles
• 2-3 shallots
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 oz (30g) garlic chives (or green onion)
• 1/4 cup (36g) roasted peanuts
• 2 tbsp dried shrimp
• 3 pieces Thai pickled radish (or Korean/Japanese pickled radish), about 1 oz (30g) in total
• 4 tbsp neutral-tasting oil, plus more if needed
• 6 fresh/frozen shrimp (or chicken, beef, pork, extra firm tofu)
• 2 large eggs
• 4.2 oz (120g) mung bean sprouts, plus more to garnish

Pad Thai Sauce:

• 1.8 oz (50g) tamarind
• 1/4 cup (60ml) hot water
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 tbsp palm sugar
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 3 tbsp water
• 1/2 tbsp sriracha (or sweet paprika, for color)

To Serve:

• Chili flakes
• Lime wedges

Instructions:

PREP INGREDIENTS

1. Soak the noodles in water for about 1 hour.

2. Make the sauce: In a small container, mix the tamarind with 1/4 cup (60ml) of hot water. Once it turns into a paste, pour it into a fine sieve and strain all the liquid out of the solids. To that, add the fish sauce, palm sugar, oyster sauce, water, and sriracha (or paprika). Stir together.

3. Thinly slice the shallots. Finely chop the garlic cloves. Cut the garlic chives into long strips.

4. Add the peanuts to a ziplock bag. Using a saucepan, press to break them down a little bit.

5. To a blender, add the dried shrimp. Blend until they become powder.

6. Finely chop the pickled radish and pat them dry. (FYI, I couldn’t get Thai-style pickled radish, so I used Korean-style pickled radish as a substitute.)

COOK SHRIMP

1. Peel and devein the shrimp. Pat dry with paper towel.

2. In a wok, heat the oil (2 tbsp) over medium-high heat. Once it’s nice and hot, add the shrimp and a pinch of salt. Get a nice sear on them. Once they’re cooked through but not rubbery, remove from the wok and set aside. 

MAKE PAD THAI

NOTE:

• If you cook more than 2 servings, I would recommend working in batches to avoid overcrowding.

1. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the oil (2 tbsp) and the dried shrimp. Give it a few stirs. Add the garlic, shallots, and pickled radish. Saute for 1 minute or until the garlic starts to brown.

2. Increase the heat to high. Add the drained noodles and the pad thai sauce. Toss everything together for 2 minutes or until the noodles are cooked through. Add more water (1-2 tbsp) if needed.

3. Once the noodles are cooked to your liking, push all your noodles to one side. Into that empty space, add a splash of oil and crack the eggs. Break the yolks and put the noodles on top of your eggs. Let sit for 30 seconds. Stir-fry it all together for 1 minute.

4. Reduce the heat to low. Add the rest of the ingredients: mung bean sprouts, garlic chives, and half of the peanuts. Give it a final mix. Divide into serving plates.

5. To serve, add some fresh mung bean sprouts, peanuts, chili flakes, and a lime wedge. Garnish with garlic chives. Enjoy~!

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