Many Thai restaurants in the US serve Pad Thai, which is their most popular dish. But what is it? We’ll tell you about the most prevalent ingredients in this popular Thai cuisine.
What is Pad Thai?
Pad Thai is a famous cuisine that means “Thai stir-fry.” It is made with rice noodles, eggs, tofu, and meat, and it is served with a sweet-sour-salty and mildly spicy sauce. Peanuts, fresh veggies, and cilantro are sometimes given on the side.
Dried prawns and fish sauce are common ingredients in the sauce, but you can’t really taste them. This dish might not sound like anything you’d often eat, but the result is a delicious noodle meal that’s as good as they come.
Anyone who likes Thai food will know the name Pad Thai. This simple meal has long been a sign of the Land of Smiles’ rich and refined food culture. It’s not simply a narrative about a tasty dish; it’s also a tribute to the Thai people’s creativity and pride in their country.
As Thailand modernised in the late 1930s, Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram (commonly known as Phibun) wanted to make a national dish that would show off the country’s culture.
He set up a cooking contest and told chefs to use local ingredients to make new meals. Pad Thai came out of that contest, which was a big moment in the history of Thai food. To get to know this addictive cuisine better, let’s look at the noodles, sauce, protein, and toppings that make up it.
The Noodles— What Type of Noodles Are Used in Pad Thai?
There are various ways to make pad Thai, but they all have rice noodles in common. Rice noodles are made from rice flour, water, and salt. They soak up the strong flavours of pad Thai quite well.
Asian cuisines employ a lot of different kinds of rice noodles. The kind that is most typically used for pad Thai is called rice stick or pad Thai noodle. It looks a lot like fettuccine.
The Sauce: What is in Pad Thai Sauce?
There are frequently some combinations of the following in Pad Thai sauce:
- Sauce with chilli and garlic
- Tamarind paste or juice from a lime
- Sugar from palm trees or cane
- Dried prawns and/or fish sauce
- Shallots or garlic
- Stock and tomato sauce or ketchup are less prevalent.
Chilli Garlic Sauce: This is a brilliant red purée of chiles and garlic that is necessary for pad Thai. It’s like Tabasco for Asians: a little goes a long way. Sambal oelek is a sort of Indonesian chilli garlic sauce that is a little spicier than the Chinese kind.
Lime juice or tamarind paste: Tamarind is a common ingredient in Thai food. It gives the meal its sour taste and has a flavour that is similar to raisins and lemon. Tamarind concentrate or paste should be pure (although keep in mind that the black, syrupy pastes are more stronger than tamarind concentrate and need to be mixed with water). Or, use lime juice instead.
Fish sauce is created from fermented anchovies. It is a thin, dark sauce with a lot of flavour that is used to season food. If you use it right, you won’t taste any fish.
Tomatoes aren’t a traditional part of pad Thai, but they are often used in American variations.
The Protein – Is Pad Thai Vegetarian?
Shrimp is the most common protein used in pad Thai, but pig, chicken and beef are also good choices.
Usually, the basic stir-fry includes eggs and tofu.
Even without meat, this dish is typically not vegetarian because it uses fish sauce and/or dried prawns to make the sauce.
The Toppings – Does Pad Thai Contain Peanuts?
Cooks usually place these common toppings on the dish, use them as a garnish, or serve them separately on the side:
- Peanuts
- Mung bean sprouts
- Fresh carrots and red cabbage (sometimes stir-fried)
- Fresh scallions, spring onions or garlic chives
- Cilantro
- Lime wedges
- Chili garlic sauce
Less-common toppings include pickled radishes or turnips and raw banana flowers or leaves.
How to make Pad Thai at home?
Pre-processing the ingredients
- Soak the noodles in cold water for 15 minutes to make them softer.
- Clean the chicken breast, cut it into thin slices, and let it drain. Wash, peel, and drain the prawns.
- Cut the tofu into square pieces.
- Peel the garlic and cut it into little pieces. Clean the scallions and chop them up very small. Cut the chives into 5 cm pieces and wash them. Rinse and dry the bean sprouts.
- Roast peanuts with some salt until they are crispy, then peel and crush them.
How to create the sauce?
Blend Mix together 2 tablespoons of tamarind vinegar, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, ½ teaspoon of chilli powder, ½ teaspoon of crushed pepper, and 2 tablespoons of chilli paste until the spices are dissolved.
Stir-fry Pad Thai
Put some oil in a skillet on the stove and heat it up. Then, add the garlic and cook it until it smells good. Cook the chicken breast and prawns in the skillet, stir-frying constantly until done. Then, mix in the tofu and noodles.
Next, add the two eggs and mix well. Add the sauce and whisk briskly after the eggs have set. Put the chicken broth in the pan and keep stirring until the liquid is gone. Last, add the bean sprouts and chives, mix once more, and turn off the heat.
How to Eat Pad Thai Properly?
Do not serve with white rice or curry. Thai people typically don’t eat Pad Thai Shrimp with white rice or curry dishes. Locals usually serve Pad Thai as the main entry of the meal. Accessories Included :
- Besides beans and chives, you can also eat with banana blossoms.
- Add lemon juice to enhance the sourness of the dish.
Customize Your Taste :
When enjoying, you can add condiments such as dried chili peppers or fish sauce to adjust it to your personal taste.
With the above suggestions, we hope you will fully enjoy Pad Thai and provide a wonderful culinary experience for your family and friends. We wish you success in preparing and enjoying this dish!
Read More: S1 Pad Thai
CONTACT – PHO L’AMOUR CAFE
➢ Pho L’amour Cafe – one of the greatest Asian restaurant in Milwaukee, where specializing in selling Asian, Vietnamese foods, especially the best pho in Milwaukee.
Website : https://pholamourcafe.com
Address: 16960 W. Greenfield Ave suite 2 Brookfield WI 53005
Open: 10:30 – 20:30
Hotline: 2622028018 or 4142490402 (Whatsap- Viber)
