What is Pad Thai?
Pad thai, literally "Thai style frying," is a Thai noodle dish made from stir fried rice noodles with ingredients including egg, peanuts, shallots, sprouts, tofu, and a choice of meat. It is one of the most well known Thai dishes, and can be found at Thai restaurants all over the world. In Thailand, pad thai is readily available at roadside stands and in casual dining establishments. Pad thai has a lot of ingredients which come together in a symphony of hot, sweet, sour, and salty: the four cornerstones of Thai cuisine.
Pad thai is stir fried in a wok or heavy pan, and in Thailand is found in a light, relatively dry form. Outside of Thailand, pad thai is frequently prepared with a large amount of oil, and tends to be greasy and heavy. By making pad thai at home, you can control the amount of oil used, making the dish to your taste.
To make pad thai, start by soaking rice noodles in warm water. They need to soak for at least twenty minutes so that they will become flexible and a little soft. While the noodles are soaking, you can prepare the other ingredients, starting with the sauce. A basic pad thai sauce mixes tamarind paste, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, chilies, and a pinch of salt. You can also add soy sauce for a hint of darker color and flavor.
Dice cashews or peanuts and dry roast them in the wok to dress the pad thai with later. If you intend to use a meat, chop it into bite sized pieces and fry it in a thin layer of oil in the wok, setting it aside to add at the end. Then chop the vegetables and toppings for your pad thai. Start by cubing tofu and chopping shallots and garlic. Then chop green onions or chives into thin strips, along with fresh cilantro, and wash bean sprouts, setting them on a towel to dry.
Once you have prepared the sauce and your vegetables, start cooking the pad thai. Put a thin layer of oil into the wok and put it on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the tofu, garlic, and shallots. As the garlic and shallots start to caramelize, add the noodles, tossing the ingredients so that they are evenly mixed. When the noodles start to brown, push them to the sides of the wok and crack an egg into the middle, allowing it to cook briefly before mixing all of the ingredients together. Add the sauce, and follow with your meat. The noodles should be soft and brown at this point, and the whole mixture will be warm and covered in the sauce. Add approximately one third of your chives, cilantro, and bean sprouts, stirring the mixture briefly before taking it off the heat and serving immediately.
Garnish the pad thai with the rest of your chives, cilantro, and sprouts, sprinkling the mixture with the roasted nuts. Offer wedges of lime with the noodle dish so that diners can squeeze the fresh juice over the whole mixture, along with small dishes of fish sauce, vinegar, chilies, and sugar for guests to adjust the flavor to their needs. While making pad thai at home can be a little bit complex, it is a fun and delicious dish to eat, and one which your guests will remember.
Written by S.E. Smith
