Recipe: The Only Pad Thai Recipe You’ll Ever Need (2024)

“There are kind of two types of cookbooks out there,” chef Jet Tila, frequent Food Network contestant, host, and judge says. “There is the ‘Yo, slap a bunch of this on this, pow, bang, zoom,’” the succession of onomatopoeias suggesting a set of haphazard, 15-minute recipes. “And then there’s the ‘Whoa, here’s the thousand-year history of Vietnamese food before French people took over’ book.” Tila believes the first one doesn’t teach the cook anything, and the second one can be intimidating to anyone but a scholar. So, Tila says, he “split the difference” for this, his first cookbook, 101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die, out now.

“I don’t fancy myself a scholar, but I’ve cooked a lot, I’ve studied a lot, and I’ve cooked my whole life,” Tila says. He’s cooked all over the world, opened restaurants across the country, has his own frozen foods line, and has set three world records: for creating the world’s largest stir fry (4,010 lbs.); the world’s largest seafood stew (6,656 lbs.); and the largest California roll (422 ft.). “I just want people to read this book and be like, ‘Oh, dude, I can do this,’” he says.

Tila’s friend and frequent collaborator Alton Brown wrote the book’s intro — and Tila says, was instrumental in making the book happen. “Alton basically said, ‘Jet, come on, get it together, you have to do this book,’” Tila says. “And who am I to argue with Alton?” A comprehensive guide to the most essential dishes from Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Japanese cuisine, 101 Asian Dishes isn’t just a listicle of recipes but an intro course to Asian cooking.

“I call it birth luck,” Tila says. “I was born into the ‘first family’ of Thai food in Los Angeles.” Tila’s parents immigrated to the U.S. in 1966, and opened the first Thai restaurants and grocery stores inside LA’s Bangkok Market in the early 1970s. In 1978 they opened the famed Royal Thai restaurant, and one of the first dishes they put on the menu was pad Thai. Most Americans don’t realize that pad Thai isn’t actually Thai. It’s a Chinese dish that was adapted and decreed Thailand’s national dish — as part of a grand mission to modernize Thailand and ensure its citizens were eating healthfully — in the early 1940s by the country’s then Prime Minster. About 40 years ago it landed on American shores, thanks to entrepreneurs like the Tilas. Below, find the Tila family recipe for pad Thai.

The Last Pad Thai Recipe You’ll Ever Need

The most famous Thai dish in America! Making a good pad Thai takes time. There’s a delicate dance with the noodles because they cook in three stages. First you soak them in warm water and they begin to absorb water and soften. In the pan, they first get pan-fried with all the ingredients. Be patient in this stage. Allow them to begin to yield and marry with the hot oil and other ingredients. Once they look soft enough to eat right out of the pan but are slightly al dente, add the sauce to finish their cooking.

My family was among the first to introduce this dish to America over 40 years ago, and the American version differs slightly from the native one. The super bright orange was accentuated with paprika instead of the traditional addition of chili paste to give it a slight tint. And we typically finish this dish with garlic chives versus green onions. I always say pad Thai is like pancakes. You’ll burn a few before you get the knack for it.

SERVES 4 TO 6

Pad Thai Sauce
4 tbsp (60 ml) Thai fish sauce
3 tbsp (45 ml) bottled tamarind paste
1 tbsp (15 ml) lime juice
1 tbsp (15 ml) rice vinegar
4 tbsp (50 g) sugar

Pad Thai
2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp (30 g) packaged shredded sweetened radish
1 tsp dried shrimp
½ cup (95 g) sliced baked tofu
2 eggs
½ cup (95 g) thin strips of chicken breast or thigh
10 large shrimp, peeled and cleaned
3 cups (750 g) medium rice sticks, soaked
2 tsp (10 g) paprika
3 green onions cut into 3" (8-cm) julienne
¼ cup (50 g) chopped dry-roasted unsalted peanuts, divided
1 cup (240 g) bean sprouts

For the Pad Thai Sauce

To make the sauce, combine the fish sauce, tamarind paste, lime juice, vinegar and sugar in a small bowl. Make sure to stir well until the sugar dissolves, then reserve.

For the Pad Thai

Heat a skillet or wok over high heat for about 1 minute or until the pan gets pretty hot. Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan completely. When the pan just starts to smoke, add garlic and stir about 5 seconds. Add radish, dried shrimp and tofu and stir-fry until they begin to get fragrant, about 1 minute.

Push the ingredients in the wok to one side and let the oil settle in the center of the pan. Crack the eggs into the pan and add the chicken. As the eggs start to fry, just pierce the yolks to let them ooze. Fold the chicken and eggs over for about 30 seconds or until the eggs begin to set and scrape any bits that are starting to stick. Now stir together to combine all the ingredients in the pan.

Add the shrimp and allow to cook for about 30 seconds until they just start to turn color and become opaque. Add the soaked (and drained) rice noodles and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes until soft. Add the reserved sauce mixture and paprika and fold together until the paprika evenly colors the noodles and all the liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes.

Place the green onions in the center of the noodles, and then spoon some noodles over the green onions to cover and let steam for 30 seconds. Stir in 3 tablespoons (38 g) of the peanuts. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with bean sprouts and the remaining peanuts.

Recipe: The Only Pad Thai Recipe You’ll Ever Need (1)

From 101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die by Jet Tila, Page Street Publishing Co. 2017.

Recipe: The Only Pad Thai Recipe You’ll Ever Need (2024)

FAQs

What gives Pad Thai its taste? ›

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.

What is the national dish of Thailand Pad Thai? ›

The dish was created because Thailand was focused on nation-building. So this dish was created using rice noodles and it was called Pad Thai as a way to galvanize nationalism." Another explanation of pad thai's provenance holds that, during World War II, Thailand suffered a rice shortage due to the war and floods.

What does Pad Thai mean in English? ›

Thai (ไทย) – that's obvious. Pad (ผัด) – means fried. There are however, countless Thai dishes with the word Pad in it. The main ingredient in Pad Thai is rice noodles which are stir-fried. So, if you were to roughly translate Pad Thai, you'd have to say the dish is stir-fried noodles Thai style.

How is Pad Thai traditionally made? ›

Pad Thai is stir-fry dish made with rice noodles, shrimp, chicken, or tofu, peanuts, a scrambled egg and bean sprouts. The ingredients are sautéed together in a wok and tossed in a delicious Pad Thai sauce.

What are the 5 flavors of Pad Thai? ›

The name of this establishment refers to the five flavors (ha/ห้า=five, roat/รส=flavors) which are present in a good pad Thai: salty, sweet, sour, spicy, and savory.

What is a substitute for tamarind in Pad Thai? ›

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.

What is a substitute for tamarind paste in Pad Thai? ›

If your recipe calls for 1 tablespoon tamarind paste, substitute with 1 tablespoon vinegar mixed with 1 tablespoon brown sugar. If using fresh lime juice, substitute 2 tablespoons lime juice for every 1 tablespoon tamarind paste. Both substitutes work best when the amount of tamarind paste is 2 tablespoons or less.

Do restaurants put ketchup in Pad Thai? ›

Thai Food and Travel and Hot Thai Kitchen say there are times American versions of pad Thai will also use paprika to make it red in an effort to make the dish more appealing to customers, but neither ketchup nor paprika are ingredients commonly found in Thai kitchens.

Is pad thai junk food? ›

Pad thai is a nutrient-dense dish offering many nutrients and health benefits, primarily from: Flat rice noodles: They are rich in carbs, which serve as an energy source to fuel our bodies, and selenium, an essential mineral that supports the immune system.

Why is pad thai red? ›

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.

Why is pad thai so good? ›

A Pad Thai has tamarind, fish sauce, garlic, dried shrimp, palm sugar, and red chili pepper. These simple ingredients make Pad Thai a bowl of five tastes—salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami. The moment you put that spoon of Pad Thai hot soup in your mouth, you'll immediately have all your sensations stimulated.

What does yum yum mean in Thai? ›

Yum, meaning “mix,” is a hearty dish consisting mostly of meat, fish, or seafood together with many other typically Thai ingredients which may include peanuts, fruit, and herbs.

What does Kai mean in Pad Thai? ›

Pad Thai Gai: Thai Stir-Fried Noodles Recipe. Asian Food.

What does Dang mean in Thai? ›

dang. 1. [adjective] definition. [is] loud; noisy.

Why is Pad Thai so delicious? ›

Why is Pad Thai so popular? David Thompson says this dish hits all the flavour notes – sour, sweet, bitter, salty and umami. He says, “A good Pad Thai should be made with prawns and deep-fried shallots and when made well, it is damn delicious.”

What makes Pad Thai different? ›

Traditional Pad Thai usually combines tamarind paste, fish sauce, dried shrimp, and palm sugar, creating a sweet, sour, and salty taste balance. It commonly includes tofu, dried shrimp, bean sprouts, and peanuts. However, Americanized versions might swap tamarind for ketchup, making it sweeter and less complex.

Is Pad Thai made with egg noodles or rice noodles? ›

Egg Noodle Dishes vs Rice Noodle Dishes

Egg noodles are a versatile ingredient and are commonly used in dishes like lo mein, chow mein and beef and broccoli noodles. Rice noodles are used for dishes like pad Thai, pho, and noodle salad.

Do Pad Thai noodles have gluten? ›

Pad Thai is usually gluten-free, but not always. Pad Thai traditionally uses rice noodles (which are gluten-free), but some restaurants use soy-sauce (which may contain wheat) and sometimes fish sauce is added to pad thai (and a few brands of fish sauce contain wheat).

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