I’m originally from Bangkok Thailand. One of the most common dishes there is Pad Thai. It is a stir-fried rice noodle dish commonly served as a street food and at casual local restaurants.
I have been in USA since 1999, the first few years was tough. I didn’t know how to cook back then. I lived on Ramen noodles and Chinese food that was brought home from the restaurant me and my roommate worked at, while we were going to school. As years went by, I started learning how to cook out of desperation. After all, one can only eat Ramen noodles and Chinese food for so long. O.K. I think that’s enough about me, let’s cook some food!
Pad Thai in Thailand has more ingredients, they usually add dried shrimp, tofu and chopped peanuts. I do not like peanuts so I use cashew nuts instead. I also don’t have dried shrimp and tofu in my pantry, so these ingredients are not included in this recipe.
I believe the essential component for Pad Thai is the sauce. This sauce contains tamarind paste
Soak the rice stick noodles in a bowl with hot tap water for 20 minutes (do not boil them because that will make them too mushy). Drain the noodles.
Heat up 1 tablespoon of vegetable or canola oil in a pan, use medium high heat. Cracks 2 eggs into the pan. Break the yolks, stir for a few minutes until they look like scramble eggs. Transfer them into a bowl.
Add 2 tablespoons of oil into the hot pan. Add garlic. Stir quickly until it’s cooked, about 30 seconds. Add chicken, stir until it’s cooked, about 3-4 minutes.
Add half of Pad Thai sauce.
Add the noodles into the pan. Quickly mix them in with the sauce, about 3-4 minutes. The noodles will get softer and soak up some sauce.
Taste it to see if it needs more sauce. If it looks too dry, you will need some more. It shouldn’t be too runny and you may or may not use all of the sauce.
Add green onions and bean sprouts. Stir for 2-3 minutes.
Turn off the heat. Add the eggs and mix them in with the noodles.
Sprinkle chopped cashew or peanuts on the top, serve with lime wedges. Add red pepper flake or cayenne pepper for spiciness. I hope you give this Chicken Pad Thai a try, the recipe is below.
- ½ pack dried Rice Stick noodles (8 oz)
- 1 large chicken breast (thinly sliced)
- 1 handful of fresh bean sprouts
- 3-4 cloves minced garlic
- 3 green onions (sliced into 2-inch pieces)
- 1 lime (cut into wedges)
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped cashew or peanuts
- Red pepper flake or cayenne pepper
- Sauce (you may or may not use all of it):
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- ½ cup tamarind sauce (some label may say "Tamarind Concentrate")
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Soak the noodles in a bowl with hot tap water for 20 minutes. Drain them.
- Strain Tamarind Sauce using a strainer to make sure the sauce is smooth.
- Mix Tamarind Sauce, Fish Sauce, brown sugar and paprika in a small bowl.
- Heat up 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan, use medium high heat. Cracks the eggs into the pan. Break the yolks, stir for a few minutes until they look like scramble eggs. Transfer eggs into a bowl.
- Add 2 tablespoons of oil into the hot pan. Add garlic. Stir quickly until it’s cooked, about 30 seconds.
- Add chicken, stir until it's cooked, 3-4 minutes.
- Add half of the sauce.
- Add the noodles. Quickly mix them in with the sauce, about 3-4 minutes. The noodles will get softer and soak up some sauce. Taste it to see if it needs more sauce. If it looks too dry, you will need some more. It shouldn't be too runny and you may or may not use all of the sauce.
- Add green onions and bean sprouts. Stir for 2-3 minutes.
- Turn off the heat.
- Add the eggs, mix them in with the noodles.
- Sprinkle chopped nuts on the top, serve with lime wedges. Add red pepper flake or cayenne pepper for spiciness.
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