The original Pad Thai recipe calls for crushed roasted peanuts.

Rub any open cut with lime or lemon juice to prevent it from turning dark.

If you decide to include banana flower, cut lengthwise into sections (like orange sections).

Some might be brown from soy sauce, but some white ones are also available.

The type of super firm tofu or pressed called for this recipe can be found at most Asian groceries in a plastic bag, not in water.

Tamarind adds some flavor and acidity, but you can substitute white vinegar.

For kids, omit the ground dried chili pepper.

In this recipe, pre-ground pepper, particularly pre-ground white pepper is better than fresh ground pepper.

You can always add more water in the pan, but you can't take it out.

Noodles should be somewhat flexible and solid, not completely expanded and soft.

By far, the trickiest part is the soaked noodles.Add more tofu if you like.įrom street carts, you can also often find an older, more traditional version of Pad Thai made with dried shrimp. Pad Thai is another perfect vegetarian dish, just omit shrimp and substitute soy sauce for fish sauce. If you would like to make authentic Pad Thai, just like in Thailand, use all the ingredients. The ingredients listed below can be somewhat intimidating but many are optional. Not bright red and oily like I've seen in the US. It should be reddish and brownish in color. Great Pad Thai is dry and light bodied, with a fresh, complex, balanced flavor. The best of these cooks have cooked the same dish day-after-day, year-after-year, constantly perfecting it. While 'street food' may sound bad, food cart cooks are in such a competitive situation, with such limited space, ingredients and tools they need to specialize in a dish or two just to stay in business. Pad Thai - This Pad Thai recipe is how you actually find it in Bangkok and comes from testing hundreds of different variations from food carts all over the city.

Cooking pad thai noodles