Pad Thai

★★★★4.8· 521 ratings

·Serves 2

About this Dish

Thailand's national dish — wok-fried rice noodles with egg, tofu or prawns, tamarind sauce, dried shrimp and roasted peanuts.

History & Origin

Pad Thai is Thailand's national dish by government decree — but the story behind that decree is fascinating. In the 1930s and 40s Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram promoted pad thai as part of a nationalist campaign to create a unified Thai identity and reduce rice consumption during wartime food shortages. He literally sent noodle carts into the streets and distributed recipes to encourage adoption. The dish draws on Chinese stir-fry technique but uses distinctly Thai ingredients: tamarind for sourness, fish sauce for salt, dried shrimp for umami depth. Street vendors in Bangkok cook pad thai in woks so hot the noodles char slightly at the edges — a quality almost impossible to replicate on a home stove.

IngredientsServes 2

🍜Sen lek rice noodles, soaked in cold water, 400g

🍤Tiger prawns, peeled, 300g

🥚Eggs, 4

🫙Tamarind paste, 3 tbsp

🫙Fish sauce, 3 tbsp

🍬Palm sugar, 2 tbsp

🌰Roasted peanuts, roughly crushed, 100g

🫘Bean sprouts, 200g

🧅Spring onions, cut into batons, 4

🍋Lime wedges, to serve

Method

Soak the sen lek noodles in cold water for 30 minutes until pliable but still firm. Do not use hot water and do not boil them.

Mix the pad Thai sauce by combining tamarind paste, fish sauce and palm sugar. Taste and adjust — it should be sour, salty and sweet in equal measure.

Heat a wok over the highest heat possible until smoking. Add oil, then the prawns. Cook for 1 minute until just pink, then push to the side.

Add the drained noodles and sauce to the wok. Toss constantly for 2 minutes. If the noodles stick, add a splash of water.

Push everything to one side. Crack the eggs into the empty side and scramble briefly, then fold into the noodles before fully set.

Add bean sprouts and spring onions, toss for 30 seconds. Serve immediately topped with crushed peanuts, dried chilli flakes, lime wedge and a small pile of extra bean sprouts.

What Makes it Authentic

Use sen lek rice noodles soaked in cold water — never boiled. Dried shrimp and chai poh (preserved turnip) are essential. Cook in a screaming hot wok in very small batches.

Other Types of Pad Thai