Pad Thai (2024)

FAQs

What makes Pad Thai so delicious? ›

But the backbone of the dish remains the same – rice noodle, eggs, tofu and dried shrimps. As for the all-important sauce, it consists of a balanced nuance of three tastes: saltiness from either fish sauce or soy sauce, sweetness from palm sugar, and sourness from tamarind juice.

In fact, Thai food consistently ranks among the top five most consumed and popular ethnic foods. What makes Pad Thai the most popular of all Thai dishes could be attributed to taste, ease of preparation, low cost, and high availability as street food.

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.

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.

Soak the dried rice noodles in cool or lukewarm water for 30 minutes, or until they're limp but still firm to the touch; later cooking in the wok will soften them more. Drain the noodles thoroughly in a colander and set aside while preparing the other ingredients.

It can definitely be a part of a balanced, well-rounded diet. While pad thai includes many nutritious ingredients, its sodium content is considerably high. You can reduce its sodium by requesting the eatery go easy on the sauce and salt-contributing condiments.

Many people seem to think that this is not a real Thai dish. (Spoiler: It is. It's not a popular one, but it certainly exists.)

The Cost of Pad Thai in Thailand

A basic meal of pad thai noodles with chicken or tofu can be found at street carts and from simple restaurants for 30 to 40 baht (around US $1), particularly outside of tourist areas. The average cost for pad thai in tourist places is around 50 baht per plate.

Pad Thai – Thailand's Famous Stir-Fried Noodles

You can choose to have your pad thai with shrimp or chicken, and it can be prepared according to how mild or spicy you want it. If you would like it to be Halal, let the chef know not to add shrimp paste, fish sauce, or alcohol.

This word literally means mixing things together to achieve the mélange of sweet, sour and spicy notes that typify a yum. The marriage of the words “tom yum”, therefore, results in a yum broth brought to a boil.

What does moo mean in Thai? ›

*In rural areas, the 4th level of administrative division (“moo”) is also needed. It is usually translated as village, though it doesn't necessarily cover one single settlement.

Thai cuisine achieves this remarkable fusion by incorporating a diverse range of ingredients. From aromatic herbs like basil, cilantro, and lemongrass to spices like ginger, turmeric, and galangal, every bite is a tantalizing mix of bold and balanced flavors.

Ingredients. Sauce: Palm sugar, Water, Tamarind, Shallots, Sweet radishes (sodium benzoate), Garlic, Soybean oil, Potassium chloride, Maltodextrin, Miso (soybean, rice), Salt, Hydrolyzed vegetable proteins, Yeast extract, Paprika oleoresin, Citric acid, Alpha-tocopherol, Chili oleoresin.

While spices like red and green chilies are used to add heat to a dish, other spices like cumin and cinnamon are used to create complex flavors. Meanwhile, ingredients like chili peppers, ginger, garlic, and peppercorn give Thai food the tingling spicy sensation that people love.

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.