Pad Thai

Cuisine: Thai

Cook Time: 40-50 Minutes

Serves: 4

Sweet, tangy, and spicy at the same time, Pad Thai is bound to satisfy all your cravings. This comfort food is traditionally from Thailand and is a perfect amalgamation of Thai spices and flavors. Pad Thai is healthy and full of nutritious ingredients due to the abundance of various vegetables and proteins. Here's a quick and easy recipe to male a steaming bowl of Pad Thai!

For the Pad Thai Sauce

1/4th cup vegetable/chicken stock
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce or fish sauce
1/2 tablespoon paprika

For the Pad Thai

1 chicken breast or 250 grams tofu/paneer
225 grams pad thai rice noodles
5 chopped garlic cloves
2 green or red chilies
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced ginger or galangal
teaspoon grated galangal or ginger
2 eggs
1 ½ cups bean sprouts
5 sliced green onions
2 lemon wedges
1/2 cup roasted peanuts

Lip-smacking stir-fried noodles with authentic Thai flavors!

Mix together the vegetable or chicken stock, white vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, soy or fish sauce, and paprika in a bowl. Stir until all the ingredients have blended together and the sugar has dissolved completely. Set this mixture aside.
Pour the remaining 1 tablespoon of soy sauce over your chicken breast or any other desired protein and toss well.
Cook the noodles in a large pot of water for 5 minutes or till they are cooked al dente. Drain the water and rinse the rice noodles with cold water thoroughly. Set the noodles aside.
Heat a frying pan and add 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Let the oil heat up on medium-high flame and add the chilies, minced garlic, and galangal. Saute for 2 minutes.
Toss in the chicken/paneer/tofu and fry for 1-2 minutes until it gets coated with the spices. Also, add the shrimp or any other protein substitute and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Gradually add the prepared Pad Thai sauce. Also, scramble 2 eggs and add in the pan.
Add cooked rice noodles and simmer for 8 minutes. Add the green onions and green sprouts.
Your delicious Pad Thai is ready to serve. Serve in big bowls along with lemon wedges. Crush some roasted peanuts on top. Serve hot.

Chef Tip: Make sure that you don't cook the noodles completely while boiling them. This is because the noodles also get cooked further for 8 minutes on the Pad Thai sauce.

We are absolutely sure that you and your family will devour this Pad Thai. These aromatic, soupy noodles will win each and every heart. Let us know how everyone enjoyed it in the comments below.

Quick Bites

Fun Fact

• When first introduced, Prime Minister Plaek promoted the dish, as the dish Thais should eat instead of rice because at that time Thailand was in debt. So, for a brief period of history, eating Pad Thai was considered a patriotic act.

• Despite the name, it’s not very Thai because the noodles used are similar to those used in Vietnamese noodles dish and it also bears more similarity to Chinese cuisine.

Historical Fact

• Pad Thai was introduced to Thailand in a period of ultra-nationalism in the wake of the 1932 revolution that ended the absolute monarchy and installed a democratic system of constitutional monarchy in the country.

Nutrition Fact

• By looking at the ingredients, one can tell that Pad Thai is quite healthy but the number of calories in the dish may come as a surprise. One serving of Pad Thai has around 300-400 calories.

• Pad Thai is known for its healthy ingredients, which are good for reducing weight, getting a healthy heart, and boosting your immune system.