Pad Thai (Thai Stir-Fried Rice Noodles)
A simple recipe to make Pad Thai, Thailand's iconic street food, at home. Rice noodles soaked in lukewarm water are stir-fried with shrimp, vegetables and egg, seasoned with a sweet-sour-savory sauce made from oyster sauce and fish sauce, then finished with a sprinkle of crushed cashews.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Rice noodles200 g
- Bean sprouts2 handfuls
- Onion1/2
- Shrimp8 (prawns)
- Egg2
- Zucchini1/2
- Cashews (or peanuts)3 tbsp
- Minced garlic1 tbsp
- Chili oil1 tbsp
Sauce
- Oyster sauce2 tbsp
- Fish sauce1 tbsp
- Sugar1/2 tbsp
- Lemon juice1 tbsp
Directions
- 1
Take a handful of rice noodles and soak them in lukewarm water; once the noodles turn soft, drain them in a colander.
- 2
Prepare a generous amount of bean sprouts, rinse them in clean water, then drain them in a colander.
- 3
Julienne the onion and zucchini. You can also use bok choy or garlic chives instead of zucchini.
- 4
Coarsely crush the cashews or peanuts, which are the key to pad thai's flavor.
- 5
Peel and devein the shrimp, cut them in half, then beat the eggs and scramble them.
- 6
Mix oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and lemon juice in the given amounts to make the sauce.
- 7
Add a generous amount of oil to the pan, then stir-fry the minced garlic and prepared shrimp.
- 8
Once the shrimp are cooked, add the julienned zucchini and onion along with a tablespoon of chili oil, and stir-fry together.
- 9
Once the vegetables are somewhat cooked, add the soaked rice noodles and stir-fry so that the noodles and vegetables mix evenly.
- 10
Once the noodles are soft, add the bean sprouts, the scrambled eggs, and the prepared sauce.
- 11
Stir-fry until the bean sprouts are cooked so the sauce blends in well, then finally add the crushed cashews and give it one more stir-fry to finish.
Tips
Bean sprouts turn bitter if over-stir-fried, so cook them just until slightly wilted. Soak the rice noodles in lukewarm water so they don't stick together and cook evenly when stir-fried.