Pad Thai (Shrimp and Tofu)

Note From Susie

Sawasdee Kha, and Hello.

This is a dish I grew to enjoy, and now I love it completely.

Like so many noodle dishes in my life, I started simple. At a young age the noodles and the egg and the sauce were what made sense to me. Then gradually everything on the plate became the point. My mother and her sisters made Pad Thai at home, and I grew up eating it the way children grow into food that is always around, not all at once but over time, until one day you realize that you want all of it.

The tofu I always liked. It was one of the things that made immediate sense, soft and absorbing the sauce completely. The shrimp took longer, as shrimp often did for me as a child. But I came to love it and now the shrimp is one of the reasons I make this version specifically.

My mother made this in Thailand and she made it in Maryland. The smell of everything combined in the wok, the tamarind and the fish sauce and the egg hitting the hot pan, the noodles absorbing the sauce, the whole kitchen smelling of something warm and complex and completely itself. That smell is what I still think of when I make Pad Thai. Both of her kitchens. The same smell in both of them.

Simple at first. Everything on the plate, eventually. That is still how I would describe it.

What Is Pad Thai?

Pad Thai is one of the most recognized dishes in the world and one of the most misunderstood outside of Thailand. The name means stir-fried Thai, and the dish is exactly that: thin rice noodles stir-fried in a very hot wok with a sauce built on tamarind paste, fish sauce, and palm sugar, tossed with egg, protein, bean sprouts, and green onion, finished with crushed roasted peanuts and a squeeze of fresh lime. When it is made correctly, the noodles have a slight char at the edges, the egg is broken through them rather than sitting on top, and the sauce is tangy and sweet and savory in equal measure.

What makes Pad Thai taste the way it does is the tamarind. Not ketchup, not Worcestershire sauce, not any of the substitutes that appear in Western adaptations. Tamarind paste, made from the tamarind fruit, provides a sour, slightly fruity acidity that is specific to this dish and irreplaceable in it. The palm sugar balances the tamarind’s sourness with a rounded sweetness. The fish sauce provides the salt and the savory depth. Together these three create the sauce that makes Pad Thai what it is.

This version uses shrimp and tofu together, which is one of the most common combinations in Thailand. The tofu is pressed and cubed, fried until golden before the noodles go in. The shrimp are added near the end and cook quickly in the hot wok. Both absorb the tamarind sauce and produce a Pad Thai that is satisfying and complete without being heavy.

According to the Oxford Companion to Food, Pad Thai became Thailand’s national noodle dish in the mid-twentieth century through a government promotion of rice noodle consumption, and has since become one of the most globally recognized dishes of any Asian cuisine.

The wok must be very hot. The sauce must be made before the wok gets hot. The noodles must be soaked but not cooked. Everything moves fast.

Oxford Companion to Food

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Thin rice noodles, sen lek, soaked in room temperature water for thirty minutes until pliable but not fully soft. Not boiling water, room temperature. Noodles that have been soaked in boiling water will be too soft before they ever reach the wok and will break apart during stir-frying. Room temperature water, thirty minutes, drain completely. They will finish cooking in the wok.

Tamarind paste, three tablespoons, made from a block of tamarind soaked in warm water and pushed through a strainer, or from a jar of concentrate. This is the most important flavor in Pad Thai. Do not substitute with lime juice or vinegar, they are not the same and the dish will not taste correct with them. Tamarind paste is available at Asian grocery stores. It is worth finding.

Fish sauce, two tablespoons. Palm sugar, two tablespoons, or brown sugar as a substitute. These three, tamarind, fish sauce, and sugar, are combined in a small bowl before the wok gets hot. The sauce is ready before anything else begins. This dish moves fast and a pre-mixed sauce is not a convenience, it is a requirement.

Firm tofu, half a block, pressed and cut into small cubes. Pressing is important: tofu that still contains water will splatter in the hot oil and will not develop a golden crust. Wrap the tofu in a clean cloth or paper towels and press under a heavy pan for fifteen minutes before cutting. Then fry in hot oil until golden on most sides and set aside.

Shrimp, medium, peeled and deveined. They go into the wok near the end of the cooking, after the noodles are mostly done, and cook in two minutes. The shrimp I came to love as I got older. They are one of the reasons I make this version now.

Eggs, two, cracked directly into the wok. Dried shrimp, a tablespoon, for depth. Bean sprouts, a generous handful. Green onion, three stalks, cut into one-inch pieces.

For serving: crushed roasted peanuts, fresh lime wedge, dried chili flakes, fish sauce, and sugar at the table for individual seasoning. These are not optional. Each person seasons their own plate.

VISUAL WALK THROUGH

LET’S GET THIS RIGHT

Why does my Pad Thai taste bland and not like Thai restaurant Pad Thai?

The tamarind paste was omitted or substituted, or not enough sauce was used. The tamarind is the irreplaceable flavor of Pad Thai and nothing else produces the same sour, slightly fruity, complex taste. Also ensure the wok is genuinely hot, as a cool wok produces noodles that steam rather than fry, losing the slight char and caramelization that give Pad Thai its depth.

Why are my Pad Thai noodles clumping together?

The noodles were over-soaked, or the sauce was not added quickly enough after the noodles went into the wok. Noodles soaked in hot water, or soaked for too long in room temperature water, become too soft and sticky before they reach the wok. Soak in room temperature water for exactly thirty minutes. Once in the wok, add the sauce immediately and toss constantly. A small splash of water helps if the noodles are sticking before the sauce is added.

Can I make Pad Thai without tamarind?

Technically yes, but the dish will not taste like Pad Thai. Tamarind is the ingredient that makes this dish this dish. If tamarind is genuinely unavailable, a combination of lime juice and a small amount of brown sugar is the closest working substitute, but the flavor profile will be different and noticeably less complex. If you are making Pad Thai, find the tamarind. It is available at most Asian grocery stores and online.

Can I make Pad Thai without shrimp?

Yes. The tofu alone makes a completely satisfying Pad Thai. Chicken breast or thigh sliced thin also works in place of or alongside the tofu. The shrimp in this recipe is the protein that I grew to love over time. If shrimp is not your preference or not available, the dish is complete without it. Keep the tofu and proceed exactly as written.

What toppings go on Pad Thai?

Crushed roasted peanuts and a lime wedge are the essential toppings, both non-optional. Beyond those, bean sprouts and green onion are stirred through during cooking. At the table, dried chili flakes, fish sauce, sugar, and chili vinegar are placed in small bowls for each person to season their own plate. This individual seasoning at the table is the correct way to eat Pad Thai, as each person’s preference for sweet, sour, salty, and hot is different.

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FLAVOR PROFILE

The smell is the first thing. Everything combined in the wok, the tamarind sauce hitting the hot noodles, the egg scrambling in the oil, the dried shrimp adding their savory depth, the whole kitchen filling with something warm and complex and completely itself. Both of my mother’s kitchens smelled this way when she made this. It is one of the most distinctive smells in Thai cooking and one of the most comforting.

The noodles arrive at the plate golden amber from the tamarind sauce, the egg broken through them, the shrimp pink and curled, the tofu golden at the edges. The bean sprouts are pale and slightly crunchy. The green onion is bright. The peanuts on top are the last texture, crunchy and nutty against the soft noodles.

The first bite is tangy from the tamarind, sweet from the palm sugar, savory from the fish sauce, with the three of them arriving almost simultaneously and then resolving into something that is simultaneously all three and none of them individually. The egg adds richness. The tofu absorbs the sauce completely. The shrimp is sweet and tender. The bean sprout provides crunch. The lime from the wedge, squeezed at the table, sharpens everything.

Then the seasoning. More fish sauce if you want more salt. More sugar if you want more sweetness. Dried chili flakes if you want more heat. Chili vinegar if you want more acidity. The bowl becomes exactly what you want it to be.

I started simple. I love everything on the plate now. That is still exactly how I would describe it.

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SUSIE’S KITCHEN NOTES

Tamarind paste from a block is better than tamarind concentrate from a jar, though both work. To make it from a block: break off a piece roughly the size of a golf ball, place it in a small bowl with a quarter cup of warm water, let it soften for five minutes, then press and massage it with your fingers until the pulp is separated from the seeds and fibers. Push through a fine strainer, discarding the solids. The resulting paste is fresh, complex, and noticeably more alive than jarred concentrate. If you make Pad Thai regularly, making tamarind paste from the block is worth the extra five minutes.

Dried shrimp, a tablespoon added with the noodles and sauce, is a traditional ingredient in Pad Thai that many home recipes omit. It adds a concentrated savory depth that amplifies the sauce and the fresh shrimp without being identifiable as a separate flavor in the finished dish. It is available at Asian grocery stores in small bags. It keeps in the refrigerator for months. If you can find it, add it. It is one of the ingredients that makes Pad Thai taste like Pad Thai rather than like stir-fried noodles with a tamarind sauce.

The wok temperature is everything in Pad Thai. A wok that is not hot enough will cause the noodles to steam rather than fry, producing a dish that is soft and uniform in texture rather than having the slight char and caramelization that gives Pad Thai its depth. Heat the wok on high for two full minutes before the oil goes in. Cook in single portions if your wok cannot accommodate a full batch without crowding. Two small batches made correctly produce a better result than one large batch made wrong.

My mother made Pad Thai the same way in both countries. The sauce was the same. The technique was the same. The smell was the same. What was different was the kitchen, the stove, the distance from the market where the tamarind was bought. The dish was not different. Some things travel completely. Pad Thai is one of them.

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PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

Pad Thai is a complete meal on its own, the noodles and protein and vegetables all in one wok. What it wants alongside is something light and contrasting. The Tom Yum Goong is the sour, clear soup that belongs alongside Pad Thai, the broth cutting through the richness of the tamarind noodles in a way that makes both dishes more satisfying. The stir-fried morning glory is the green vegetable dish alongside, garlicky and bright where the Pad Thai is golden and rich, the two of them together covering the full range of a Thai home meal. For a fuller table where Pad Thai is one of several noodle or rice dishes, the Thai chicken fried rice shows how the same wok technique produces a completely different result with rice instead of noodles. And for the drink alongside a warm, savory, satisfying plate of Pad Thai, the Thai iced tea is cold and sweet and always the right answer. My mother made this in Thailand and in Maryland. The same smell in both kitchens. The same dish in both countries.

FAQ

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