People can’t seem to get enough of pad thai, one of the most well-known dishes in the world. Although most Asian noodles are known for their extraordinary freshness and variety of flavors, pad thai holds a special place in the hearts of food lovers around the world. What’s even more impressive is that the dish is affordable and easy to cook.
Thanks to online recipes and resources, you can make your own version of pad thai at home. You can make restaurant-quality pad thai at home in just 10 minutes! Once you master preparing this dish, you’ll get to enjoy this nutty, spicy, sweet, and sour treat that will undoubtedly stimulate your senses.
To get you started, prepare the following ingredients:
- Pad Thai Kit – This kit contains the primary components that you need for your pad thai. It comes with pad thai sauce, usually made of tamarind sauce, sugar, and fish sauce. The kit also comes with pad thai dry rice stick noodles. With these ready, all you need to do is to toss in a few more ingredients.
- Cooking Oil – You’ll need to use oil for stir-frying, which is the primary method for cooking pad thai.
- Chicken – Although chicken is the most common protein source used in pad thai, you can choose your preferred meat. Create boneless chops and dice them into small pieces.
- Garlic – Prepare a lot of garlic, as this makes the dish extra flavorful. Make sure to chop them well.
- Eggs – You can use eggs to thicken the mixture and improve the consistency of the dish.
- Tofu – Choose firm tofu so it will fry and cook while maintaining its shape and form.
- Chives Or Green Onions – You’ll need these to add more flavor to your dish. Chop them into long pieces.
- Bean Sprouts – Adding fresh and great-quality bean sprouts will greatly improve the taste and texture of your pad thai.
- Peanuts – You can use chopped peanuts and sprinkle them on top of the dish later on.
To cook your pad thai, follow these instructions:
- First, you need to prepare the sauce. Simply follow the instructions mentioned on your pad thai kit.
- Next, you need to cook the noodles. To soften the noodles, soak them in water for 10 minutes.
- Finally, you can start stir-frying the ingredients. Use a frying pan and pour in some oil. Preheat the oil first before adding the garlic. You then add your proteins. Let the ingredients simmer and cook well before adding in the noodles. Add the eggs to the noodles and allow everything to thicken for a few minutes. Continue stirring after you add the sauce you prepared in advance. Bring the mixture to a simmer and add bean sprouts, chives, and tofu.
- Garnish the dish with the chopped peanuts.
Tips To Make Your Pad Thai Perfect
You can enjoy pad thai as one of the heartwarming meals to make for rainy days, on special occasions, or as a tasty dish you can quickly prepare at any time of the day. To help you make this dish more perfect, apply the following tips:
- To be more organized, prepare your ingredients beforehand. Having all your ingredients prepped and within reach will make the process of cooking pad thai much faster and easier.
- Don’t forget to continuously stir your pad thai while cooking; this will ensure even heating and cooking. Also, this prevents the ingredients at the bottom from sticking to the pan and causing burnt or overcooked noodles. You can use non-stick spatulas when stirring your dish.
- Be careful not to overcook your noodles. This can be quite tricky. It’s best to cook the pad thai until the sauce has dried. It’s essential to make sure that the noodles aren’t mushy. They should have the right texture and firmness. Transparent noodles turn white when fully cooked. Use that as your sign that they’re finally ready. Since noodles cook pretty fast, it’s best to cook in low heat.
- Serve the pad thai while it’s hot. Like most other dishes, they taste best when served fresh and hot. The texture and flavor of the noodles start to diminish once they become cold.
Create Variations Of Your Pad Thai
You can make other variations of the pad thai recipe mentioned above. F instance, you can switch chicken with another meat. You may use pork or add shrimp—just take your pick! When you decide to stick with chicken, keep in mind the proper ways to prepare it to reduce its fat. In restaurants, thinly sliced chicken is usually poached in water instead of being fried. You can consider using the same technique too.
Conclusion
Cooking your own version of pad thai at home will enable you to imagine exploring the sidewalks of Thailand and spotting a food stall selling their famous dish. With the recipe above, you can cook this dish for yourself or your family anytime you wish. Enjoy its rich and sumptuous taste while you spend quality time on your own or with loved ones.
