Pad Thai

Name: Pad Thai
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 200g dried flat rice noodles (soaked 30 min); 200g raw medium prawns, peeled and deveined; 2 eggs; 2 tbsp tamarind paste; 2 tbsp fish sauce; 1 tbsp oyster sauce; 1 tsp palm sugar or brown sugar; 2 tbsp neutral oil; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 shallot, thinly sliced; 100g bean sprouts; 3 spring onions, cut into 3cm pieces; 3 tbsp roasted peanuts, roughly crushed; 1 lime, cut into wedges; Dried chili flakes to serve

Pad Thai is Thailand's national street dish — a rapid rice-noodle stir-fry born in 1930s Bangkok, when the government promoted wheat noodles over rice to reduce food costs and build national identity. The balance of sour tamarind, salty fish sauce, and sweet palm sugar is the classic Thai flavour triad that made this dish a global success — but authenticity lives in a screaming-hot wok at 300°C and in speed of execution, not in the ingredients themselves. The peanuts added last, fresh coriander, and a squeeze of lime are more than garnish: they complete the flavour profile.

Total time35m

Active time25m

Servings4

DifficultyEasy

Cost$

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🇹🇭

Bangkok street classic

Born in 1930s Bangkok as a national dish during a rice shortage

🔥

Screaming hot wok

Extreme heat scorches noodles in seconds and builds wok hei — the charred, smoky breath no home hob can replicate

🍋

Tamarind is the soul

Sour tamarind paste is what separates pad Thai from every other stir-fry

🥜

Peanuts at the end

Added off-heat to preserve crunch — never cooked in the sauce

Ingredients 4 servings

200g dried flat rice noodles (soaked 30 min)
200g raw medium prawns, peeled and deveined
2 eggs
2 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp palm sugar or brown sugar
2 tbsp neutral oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
100g bean sprouts
3 spring onions, cut into 3cm pieces
3 tbsp roasted peanuts, roughly crushed
1 lime, cut into wedges
Dried chili flakes to serve

How to make it

1Soak rice noodles in cold water for 30 minutes, then drain.
2Mix tamarind paste, fish sauce, oyster sauce and sugar in a small bowl to make the sauce.
3Heat oil in a wok over very high heat until just smoking; fry garlic and shallot for 30 seconds, add prawns and cook 2 minutes until just pink.
4Push everything to the side, crack in eggs and scramble lightly for 30 seconds, then toss everything together.
5Add drained noodles and pour the sauce over; toss constantly for 2–3 minutes until the noodles absorb the sauce and begin to caramelise at the edges.
6Remove from heat, fold in bean sprouts and spring onions; serve immediately topped with crushed peanuts, a lime wedge and chili flakes to taste.