Thai
Shrimp Pad Thai
Rice noodles, shrimp, egg, and a tamarind-style sauce cooked fast in a hot pan, with peanuts and lime.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 32 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Photo: stu_spivack (CC BY-SA). Source
Why you’ll love it
- Soak the noodles. Do not boil them to mush.
- The pan has to be hot.
- Sauce mixed before you start.
- Egg scrambled in the same wok.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Soak the noodles in hot water until flexible. Drain.
- 2
Stir fish sauce, lime juice, and brown sugar.
- 3
Heat the oil. Cook the shrimp 2 minutes per side and move them out. Scramble the eggs in the pan, then add garlic and noodles.
- 4
Pour in the sauce and toss 1 minute. Return the shrimp, add sprouts and scallions, and serve with peanuts and lime.
Pro tips
- If you have tamarind paste, use 1 tablespoon in the sauce and cut the lime to a squeeze.
- Work in two batches if the pan is small.
- Bean sprouts go in at the end so they stay crisp.
Easy substitutions
- Shrimp
- Firm tofu, pressed and cubed
- Fish sauce
- Soy sauce, for a different but usable pot
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 2 days.
Reheating
Stir-fry with a splash of water. Add fresh lime.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 430
- Protein
- 28 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
Moderate · Stovetop · Dairy-Free
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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