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Pad Thai

Picture is coming soon How it should look like - Now do it better!

This recipe I learnt in Thailand, when I did a cookery class. I found out that the Pad Thai is "Thailand national dish" for tourists, because it was only invented when mass tourism started. In reality, Thai cuisine didn't have a national dish, so they created one. But there so many other local dishes in Thailand that are absolutely amazing. My favourite one was Pad See Ew (that's how you write it in English to get a prononciation that is similar to Thai).

Anyway, I wanted to make another point. Pad Thai is usually made with fish sauce and oyster sauce, but when we did the cookery class, the lady created a vegan version, equally delicious!

Ingredients (2 people)#

  • Rice noodles
  • Tamarind sauce: 2-3 tbsp
  • Mushroom sauce (buy the thick one): 3 tbsp
  • Soy sauce: 6 tbsp
  • Sugan: 3 tsp
  • Lemon or lime to taste
  • Peanuts, as much as you want
  • Sunflower seeds oil: 4-5 tbsp

Method#

I'm only going to explain how to make the sauce here, because how to cook the noodles often depends on which. brand/type you buy - at least that's what I've seen in the UK. So for your noodles, just follow the instructions.

  1. Put the three sauces all together in a little bowl, and mix well
  2. Add the sugan and mix well
  3. Add a little bit of lemon/ lime and then taste. Add as much as you need. The mix of sauces is quite strong, so lemon and sugar will dilute that
  4. Leave it aside and put the sunflower oil in a wok or non-stick pan. Put the noodles in and stir fry them
  5. After the oil starts to absorb, add the sauce you have prepared into the pan. Continue cooking at medium-high flame while stiring
  6. When the sauce has pretty much been absorbed by the noodles and they are starting to stick, they are ready!
  7. If you want the peanuts on top, grind them down first. They don't need to become dust: just blend them roughly
  8. Serve your noodles with additional lemon/lime on the side, as some people may want to tune down the strong flavour a bit more with some acidic notes. And obviously add the peanuts on top!

Tips#

I never eat Pad Thai just like this. I always put some vegetables, legumes or tofy with it. Usually, I'd have one or two onions, spring onions, pak choi, leeks; and then peas or tofu in cubes. I really recommend having at least some onions and another vegetable that blends well with noodles.