[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":408},["ShallowReactive",2],{"recipe:pad-thai":3,"recipe:country:thailand":193},{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"romanized":7,"pronunciation":8,"countrySlug":9,"region":10,"emoji":11,"summary":12,"intro":13,"story":14,"whyThis":15,"tips":20,"substitutions":27,"variations":40,"serveWith":50,"storage":52,"faq":53,"equipment":69,"baseServings":74,"prepMinutes":75,"cookMinutes":76,"difficulty":77,"course":78,"diet":81,"mainIngredients":85,"ingredients":90,"instructions":149,"nutrition":175,"images":181,"keywords":185,"publishedAt":191,"updatedAt":191,"authorSlug":192},"pad-thai","Pad Thai (Tamarind Rice Noodle Stir-Fry)","ผัดไทย","Phat thai","pat TIE","thailand","Central Thailand \u002F Bangkok","🍜","Thailand's national noodle dish: chewy rice noodles stir-fried with shrimp, egg and tofu in a tamarind–fish sauce–palm sugar glaze, finished with bean sprouts, peanuts and lime.","Pad thai is a stir-fry of flat rice noodles glossed in a sauce that balances three things: sour tamarind, salty fish sauce and caramel-sweet palm sugar. Around that spine go shrimp, egg, firm tofu and scallions, with raw bean sprouts and crushed peanuts folded in at the end for crunch, and a wedge of lime to sharpen the whole plate. Good pad thai is not sweet ketchup-orange noodles — it is tangy, savory and just faintly sweet, with a whisper of smoke from a very hot wok. The home version here works because it respects the two rules street cooks live by: get the sauce mixed and tasted before the wok is lit, and never cook more than two portions at once.","Pad thai means \"Thai stir-fry\", and the name is doing deliberate political work. Stir-fried rice noodles came to Siam with Chinese migrants, who ran most of the noodle trade; the technique, the wok and the noodles themselves are Chinese in origin, and dishes very much like pad thai existed in that Chinese-Thai world before anyone gave them a flag.\n\nThe flag came in the late 1930s and 1940s, under Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram, the nationalist prime minister who renamed Siam \"Thailand\" and issued cultural mandates on everything from hats to language. His government promoted a standardized noodle dish as a national food — encouraging noodle consumption and noodle stalls, with slogans urging Thais to eat noodles, partly as economic policy around rice and nation-building. A Chinese-style noodle stir-fry was recast with a patriotic name, kuaitiao phat thai, later shortened to phat thai. Few national dishes anywhere have such a clearly documented, top-down origin: pad thai was, quite literally, promoted into being.\n\nThe campaign worked beyond anything Phibun could have imagined. The dish spread through Bangkok's street stalls, where vendors refined the formula — tamarind for sourness, palm sugar, dried shrimp, preserved radish for chew and funk, a fast hand on a charcoal-fired wok. Decades later, Thai restaurants abroad made it the country's culinary ambassador, to the point where pad thai is now more famous internationally than it is beloved at home; plenty of Thais regard it as one good noodle dish among dozens. None of that diminishes it. Made properly, with real tamarind and a screaming-hot pan, it earns its fame — a dish invented as propaganda that turned out to be genuinely delicious.",[16,17,18,19],"A real tamarind–fish sauce–palm sugar sauce, mixed and tasted before cooking — no ketchup shortcuts.","Cooks in two-portion batches, the only way a home burner can deliver street-stall texture.","Dried shrimp and pressed tofu are included the traditional way, but marked optional so the recipe still works from a regular supermarket.","The noodle-soaking method is calibrated so the noodles finish in the wok — chewy, never mushy.",[21,22,23,24,25,26],"Soak the noodles in room-temperature or lukewarm water, never boil them. They should be pliable but still too firm to eat — they finish cooking in the sauce.","Cook two portions at a time, maximum. Crowd the wok and the noodles steam, clump and turn gluey; every street vendor in Bangkok cooks pad thai one or two plates at a time.","Mix the sauce ahead and taste it: it should make you wince slightly at the sour-salty edge, because the noodles will mute it. Adjust with sugar or tamarind before it hits the pan.","Use tamarind pulp or concentrate labeled just \"tamarind\", not sweetened tamarind sauce or chutney.","Have everything within arm's reach before you light the burner — total cooking time is about four minutes and there is no pause once the garlic goes in.","If your shrimp are large, butterfly them so they cook in the same brief window as everything else.",[28,32,36],{"original":29,"swap":30,"note":31},"Tamarind pulp","Equal parts lime juice and rice vinegar plus a little extra palm sugar","Gets you the sour-sweet axis but loses tamarind's dark, fruity depth. Tamarind blocks are cheap and keep for a year — worth buying.",{"original":33,"swap":34,"note":35},"Palm sugar","Light brown sugar","A close match; use slightly less, as brown sugar is a touch sweeter and lacks palm sugar's smoky note.",{"original":37,"swap":38,"note":39},"Shrimp","Sliced chicken thigh, or extra tofu for a pescatarian-to-vegetarian shift","Both are standard street-stall options. With chicken, give it a 30-second head start in the wok. Note the sauce still contains fish sauce.",[41,44,47],{"name":42,"description":43},"Pad thai haw kai (egg-wrapped)","The finished noodles are folded inside a thin omelet parcel and cut open at the table — a beloved street-stall upgrade.",{"name":45,"description":46},"Vegetarian pad thai (jay)","Made with soy sauce instead of fish sauce, tofu only, and no dried shrimp — common during Thailand's annual vegetarian festival.",{"name":48,"description":49},"Country-style with chives","Uses garlic chives instead of scallions and adds preserved sweet radish (chai po) for chew and salty-sweet pops — closest to the Bangkok classic.",[51],"Fresh lime wedges, extra bean sprouts and a jar of dried chile flakes on the table, Thai-style — plus a cold, very light lager.","Pad thai is best the minute it leaves the wok. Leftovers keep 2 days refrigerated; revive them in a hot oiled pan with a splash of water so the noodles loosen and re-glaze — a microwave turns them rubbery. The sauce alone keeps 2 weeks refrigerated, so make a double batch and be four minutes from pad thai anytime. Do not freeze cooked noodles; they shatter into mush.",[54,57,60,63,66],{"question":55,"answer":56},"Is pad thai actually a traditional Thai dish?","It is Thai, but younger than most people assume. Stir-fried rice noodles came from Chinese cooks in Siam; in the late 1930s and 1940s Thailand's nationalist government under Plaek Phibunsongkhram promoted a standardized version under the patriotic name \"phat thai\" as part of a nation-building campaign. So it is a genuinely Thai dish with openly Chinese roots and an unusually well-documented political origin.",{"question":58,"answer":59},"What noodles do I need for pad thai?","Dried flat rice noodles about 3–5 mm wide, sold as \"rice stick\", banh pho or chantaboon noodles in Asian markets. Soak them in room-temperature water until pliable but still firm — never boil them first, because they finish cooking in the wok and boiled noodles turn to mush the moment sauce hits them.",{"question":61,"answer":62},"Why did my pad thai come out clumpy and mushy?","Almost always one of two errors: the noodles were over-soaked or pre-boiled, or the pan was overcrowded. Pad thai must be cooked in one- or two-portion batches over the highest heat you have, so the noodles fry in the sauce rather than steam in their own crowd. Undersoak slightly and add splashes of water in the pan if they need help.",{"question":64,"answer":65},"What does tamarind taste like and can I skip it?","Tamarind is a pod fruit with a dark, sour-fruity flavor — somewhere between lime, dates and dried apricot. It is the signature sourness of real pad thai. In a pinch, lime juice with rice vinegar and extra sugar imitates the acidity, but the dish loses its characteristic depth, so genuine tamarind pulp is strongly worth finding.",{"question":67,"answer":68},"Is pad thai supposed to be spicy?","Not as served. Street-stall pad thai arrives mild, and each eater adds dried chile flakes, fish sauce, sugar or vinegared chiles from the condiment caddy on the table. Heat is a personal setting in Thailand, not a fixed property of the dish — so serve chile flakes alongside rather than cooking them in.",[70,71,72,73],"Wok or largest heavy skillet you own","Wok spatula or sturdy tongs","Large bowl for soaking noodles","Small bowl for the mixed sauce",2,30,10,"medium",[79,80],"main","street-food",[82,83,84],"dairy-free","gluten-free","pescatarian",[86,87,88,89],"shrimp","eggs","fish-sauce","scallions",[91,96,101,104,107,110,114,118,120,124,126,130,132,137,140,142,145],{"qty":92,"unit":93,"name":94,"group":95},150,"g","dried flat rice noodles (3–5 mm)","For the noodles",{"qty":97,"unit":98,"name":99,"group":100},3,"tbsp","tamarind pulp (concentrate)","For the sauce",{"ref":88,"qty":102,"unit":98,"name":103,"group":100},2.5,"fish sauce",{"qty":102,"unit":98,"name":105,"note":106,"group":100},"palm sugar, chopped or grated","or light brown sugar",{"qty":74,"unit":98,"name":108,"noScale":109,"group":100},"water",true,{"ref":86,"qty":111,"unit":93,"name":112,"group":113},200,"shrimp, peeled and deveined","For the stir-fry",{"ref":115,"qty":116,"unit":93,"name":117,"group":113},"tofu",100,"firm or pressed tofu, in small batons",{"ref":87,"qty":74,"unit":119,"name":87,"group":113},"piece",{"ref":121,"qty":97,"unit":122,"name":123,"group":113},"garlic","clove","garlic, finely chopped",{"qty":74,"unit":98,"name":125,"group":113},"shallot, finely chopped",{"qty":127,"unit":98,"name":128,"optional":109,"note":129,"group":113},1,"small dried shrimp","traditional; adds savory chew",{"qty":97,"unit":98,"name":131,"noScale":109,"group":113},"neutral oil",{"ref":89,"qty":133,"unit":119,"name":134,"note":135,"group":136},4,"scallions, in 4 cm lengths","or garlic chives","For finishing",{"qty":74,"unit":138,"name":139,"group":136},"cup","bean sprouts",{"qty":133,"unit":98,"name":141,"group":136},"roasted peanuts, roughly crushed",{"ref":143,"qty":127,"unit":119,"name":144,"group":136},"lime","lime, in wedges",{"qty":146,"unit":147,"name":148,"optional":109,"group":136},null,"to taste","dried chile flakes, for the table",[150,155,158,161,164,167,172],{"title":151,"text":152,"timerSeconds":153,"tip":154},"Soak the noodles","Cover the rice noodles with room-temperature water and soak until they are pliable enough to bend around a finger but still too firm to eat, 25–30 minutes. Drain them well just before cooking.",1500,"If the packet says \"soak in hot water\", ignore it for pad thai — hot-soaked noodles overcook in the wok.",{"title":156,"text":157},"Mix the sauce","Warm the tamarind, fish sauce, palm sugar and water in a small pan, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves into a smooth, dark sauce. Taste it: it should be assertively sour-salty with sweetness behind — sharper than you want the final dish, because the noodles will soften it.",{"title":159,"text":160},"Set up your station","Arrange everything within reach of the stove: drained noodles, sauce, shrimp, tofu, aromatics, eggs cracked into a cup, and the sprouts, scallions and peanuts together. Once the wok is hot, the dish takes about four minutes with no time to fetch anything.",{"title":162,"text":163},"Fry tofu, aromatics and shrimp","Heat the oil in a wok over the highest heat until it shimmers and just starts to smoke. Fry the tofu until its edges turn golden and crisp, then add the garlic, shallot and dried shrimp and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add {qty:shrimp} of shrimp and toss until they just turn pink and curl loosely.",{"title":165,"text":166},"Scramble the eggs","Push everything to one side, add a little more oil to the empty side, and pour in the eggs. Let them set halfway, then scramble roughly into large soft curds and fold them through the rest.",{"title":168,"text":169,"timerSeconds":170,"tip":171},"Noodles and sauce","Add the drained noodles and pour the sauce over them. Toss and fold constantly until the noodles absorb the sauce, turn glossy and tender-chewy, and no liquid pools in the pan, 2–3 minutes. If they stiffen before they are tender, splash in a tablespoon of water and keep tossing.",180,"Tongs beat a spatula here — lift and drop the noodles rather than stirring, so they coat without tearing.",{"title":173,"text":174},"Finish and serve","Kill the heat and fold in the scallions, most of the bean sprouts and half the peanuts — the residual heat should wilt the scallions while the sprouts stay crunchy. Plate immediately, topped with the remaining peanuts and sprouts, a lime wedge, and chile flakes on the side for each eater to season their own.",{"calories":176,"protein":177,"carbs":178,"fat":179,"fiber":133,"sugar":180,"estimated":109},640,34,78,22,18,[182],{"src":183,"alt":184},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fpad-thai\u002Fhero.svg","Plate of pad thai noodles with shrimp, bean sprouts, crushed peanuts and a lime wedge",[186,187,9,188,189,190,86],"pad thai","noodles","stir-fry","tamarind","street food","2026-08-18","dishroute-kitchen",{"items":194,"total":76,"page":127,"limit":406,"hasMore":407},[195,217,243,269,294,320,342,349,371,388],{"slug":196,"title":197,"nativeName":198,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":74,"prepMinutes":199,"cookMinutes":76,"difficulty":200,"course":201,"diet":203,"mainIngredients":204,"images":206,"keywords":210,"publishedAt":216,"updatedAt":216,"authorSlug":192},"khai-jiao","Khai Jiao (Thai Deep-Fried Puffy Omelette over Rice)","ไข่เจียว",5,"easy",[202,79,80],"breakfast",[84,82],[87,88,205],"jasmine-rice",[207],{"src":208,"alt":209},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fkhai-jiao\u002Fhero.svg","Puffed golden Thai omelette with lacy crisp edges sitting on steamed jasmine rice with a stripe of chili sauce",[211,212,213,103,190,214,215],"khai jiao","thai omelette","fried egg","thai breakfast","rice plate","2026-08-19",{"slug":218,"title":219,"nativeName":220,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":133,"prepMinutes":221,"cookMinutes":75,"restMinutes":222,"difficulty":200,"course":223,"diet":225,"mainIngredients":228,"images":232,"keywords":236,"publishedAt":216,"updatedAt":216,"authorSlug":192},"mango-sticky-rice","Khao Niao Mamuang (Thai Mango Sticky Rice)","ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง",20,240,[224],"dessert",[226,227,83,82],"vegetarian","vegan",[229,230,231],"sticky-rice","coconut-milk","mango",[233],{"src":234,"alt":235},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fmango-sticky-rice\u002Fhero.svg","Mound of glossy coconut sticky rice beside fanned slices of golden mango, drizzled with coconut sauce and toasted sesame",[237,238,239,240,241,242],"mango sticky rice","khao niao mamuang","thai dessert","coconut milk","glutinous rice","vegan dessert",{"slug":244,"title":245,"nativeName":246,"romanized":247,"countrySlug":9,"region":248,"baseServings":133,"prepMinutes":249,"cookMinutes":250,"difficulty":77,"course":251,"diet":253,"mainIngredients":254,"images":257,"keywords":261,"publishedAt":216,"updatedAt":216,"authorSlug":192},"khao-soi","Khao Soi Gai (Chiang Mai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup)","ข้าวซอยไก่","Khao soi gai","Chiang Mai",25,40,[79,252],"soup",[82],[255,88,143,121,256],"chicken","onion",[258],{"src":259,"alt":260},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fkhao-soi\u002Fhero.svg","Bowl of golden coconut curry noodle soup with a chicken leg, crisp fried noodle nest, shallots and lime wedge",[262,263,264,265,266,267,268],"khao soi","chiang mai","curry noodle soup","northern thai","coconut curry","egg noodles","lanna",{"slug":270,"title":271,"nativeName":272,"romanized":273,"countrySlug":9,"region":274,"baseServings":133,"prepMinutes":221,"cookMinutes":275,"difficulty":77,"course":276,"diet":278,"mainIngredients":279,"images":282,"keywords":286,"publishedAt":216,"updatedAt":216,"authorSlug":192},"larb-gai","Larb Gai (Isan Minced Chicken Salad with Toasted Rice)","ลาบไก่","Laap kai","Isan",15,[79,277],"appetizer",[82,83],[255,143,88,280,281,89],"mint","rice",[283],{"src":284,"alt":285},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Flarb-gai\u002Fhero.svg","Warm minced chicken salad piled with mint, shallot and scallion, dusted with toasted rice powder, beside sticky rice",[287,288,289,290,291,292,293],"larb","laap gai","isan","thai salad","minced chicken","toasted rice powder","lao food",{"slug":295,"title":296,"nativeName":297,"romanized":298,"countrySlug":9,"region":299,"baseServings":133,"prepMinutes":75,"cookMinutes":300,"restMinutes":301,"difficulty":200,"course":302,"diet":304,"mainIngredients":305,"images":309,"keywords":313,"publishedAt":216,"updatedAt":216,"authorSlug":192},"moo-ping","Moo Ping (Thai Grilled Coconut Pork Skewers)","หมูปิ้ง","Mu ping","Bangkok",12,480,[80,303,79],"snack",[82,83],[306,121,307,88,308],"pork-shoulder","cilantro","black-pepper",[310],{"src":311,"alt":312},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fmoo-ping\u002Fhero.svg","Charred grilled pork skewers glazed dark brown on a street grill, served with a basket of sticky rice",[314,315,316,190,317,318,319],"moo ping","thai pork skewers","grilled pork","coconut marinade","bangkok breakfast","sticky rice",{"slug":321,"title":322,"nativeName":323,"romanized":324,"countrySlug":9,"region":325,"baseServings":133,"prepMinutes":300,"cookMinutes":326,"difficulty":200,"course":327,"diet":328,"mainIngredients":329,"images":332,"keywords":336,"publishedAt":216,"updatedAt":216,"authorSlug":192},"pad-kra-pao","Pad Kra Pao Moo (Thai Holy Basil Stir-Fry with Fried Egg)","ผัดกะเพราหมู","Phat kaphrao mu","Central Thailand",8,[79,80],[82],[330,331,121,87,281,88],"ground-pork","basil",[333],{"src":334,"alt":335},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fpad-kra-pao\u002Fhero.svg","Plate of jasmine rice topped with chili-flecked minced pork and holy basil, with a lacy fried egg on top",[337,338,339,340,213,190,341],"pad kra pao","holy basil","thai stir-fry","minced pork","quick dinner",{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"romanized":7,"countrySlug":9,"region":10,"baseServings":74,"prepMinutes":75,"cookMinutes":76,"difficulty":77,"course":343,"diet":344,"mainIngredients":345,"images":346,"keywords":348,"publishedAt":191,"updatedAt":191,"authorSlug":192},[79,80],[82,83,84],[86,87,88,89],[347],{"src":183,"alt":184},[186,187,9,188,189,190,86],{"slug":350,"title":351,"nativeName":352,"romanized":353,"countrySlug":9,"region":274,"baseServings":133,"prepMinutes":221,"cookMinutes":354,"difficulty":200,"course":355,"diet":357,"mainIngredients":358,"images":361,"keywords":365,"publishedAt":216,"updatedAt":216,"authorSlug":192},"som-tam","Som Tam Thai (Green Papaya Salad Pounded in a Mortar)","ส้มตำไทย","Som tam thai",0,[277,356],"side",[82,83,84],[143,88,121,359,360],"tomato","dried-shrimp",[362],{"src":363,"alt":364},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fsom-tam\u002Fhero.svg","Green papaya salad heaped on a plate with cherry tomatoes, long beans, chilies and crushed peanuts beside a clay mortar",[366,367,289,290,368,369,370],"som tam","green papaya salad","papaya","mortar and pestle","no-cook",{"slug":372,"title":373,"nativeName":374,"romanized":375,"countrySlug":9,"region":325,"baseServings":133,"prepMinutes":221,"cookMinutes":75,"difficulty":200,"course":376,"diet":377,"mainIngredients":378,"images":379,"keywords":383,"publishedAt":191,"updatedAt":191,"authorSlug":192},"thai-green-curry","Thai Green Curry with Chicken (Gaeng Keow Wan)","แกงเขียวหวาน","Kaeng khiao wan",[79],[82,83],[255,331,88],[380],{"src":381,"alt":382},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fthai-green-curry\u002Fhero.svg","Bowl of pale-green Thai curry with chicken, eggplant and thai basil beside jasmine rice",[384,9,240,255,385,386,387],"green curry","gaeng keow wan","thai basil","curry paste",{"slug":389,"title":390,"nativeName":391,"romanized":392,"countrySlug":9,"region":325,"baseServings":133,"prepMinutes":275,"cookMinutes":221,"difficulty":200,"course":393,"diet":394,"mainIngredients":395,"images":397,"keywords":401,"publishedAt":191,"updatedAt":191,"authorSlug":192},"tom-yum-soup","Tom Yum Goong (Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup)","ต้มยำกุ้ง","Tom yam kung",[252],[82,83,84],[86,396,143,88],"mushrooms",[398],{"src":399,"alt":400},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Ftom-yum-soup\u002Fhero.svg","Bowl of hot and sour tom yum soup with shrimp, mushrooms, lemongrass and cilantro",[402,252,9,86,403,404,405],"tom yum","lemongrass","galangal","hot and sour",24,false,1787360063589]