Thai · Main course · Tested 16 times

Pad Thai — Thai Stir-fried Rice Noodles

Thailand's most famous noodle dish: rice noodles tossed in a sweet-sour-salty tamarind sauce with shrimp, tofu, egg, and chives, finished with crushed peanuts, bean sprouts, and a hard squeeze of lime. Five minutes of frantic wok work.

By Nattaporn Srisai · Southeast Asia editor · Published 2026-03-22 · Updated 2026-05-23
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Prep
25 min
Cook
10 min
Total
35 min
Yields
2 servings
Difficulty
Medium
#thai#noodles#weeknight#stir-fry
Quick answer · A 30-second answer

Soak rice noodles until pliable. Make a sauce of tamarind, palm sugar, and fish sauce. Stir-fry shrimp and firm tofu, push aside and scramble an egg, add the drained noodles and sauce and toss until absorbed, then chives and bean sprouts. Plate with crushed peanuts, lime, and chili flakes.

  • Soak — don't boil — the noodles, so they finish cooking in the wok without turning to mush.
  • Real pad Thai is tamarind-led: sweet, sour, and salty in balance, not ketchup-red and sugary.
  • Work fast and hot, in single portions. Doubling in one wok steams the noodles sticky.

Equipment

  • Wok or large nonstick skillet
  • Bowl for soaking noodles

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 30 g tamarind paste
  • 30 g palm sugar, or brown sugar
  • 30 ml fish sauce

Stir-fry

  • 120 g flat dried rice noodles (5 mm), soaked
  • 30 ml neutral oil
  • 150 g shrimp, peeled, or chicken
  • 80 g firm tofu, in small cubes
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 egg
  • 30 g dried shrimp, optional, chopped
  • 1 handful garlic chives, in 4 cm lengths
  • 1 handful bean sprouts

To finish

  • 40 g roasted peanuts, crushed
  • 1 lime, in wedges
  • Chili flakes, extra fish sauce, sugar (table seasonings)

Method

  1. STEP
    01

    Soak the rice noodles in warm (not boiling) water 20–30 minutes until pliable but still firm. Drain. They'll finish cooking in the wok.

  2. STEP
    02

    Stir the tamarind, palm sugar, and fish sauce together until the sugar dissolves. Taste — it should be equally sweet, sour, and salty.

  3. STEP
    03

    Heat the oil in a screaming-hot wok. Fry the tofu until golden, add the shrimp and garlic, and cook until the shrimp just turns pink. Add the dried shrimp if using.

  4. STEP
    04

    Push everything to one side. Crack the egg into the cleared space, let it set briefly, then scramble.

  5. STEP
    05

    Add the drained noodles and the sauce. Toss constantly over high heat 2–3 minutes until the noodles soften, absorb the sauce, and turn glossy. Add a splash of water if they're still firm.

  6. STEP
    06

    Toss in the chives and most of the bean sprouts for the last 30 seconds. Plate, and top with crushed peanuts, the remaining raw bean sprouts, lime wedges, and chili flakes. Serve immediately.

Make ahead

Soak the noodles and mix the sauce ahead; prep all the components in bowls (mise en place). The cook is 5 frantic minutes, so everything must be ready before the wok gets hot.

Storage

Best immediately — rice noodles clump and harden as they cool. Leftovers re-fry passably with a splash of water. Eat fresh.

Variations

Pad Thai gai (chicken)

Use sliced chicken thigh instead of shrimp; cook until just done before the egg.

Vegetarian/vegan

Skip shrimp and dried shrimp; use extra tofu, swap fish sauce for light soy + a pinch of seaweed, and ensure no egg for vegan.

Pad Thai in an omelette (goong song kreung)

Wrap the finished noodles in a thin egg crepe for the street-stall presentation.

Serve with

Lime wedges and chili flakes (essential)A glass of nam manao (lime soda)Som tam (green papaya salad) on the side

Nutrition per serving

560 kcal 24 g fat 62 g carbs 26 g protein 16 g sugar 3 g fiber 1320 mg sodium
Allergens: Shellfish, Egg, Peanut, Fish, Soy
Diet: Dairy-free

Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.

Frequently asked

Why soak instead of boil the noodles?

Boiled rice noodles overcook and turn gummy once they hit the hot wok and sauce. Soaking them in warm water leaves them pliable but firm, so they finish to the perfect chew while absorbing the sauce in the pan.

What gives pad Thai its flavor?

Tamarind (sour), palm sugar (sweet), and fish sauce (salty) in balance — that three-way harmony is the whole dish. Bottled 'pad Thai sauce' is often just sweet and red; the real thing is tangier and more savory.

Can I make a big batch at once?

Cook one or two portions at a time. A crowded wok loses heat, and the noodles steam and clump into a sticky mass instead of frying loose. Do batches and serve as you go.

Where do I find tamarind?

Tamarind paste/concentrate is sold at any Asian or Latin grocer. Use seedless paste; if it's very thick concentrate, thin with a little water and use less. Lime juice alone is not a substitute — tamarind has a deeper, fruitier sourness.

Is it gluten-free?

It can be — rice noodles are gluten-free, but check your fish sauce and avoid soy-based additions, or use tamari. As written it's dairy-free; note the peanuts, shrimp, and egg for allergies.

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