Pad Thai

Ingredients

• 8 oz Rice noodles (dry)
• 3 tbsp Tamarind concentrate
• 3 tbsp Brown sugar
• 2 tbsp Low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tbsp Canola oil
• ¾ block Extra-firm tofu, cut into small cubes
• 3 Eggs (large), beaten
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 Shallot, sliced thin
• 2 cups Mung bean sprouts
• 4 Scallions (green onions), cut into 2-inch lengths
• ½ cup Roasted peanuts, roasted, crushed
• 2 Lime, cut into wedges
• ½ tsp Red pepper flakes (optional)

Method

1. Soak the rice noodles in hot tap water 25 minutes until pliable but still firm. They finish cooking in the pan; boiled noodles turn to paste.
2. Stir the tamarind, brown sugar and soy sauce together with 2 tablespoons water. Taste it: sour first, then sweet, then salty. If it is flat, more tamarind. This is the whole dish.
3. Fry the tofu in 2 tablespoons oil over high heat until golden on several sides, 5 minutes. Push it to the edge of the pan.
4. Add the remaining oil, then the garlic and shallots for 30 seconds. Pour the eggs into the empty side, let them set 20 seconds, then scramble them coarsely.
5. Add the drained noodles and the sauce. Toss constantly for 2-3 minutes until the noodles absorb it and turn glossy brown. If they seize up, a splash of water.
6. Off the heat, fold in the bean sprouts, scallions and half the peanuts — the sprouts should stay crunchy. Serve with the rest of the peanuts, lime wedges and chile flakes on the side, so everyone balances their own plate. That final adjustment at the table is Thai cooking.

Notes

✨ The restaurant touch

Everything ready in bowls before the pan is hot, and the pan genuinely hot. Pad thai takes six minutes to cook and there is no time to chop anything.

🧒 For the kids

Leave the chile off entirely and put extra peanuts and lime on the table. Sweet, sour and noodly is a combination that usually wins.

🥡 Leftovers

Keeps 2 days; the noodles soften. Refresh in a hot pan with a splash of water.

Per serving

Computed from USDA FoodData Central values. A planning tool, not medical advice.