Shrimp Pad Thai (or Fried Thai rice noodles with shrimp) is a fresh cook menu from central of Thailand. It is one of the most popular Thai dish for foreigners. Presently, there are numerous of recipes to cook Pad Thai such as Pad Thai in egg wrap, Vintage pad Thai or Pad Thai Bo Raan, Glass noodle Pad Thai etc. Nevertheless, the most popular one which is ordered in general is Shrimp Pad Thai with its unique and balance taste of three core flavors are sour, salty, and sweet from its sauce, various ingredients to put in Pad Thai including fresh shrimp so that can be the mellow and tasty dish. So, to make authentic Pad Thai, there is some secret to know.
Today, we will presents you how to cook Shrimp Pad Thai with some secret trick. And of course, this recipe is delicious and simple.
Shrimp Pad Thai Recipe
Ingredients: (1-2 servings)
- 2-3 tbsp Cooking oil
- 150g Fresh Thai rice noodles
- 3 leaves Chinese Chives (chopped in length 1 ¼ inch)
- 1 cup Bean sprouts
- 2-3 tbsp White firm tofu (diced in tiny bits)
- 1 tbsp Chopped preserved turnips
- 7-8 Banana shrimp (peel off shell and head, and strive to get rid of shrimp line)
- 2 tbsp Meat dried shrimp
- 1 Egg
- 1 tbsp Minced shallots
- 1/3 cup Pad Thai sauce*
- ½ Water
- 1 tsp Grounded dried chili
- 2 tbsp Crushed roasted peanuts
- **fresh vegetables as side dish such as bean sprouts, banana flower, Chinese chive, Gotu Kola (Bai Bua Bok) etc.
- **seasoning: sugar, fish sauce, grounded dried chili, and cut fresh lime.
Ingredient for Pad Thai sauce:
- ¾ tbsp Tamarind paste
- 1 ¼ cup Palm tree sugar
- ½ cup + 1 tbsp Fish sauce
- ¼ cup Vinegar
Direction for Pad Thai sauce:
Mix together the sugar, tamarind paste and vinegar in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until it warm then add fish sauce and stir well until sizzling and thicker. The sauce should have 3 flavors; sour, salty and sweet and set aside.
Cooking of Shrimp Pad Thai
1. Heat the oil in the wok over medium heat and fry tofu until light brown, add shallots and stirred until it is fragrant.
2. Then add preserved turnips and dried shrimp, stirred well.
3. Add fresh shrimp (The trick is cook the shrimps until it turns its color and take out to set aside this will allow the shrimps to have juicy and sweet taste not too dry).
4. Add noodles and ½ cup of water (if too less water, add a little more). And stir well for 2 minutes. (The trick is stir and spread the noodle, do not let it pack together). Fry until the noodle is cooked well and soft.
5. Then add Pad Thai sauce and grounded chili, stir well and add the cooked shrimps. Then move the noodle to a side of the wok.
6. Add ½ tbsp oil in the wok and add egg. Use the spatula to beat the egg yolk. When the egg is cooked take noodles to the middle of the egg.
7. Then add bean sprouts and Chinese chives, stir quickly and done.
8. Serve in plate and topped with crushed roasted peanuts, side dish vegetables and seasonings.
Technique and Tricks of Shrimp Pad Thai
1. Cooking Noodle
Whether using fresh noodle or dried rice noodle, put it into the wok and add water immediately. Then stir well until the noodle is soft before add any seasonings or Pad Thai sauce. If add them when the noodle is still hard, the seasonings will make the noodle to be thick and hard.
A good benefit to use fresh noodles without soak or soft boil will allow the glutinous come out from the noodles as a result making the noodles to be chewy, fragrant and tasty. On the other hand, the noodle which is soaked or soft boiled will have less glutinous that will make noodle to be harder.
2. Preparing Pad Thai Sauce
Additionally, to make Pad Thai simply and quickly is a preparation of Pad Thai sauce before cooking. However, to make the sauce when cook Pad Thai dish by dish is all fine as well. And then add tofu, chopped preserved turnips, dried shrimp, fresh shrimp or pork (optional), egg and bean sprouts and stir well. This can be hot serve Pad Thai with its authentic flavor as well.
The tamarind paste makes Pad Thai to have nice light brown and gives a taste of sweet and sour. The trick is choosing new tamarind paste with red brown color, not black and squeeze it in warm water to get thick tamarind paste juice and sift by colander.
Using Pad Thai noodles or Thai rice noodle (Sen Chan) which are dried, when they are cooked the noodles will be chewier and not too watery. In case of using general thin fresh noodle (Chinese noodles), it is cooked the noodles will be softer and mushy. It is suitable for one who prefer soft version of Pad Thai. And for one who prefer original chewy style, should use fine Thai rice noodle.
3. Choosing Pan
The wok, can use all aluminum, stainless, iron and flat frying pan. However, there are some different results of each one is;
The advantage of Aluminum and stainless wok is the noodles will come out with nice color and not too dark but the noodles will be stick to the wok easily. The advantage of iron wok is heat on easily and less stick on, but the noodles will come out quite dark. For the flat frying pan will allow to cook more convenient because it is wide and can cook multi serves in a time. Anyhow, in case that cooking Pad Thai for sale only, we recommend to use the wok because it is more convenient and simpler.
4. Choosing Shrimp
The shrimps to be use in Pad Thai with shrimp, we recommend to use big banana shrimps. Because when cooked it will not be shrink to much and the taste is nicer. For the fresh shrimps, it is easy to cook by notice its color when it turns to bright orange and avoid to overcook which will make shrimps to be too hard.
So that is all for our Pad Thai with shrimp’s recipe and secret tricks which we brought to you here. If you enjoy this, please like and share for us.
