Forget takeout! I’m dishing up the Pad Thai of your dreams, perfect for nights when cooking feels like a chore. This ain’t your average recipe – it’s packed with fresh, vibrant flavors that’ll blow your taste buds away.
Let’s be real, restaurant Pad Thai can be hit-or-miss. Questionable ingredients, oily messes, and flavor inconsistency? No thanks! I embarked on a mission to create the ultimate homemade Pad Thai, and let me tell you, it’s life-changing (and way cheaper!).
Here’s the secret sauce (literally): Ditch the store-bought stuff loaded with hidden nasties. Instead, I found this amazing YAI’S THAI sauce at Whole Foods – it’s like a flavor party in a bottle! Plus, a touch of Wok Mei Oyster Sauce adds an umami depth you won’t believe. Trust me, your taste buds will thank you.
This recipe is the perfect balance of fresh and authentic, made with love in your own kitchen. You won’t just taste the difference, you’ll feel it – no more sluggish post-Pad Thai coma!
Ready to unleash your inner Pad Thai pro? Swipe up for the recipe and get ready to experience Pad Thai bliss!
Don’t forget to top it with your favorite crunchy toppings – peanuts, scallions, basil, cilantro, the works!
Ingredients
(Serves 4)
- 5.0 oz Thai dry rice noodles, about 3mm
- 1 lb 20 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into small strips with a bit of salt
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, rinsed, seedless and sliced into strips
- ½ green bell pepper
- ½ cup extra firm organic tofu, cut into small sticks 3cm (1¼ in)
- 2 cups beansprouts to the mixture
- 5 fresh green onions, white and green, rinsed and sliced
- 2 organic eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup YAI’s PAD THAI SAUCE (Mild), shake well the bottle before using
- ¼ cup pasta water
- 2 Tbsp of oyster sauce – I used Wok Mei sauce – here’s a site that provides a photo
- ⅓ cup fresh Thai basil, rinsed and cut
- ¼ cup unsalted peanuts, finely chopped or peanut sauce
- ½ cup of more beansprouts – to add in the end
- lime wedges for garnish – essential
- ground chili powder, crushed hot chili flakes or cayenne pepper – optional
- Salt to taste
How to Prepare
- Place noodles in a large glass bowl, pour over plenty of boiling water. Soak for 8 minutes, then drain in a strainer and quickly rinse under cold water. Don’t leave them sitting around for more than 5-10 minutes.
- While noodles are soaking, heat oil in a large non stick pan (or skillet) in a medium-high heat. Add chicken and sauté until most cooked through, about 4 minutes.
- Transfer to a glass bowl and set aside, leaving oil in pan. (If the pan is dry add touch of extra olive oil).
- Then add scramble eggs, when its sets, remove the cooked eggs from the pan too. You can just put the eggs in the same bowl as the chicken. This way, your Pad Thai will get nice bits of perfectly scrabble eggs at the end.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and let the pan cool down a bit. Pour the remaining cooking oil. Add bell pepper, beansprouts, sautéing for about 1-2 minutes. Add the sauce to the mixture, oyster sauce, salt and pasta water, add the drained noodles into the pan. Turn the heat back up to medium-high. Toss everything together with a silicone spoon.
- The moment the sauce begins to simmer, add the chicken and egg back into the pan including, tofu, basil and continue stirring for about 1-2 minutes.
- Serve warm with the extra beansprouts, topped with peanuts, extra basil, lime and optional red pepper if you like bit spicy.
Notes
I found a great Pad Thai Sauce from ‘YAI’s THAI’ at my local Whole Foods Market. I didn’t see this type of sauce at any of my local Asian store. It’s a mild sauce that contains ingredients that we are familiar with, such as: “Tomato puree, garlic, soy sauce, water, soybeans, rice, salt, shallots, coconut palm sugar, tamarind paste, lime juice, sea salt, white vinegar, fish sauce, anchovies sea salt, paprika, tapioca starch, Thai chilis.” This type of sauce is perfect if you don’t feel like making your own.
Also to enhance the flavor of this Pad Thai dish, I added 2 Tablespoons of Oyster sauce from Wok Mei. It’s GMO free and the only sauce I found that includes at least Oyster Extract.
Pad Thai is made with flat, dried, rice noodles which can be found in every supermarket. I recommend AROY-D dry, gluten-free noodles (3mm), as these have less of a chance of breaking during the process of soaking and stir frying.
Peanuts, roasted myself, are not only cheaper, but also taste better … just a thought.
You’ll have a perfectly healthy meal like the photos here! Next time I’ll post another recipe using my homemade Thai sauce, stay tuned!