7-Steps to Properly Eating Pad Thai

May 25, 2017

Pad Thai – A Delectable Dish

Pad Thai is absolutely one of my favorite dishes. I have enjoyed the delicacy for over 22 years and still find it a mouth-fireworks experience every time. Pad Thai combines a balance of sweet and sour, salty and spicy, fresh and cooked to make a delectable experience for the traveled foodie. The dish usually combines tamarind, scallops, rice noodles, shallots, eggs, fish sauce, choice of meat(shrimp, chicken or pork) and fresh bean sprouts, and chives. Optionally, it may also contain roasted red chili pepper,  dried shrimp, tofu, julienned carrots, and a wedge of lime. The miscellaneous fresh vegetables, roasted red chili pepper, roasted peanuts and wedge of lime are often provided on the side, making for a beautiful display of color.

So you are ready to try Pad Thai and have placed your order. Out comes a plate with a colorful assortment of condiments surrounding a pile of noodles – a palette of flavor just waiting to expand your mouth’s horizons! But where to start? That’s what we will be covering in this piece. Please continue!

Pad Thai

Step 1 – Just a pinch of Chili

Thai cuisine has a unique dried chili they commonly use as a condiment. And it is absolutely exquisite! When making dried chili, Thai’s first roast the chili peppers in an oven. Then they grind it into a powder. So Thai dried chili flavor is quite different from sun-dried chili powder. And the color is a deep red.

But not too fast – you will want to use sparingly… Dried chili is very potent. One time, my friend made the mistake of using all the dried chili they gave on the side of her plate. Let’s just say that her Thai experience was on fire! Try just a pinch at first. If you think that is not enough after mixing, then add a bit more to your taste.

Step 2 – A Fresh Squeeze of Lime

Most Pad Thai dishes will include a fresh lime cut on the side. In my opinion, you cannot use too much lime juice. So squeeze away! It gives the Pad Thai a nice sour flavor to balance the sweetness from the natural tamarind sauce.

Step 3 – To be or not to be? Dried Shrimp

Dried shrimp is another condiment commonly used with Pad Thai. In fact, most restaurants will just add it on top for you. My personal preference is to leave it off. Something about the crunch of the exocarp just doesn’t work for me. It also seems to overwhelm the other flavors with seafood overtures. However, if you are a seafood nut, then have it! Add as much dried shrimp as you would like.

Step 4 – Don’t Forget the Nuts!

Pad Thai is just not the same if you don’t add crushed peanuts! Most restaurants will include this on the side or they will place it on for you. This gives the dish a distinct Thai flavor as many Thai sauces uniquely feature peanuts. Just like the lime juice, I don’t think there is an overboard on using too many peanuts. A liberal sized spoonful should do the trick! Additionally, the peanuts should be crushed with a mortar and pestle so that they are halfway between a crunchy and powdery consistency.

The Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok, Thailand.

Step 5 – And Everything else…

Last but not least, every Thai dish will have fresh bean sprouts and possibly green onions and julienned carrots on the side. In fact, I’ve also seen finely chopped cabbage used with great success! Use according to your preference. The fresh vegetables add a nice balance to contrast from the well-cooked noodles and choice of meat.

Step 6 – Chopsticks Please!

The first time I ate Pad Thai was with chopsticks, and I have rarely eaten it with other utensils. However, I have noticed the flavor to be lessened on the occasion that chopsticks were unavailable. Could it be that stretching the mouth to take in a fork or spoon causes the taste buds to become slightly numb? Or is it that a spoon and fork are wider and take longer to mix the ingredients properly? Whatever the reason, I am certain that chopsticks are the best way to handle this delicious dish.

Have you never used chopsticks before? Pad Thai is a great dish to learn chopsticks on! Each time you successfully place a bite in your mouth, you will be well rewarded with a host of flavors. What a wonderful motivation to keep using them!

Step 7 – A Proper Mixing

All that is left, now, is to stir away! Completely mix the ingredients you have combined in front of you. Mix the dish well enough so that the chili and peanuts are well dissolved into the Pad Thai sauce and so the vegetables evenly distributed and covered.

Then enjoy!

Buddhist head in tree of Ayuttaya