In the Pantry: Make Pad Thai at Home

In the Pantry
In the Pantry: Make Pad Thai at Home

Looking for an ethnic recipe that is easy and that can be prepared faster than you can order it over the phone? With the right ingredients from your pantry, making ethnic food at home doesn't have to be intimidating. Here's how to make quick and easy Pad Thai at home.

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Pad Thai prep:
From your pantry, you'll need Pad Thai noodles. These rice noodles are also perfect for cold noodle salads during summer. Prep your noodles by letting them soak in lukewarm water for 8-10 minutes until the noodles are pliable. You'll also need fish sauce, which has savory, salty notes often found in Thai food, chili powder, and Tamarind paste. Additionally, because Pad Thai is like stir fry, have the other ingredients, like minced garlic, thinly-sliced onion, bell pepper, chives, your choice of protein (shrimp, tofu, chicken, beef), and roasted peanuts, prepped and sliced before you turn the heat on the pan.

To make the Pad Thai sauce, simmer together:
1 Tbsp Tamarind Paste
3 Tbsp Fish Sauce
1½ Tbsp Chili Powder
¼ cup Water
2 Tbsp Dark Brown Sugar

Tip: Make extra sauce! It can be kept for up to a week in the fridge.

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How to make Pad Thai:
1. Heat a dash of canola, peanut, or grape seed oil. Add garlic and onion.
Tip: Be sure to work in small batches to coat in the sauce evenly.
2. Add bell pepper. When the bell pepper has softened, move ingredients to the side of the pan and add eggs.
3. Scramble the eggs and stir all of the ingredients in the pan together.
4. Add your protein, like shrimp, tofu, thinly-sliced chicken, beef, or pork, and stir.
5. Add a handful of noodles and the Pad Thai sauce, letting it cook until the sauce boils.
6. Sprinkle in chives, making sure everything is evenly coated in the sauce.
7. Top with roasted peanuts and cilantro.


For more cooking tips and tricks, check out host Aida Mollenkamp's book, "Keys to the Kitchen."

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