Homemade Pad Thai

• 200g flat rice noodles
• 200g peeled shrimp
• 3 eggs
• 100g soy sprouts
• 3 scallions
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
• 1 tablespoon palm sugar
• 50g toasted peanuts
• Lime for serving

👨‍🍳 Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Soak the noodles in cold water for 30 minutes until they soften but are not completely tender.

2. 2

   Mix fish sauce, tamarind, and sugar for the sauce. Adjust sweet-sour-salty balance.

3. 3

   Stir-fry the shrimp in a very hot wok with oil until they change color. Set aside.

4. 4

   Add the drained noodles with the sauce. Stir-fry 2-3 minutes. Push to one side and scramble the eggs.

5. 5

   Incorporate shrimp, soy sprouts, and scallions. Mix everything. Serve with peanuts, lime, and cilantro.

💡 Chef's tip

Cook over maximum heat and resist the urge to stir too much — let the noodles get a slight char on the bottom before mixing. Always add the eggs last, pushing ingredients aside to scramble them separately.

📝 Our take

Pad Thai rarely turns out at home as well as at a Thai restaurant, and the reason is almost always the same: the wok isn't hot enough. The tart tamarind sauce, umami fish sauce, and dried chilli heat need to caramelize with the noodles at the right moment. Without that high heat, you get a soggy, lifeless noodle dish.

🍷 Wine & food pairing

Ice-cold Singha or Chang Thai beer. A chilled jasmine iced tea also pairs beautifully with the tamarind.