Pad Thai is rice noodles (sen lek) stir-fried with egg, tofu, dried shrimp, bean sprouts, and a sauce of tamarind paste, fish sauce, and palm sugar, topped with crushed peanuts, lime, and fresh chilli.
The sauce ratio
The foundational balance: 3 tbsp tamarind concentrate, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp palm sugar. The result should be sour-first, then salty, with sweetness supporting rather than dominating. Adjust for tamarind concentration — pastes vary widely in acidity.
Noodle soaking
Sen lek (3mm rice noodles) are soaked in room-temperature water 20–30 minutes before frying, not boiled. Boiling makes them too soft for the wok. They will finish cooking in the stir-fry. Drain just before adding to the wok.
Common mistakes
- Overcrowding the pan: fry in portions of one serving max
- Over-saucing: the sauce should coat the noodles, not pool under them
- Adding bean sprouts too early: they should be added in the last 30 seconds to retain crunch