# Pad Thai Recipe



## petitgourmet (Nov 12, 2006)

Anyone have a good recipe for pad thai that doesn't include peanut butter or ketchup? (sorry about the food snobbery)


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## egeefay (Nov 7, 2006)

Here's a recipe on YOU TUBE that doesn't include peanut butter.
It Pad Thai made in Thailand by a Thai chef. No peanut butter used in Thailand


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## jacaranda (Sep 28, 2006)

If you search on amazon.com for "Thai cookery" and select recipe books that display the *search inside* logo on top of the cover pic, you can search them for Pad Thai recipes: for example, try Simply Thai Cooking and click on the reference on page 70, and you'll find a Pad Thai recipe. It's a good way to get access to authentic recipes from expert chefs.

Of course, if you decide to buy any of these books, do use the Amazon link in the "Food and Cooking" forum.


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## oahuamateurchef (Nov 23, 2006)

Ketchup? No! Please don't use kethcup! I think you must mean tamarind paste. I'm going off the top of my head. And as for peanut butter--I would just grind up a handful of cashews in a mortar and pestle instead.


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## castironchef (Oct 10, 2005)

Here's Alton Brown's Pad Thai recipe. It meets your criteria.


Pad Thai 
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2005 
See this recipe on air Tuesday Jan. 23 at 7:00 PM ET/PT.

Show: Good Eats 
Episode: Your Pad or Mine (Thai) 

1-ounce tamarind paste 
3/4 cup boiling water 
2 tablespoons fish sauce 
2 tablespoons palm sugar 
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar 
4 ounces rice stick noodles 
6 ounces Marinated Tofu, recipe follows 
1 to 2 tablespoons peanut oil 
1 cup chopped scallions, divided 
2 teaspoons minced garlic 
2 whole eggs, beaten 
2 teaspoons salted cabbage 
1 tablespoon dried shrimp 
3 ounces bean sprouts, divided 
1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts, chopped, divided 
Freshly ground dried red chile peppers, to taste 
1 lime, cut into wedges

Place the tamarind paste in the boiling water and set aside while preparing the other ingredients. 

Combine the fish sauce, palm sugar, and rice wine vinegar in a small bowl and set aside. 

Place the rice stick noodles in a mixing bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Once the other ingredients are measured out into separate bowls, drain the water from the noodles and set them aside. Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch wide strips, similar to French fries. 

Press the tamarind paste through a fine mesh strainer and add to the sauce. Stir to combine. 

Place a wok over high heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil. Heat until it shimmers, then add the tofu. Cook the tofu until golden brown, moving constantly, for no longer than 1 minute. Remove the tofu from the pan to a small bowl and set aside. 

If necessary, add some more peanut oil to the pan and heat until shimmering. Add 2/3 of the scallions and then the garlic, cook for 10 to 15 seconds. Add the eggs to the pan; once the eggs begin to set up, about 15 to 20 seconds, stir to scramble. Add the remaining ingredients in the following order and toss after each addition: noodles, sauce, cabbage, shrimp, and 2/3 of the bean sprouts and peanuts. Toss everything until heated through, but no longer than 1 to 2 minutes total. Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with the remaining scallions, bean sprouts, and peanuts. Serve immediately with the ground chile peppers and lime wedges. 


Marinated Tofu: 
6 ounces extra-firm tofu, not silken 
1 1/2 cups soy sauce 
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

Wrap the tofu firmly in a tea towel. Place the wrapped tofu into an 8-inch cake pan. Top with another cake pan and weigh down with a 5-pound weight. (Bags of dried beans or grains work well.) Place in refrigerator and press for 12 to 15 hours. 

Place pressed tofu in a 2-cup container. Combine soy sauce and five-spice powder and pour over tofu. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, turning once. Remove the tofu from the marinade and use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days. 

Yield: 6 ounces tofu


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## oahuamateurchef (Nov 23, 2006)

Here's another more traditional recipe.


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## chris1980 (Dec 22, 2006)

I read this recipe and decided to try it out, but I couldn't find tamarind paste in the grocery store. I ended up just buying some "General Tso's" bottle sauce, some flat rice noodles, and tofu. I cubed the tofu and sauteed them in sesame seed oil, added a bit of the sauce and cooked for 5 minutes and then dumped in my noodles along with a scrambled egg and some chopped green onion. May not be a 'traditional' recipe but it tasted just like the stuff you get in Thai restaurants and it was delicious, not to mention super-easy and fast to make!


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## castironchef (Oct 10, 2005)

Alas, for authentic pad thai you'll have to venture into an Asian market. Think of it as an exotic vacation, but you don't need shots or a passport.


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## oahuamateurchef (Nov 23, 2006)

Is there a Chinatown nearby where you live? Honestly I believe that you version was tasty. I would probably enjoy it prepared your way alone, but it could never gain my Thai significant other's approval. You could always do mail order tamarind paste.


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## joyfull (May 24, 2006)

You might enjoy looking through this site.. I found it a few years ago looking for Thai recipes.. Be sure and check out the Thai people link, and Thai fruit..

http://asian-links.com/larry/index.html


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## oahuamateurchef (Nov 23, 2006)

Nice link Joyfull! I will spend some time reading it. I also would like to suggest 2 other Pad Thai recipes. Never paid the electric bill on the mainland, but in Hawaii, HECO is the only electric company on the island. EVery month with the bill comes a recipe. 90% of them are some kind of Asian/Hawaiian food. Not sure when they sent this one out, but it is semi-authentic and this one is pretty much as close as your gonna get.


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