We just recently got a Thai food restaurant and everyone was talking about it. You’d think it was the most exciting thing ever.
But rather than pay way too much for way too little and not know what’s in our food I decided to try to make my own pad thai.
I compared a bunch of recipes and came up with my own version. I was amazed at how well it came out.
Even my husband loves this stuff, and he likes the leftovers even more. Way better than take-out in my opinion. And you can play around with the type of noodles! You can read more here – Asian noodles.
After typing out my recipe I realized it’s not the healthiest recipe. I try my best to keep sugar to a minimum, but in this case, it needs a bit of sugar.
And given the alternative is ordering out when you have no idea what’s in the meal, I feel like it’s a fair trade-off. Feel free to reduce the amount and then taste and add only as much as you need.
I do that quite regularly, because you might be surprised that it tastes just fine with less than you think it needs. Also, as with any store-bought sauces (like the fish sauce in the recipe) make sure you read your ingredients list – there should only be a few ingredients.
Also, you can find vegetarian fish sauce and omit the shrimp in the recipe for an awesome vegetarian meal.
Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 block firm tofu pressed and cut into thin strips
- 2 cups or approximately 1/2 lb shrimp
- 2 eggs
- 1/2-3/4 of a package of rice stick
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 cups julianned carrots
- 4 green onions
- 1/3 cup peanuts
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar plus more if you like it a bit tangier
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch in 1 tbsp cold water or another thickener like tapioca starch or arrowroot
Tofu Marinade:
- Juice of 2 limes
- 3-4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce for a gluten free option be sure to use GF soy sauce
Instructions
- After pressing the tofu to remove some of the liquid(I wrap the tofu in a towel and then put two heavy cast iron pans on top for at least half an hour), slice into thin strips. In a container mix the lime juice, brown sugar, soy sauce and 1 tbsp oil. Add the tofu, cover and let sit a couple hours to overnight in the fridge.
- Depending on your kind of rice noodles, you may just need to soak them in hot water or boil them for a couple minutes. Do this first and then set them aside to drain and have all your ingredients ready. Heat a small pan and cook the two eggs, scrambling them. Once they're all done set them aside. Pulse your peanuts in a mini food processor or something equivalent. You don't want flour - you just want to crush them.
- Once everything else is ready, heat the 1 tbsp oil in a large pan over high heat. When it's really hot throw in the tofu that has been drained. Turn the heat down to medium. I like to cook my tofu till it's very chewy and this takes anywhere from 5-10 minutes depending on how well drained it is and how hot the pan is. Once it looks fairly well done it should turn golden(darker than in the pictures above - I didn't cook mine long enough this time) and develop a "crust" on it. You can also remove a piece and test it. If it's still mushy, cook it longer, unless you don't mind it like that texture.
- Turn the pan down to medium low and add the remaining tbsp of oil and 3 cloves of garlic, either minced or pressed. Cook for 1-2 minutes then add the carrots and green onions. Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes then add the shrimp and eggs. Mix well and cook just till the shrimp turn pink then add all the sauce ingredients except the cornstarch. Taste before adding any soy sauce or salt as the fish sauce is fairly salty. Mix well and heat through then add the cornstarch mixture and mix well till the mixture thickens. Then add the already cooked rice noodles and mix in. Serve hot with 1-2 tbsp crushed peanuts and some green onions on top of each serving.
Comments & Reviews
Damaris @kitchen corners says
Pad Thai is one of my favorite dishes ever. Even reading your post brought back some taste bud memories. I’ve never made it successfully though. Maybe it’s about time I give it another try.
Ashley @ The Drunk Squash says
Ooo this is so great, I’ve been wanting pad thai, but have been avoiding going out… perfect timing!
And the tofu marinade sounds so tasty and simple… ah I’m so excited to try this!
Jenny says
I’m such a sucker for pad thai’s. This looks delish!
Lauren Hayes says
I love pad thai!
ThE DiVa DiSh says
My husband loves pad thia. It’s like his favorite thing! And this is a great way for him to eat it with out ordering out 🙂 Delicious!
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Sweet! I definitely make my hubby things that he would want to order out, saves money and way better for him 😀
Food Obsessed says
I had pad thai as a “potential” for this week’s menu. Seeing yours just made me move it to “confirmed” state. I will be having this delicious pad thai sometime this week. It’s exactly what I had in mind too! Tofu and shrimp… but that’s where my inspiration ended. Thank you for filling in the blanks for me!
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Awesome! Enjoy 😀
Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) says
the pad thai looks awesome and the marinade sounds delish with the lime…yum!
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Thank you! Looooove lime 😀