Authentic Peanut Shrimp Pad Thai is one of the most popular Thai recipes which is made using Rice Noodles, Fish Sauce, Bean Sprouts, Peanuts, Soy Sauce, Brown Sugar, Tamarind Paste, Lime Juice, Shrimp or Chicken or Tofu. Do try this Vegetable Pad Thai
The first reaction of people when they hear so many ingredients for Pad Thai is - I am SO not gonna find so many ingredients!
Well, trust me, Tamarind Paste, Bean Sprouts, Fish Sauce everything is easily available in the Asian section of any popular Supermarkets.
You can definitely Make Pad Thai without Tamarind Paste or Peanuts. But, if you are making authentic shrimp Pad Thai then please do not skip it.
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I make Pad Thai all the time - (especially more nowadays when I am keeping myself from ordering food online). And, looking for the ingredients has become so much easier now.
Basically, the more you make Pad Thai, the better you'll get at it.
Trust me, there is no hullabaloo about making Pad Thai. All you have to do is toss rice noodles, scrambled eggs, veggies and proteins in a flavorful Pad Thai Sauce.
What is Pad Thai?
Pad Thai is a Popular Thai Street Food that tastes irreplaceable GOOD. Packed with Proteins, Veggies, and that delectable Pad Thai Sauce, this recipe is simply mind-blowing.
Pad Thai has become popular all over the world. Be it America, Australia, England, South Africa, India, People are making Pad Thai all the time.
I love Thai Cooking. And therefore
I have tried as many Thai Recipes as I can -
Starting from Thai Coconut Shrimp Curry to
Thai Lemongrass Coconut Fried Rice With Zucchini to
Instant Pot Thai Cashew Chicken to
Crispy Baked Thai Chicken Wings to
Crispy Thai Sweet Chili Chicken to
Sweet Chili Garlic Shrimp and etc.
Well, here is my version of Easy Pad Thai with Shrimp.
🥘 Ingredients
Though Pad Thai requires quite a few ingredients. But, prepping them beforehand makes your work so much easier. Let's take a look at the things you'll need to make Pad Thai.
- Rice Noodles
- Shrimps
- Canola Oil
- Onions
- Fish Sauce
- Brown Sugar
- Tamarind paste
- Sriracha Hot Sauce
- White Sugar
- Rice Wine Vinegar
- Chili Powder
- Lime Juice
- Eggs
- Bean Sprouts
- Peanuts
See the recipe card for quantities. Also, take a quick look at this 2-minute video for a visual 🎥
🔪 Instructions
Here is a quick overview of the complete recipe with step-by-step photos.
Step 1: Cook Rice Noodles
Cook rice noodles as per package directions. Rinse under cold water and keep it aside.
Step 2: Cook Shrimps
In a Wok heat some Canola Oil. Add Shrimps (peeled and deveined). Cook until they turn opaque white with few red and pink spots. Once done, keep them aside.
Step 3: Cook until Sugar dissolves
In the same Wok, add onions, fish sauce, brown sugar, and Tamarind Paste. Cook until sugar dissolves.
Step 4: Add other ingredients
In the same Wok, add Soy Sauce, Sriracha, White Refined Sugar, Rice Wine Vinegar, Chili Powder, and Lime Juice. Stir well until combined.
Step 5: Add Noodles
Add Noodles and toss well until noodles are coated in the sauce. Push them to one side of the Wok.
Step 6: Add Eggs
Break in two eggs and scramble them up whisking continuously.
Step 7: Add Shrimps, Bean Sprouts and Peanuts
Finally, add cooked Shrimps, Bean Spouts and Peanuts. Toss well until combined.
Step 8: Garnish and Serve
Garnish with chopped green onions or chives along with lime wedges and cilantro. Serve right away.
📖 Substitutions
If you are making Pad Thai for someone who is Vegan or Vegetarian then you can do the following Substitutions. Honestly, I haven't tried the vegan or vegetarian Pad Thai version. So, I cannot tell you how it would taste. But, you can surely make the following substitutions.
- Replace Fish Sauce with More Soy Sauce.
- Skip Eggs completely.
- Instead of Shrimps use Tofu.
- Substitute with Low Carb Rice Noodles to make Low Carb Shrimp Pad Thai
📋 Variations
- Chicken - You can make the exact same recipe with Chicken as well. Just cook chicken the same way I cooked my shrimp in the second step.
- Tofu - Adding some Crispy fried tofu will improve the texture of this dish and make it even more amazing. Make this amazing Vegetarian Pad Thai.
- Peanut Butter - If you want it to be creamier then you can add some peanut butter while making the sauce.
- Garlic - Add some minced garlic to add an extra garlicky kick to the sauce.
- Bok Choy - Instead of Bean Sprouts you can use chopped Bok Choy.
- Red Pepper Flakes - You can replace Chili Powder with Red Pepper Flakes
- Molasses - You can use Molasses in place of Palm Sugar or Brown Sugar
- Avocado Oil - You can replace Canola Oil with Avocado Oil for a healthier Pad Thai.
I love Peanut Butter in my Thai sauce check out this Sticky Thai Meatballs with Peanut Sauce recipe where I have cooked Thai Meatballs in a sticky Peanut Sauce.
🍽 Equipment
Generally you would see people making Pad Thai in a skillet because it is easily accessible. But, traditionally, Pad Thai is made in a wok. Wok is the best utensil to use when making Pad Thai because there is a lot of Stir Frying involved.
Moreover, Wok is better than a skillet because it has slopping sides as a result it uses less oil compared to a regular skillet.
I didn't have a Wok at hand, so I made my Pad Thai in my skillet.
🧊 Storage
Store Pad Thai in an air-tight container in your refrigerator for 3 days. But, when you reheat Pad Thai in the microwave, It tends to get dry and sort of sticky.
The smartest way to reheat your Pad Thai in the Microwave is to keep a wet paper towel over the noodles. The steam will help the noodles retain their moisture.
The Best Way to Reheat Pad Thai is to use a Wok if you can. Heat it in a wok with few tablespoons of water and they'll brighten up.
💡Top tip
- Do not overcook Rice noodles
- Use a Wok Instead of a Skillet for best results.
- Keep the Ingredients at hand because things happen very quickly here.
Peanut Shrimp Pad Thai Recipe | Prawn Pad Thai
Equipment
- Skillet or Wok
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Flat Rice Noodles
- 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
- 8 ounces uncooked Shrimps or chicken or extra-firm tofu
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar you can also use palm sugar
- 1 tablespoon White refined sugar
- 2 tablespoon tamarind paste
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice juice of 1 small lime
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha hot sauce
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
- ½ cup dry roasted peanuts
- green onions optional for garnish
Instructions
- Cook rice noodles as per package directions. Rinse under water, drain, and keep aside.
- In a skillet or a wok heat some oil. Add Shrimps/Prawns and cook until they turn opaque and light red around the edges. Take them out and keep aside.
- In the same pan add onions, fish Sauce, Brown Sugar, and Tamarind Paste. Cook for 1-minute until sugar dissolves.
- In the same pan add Low Sodium Soy Sauce, Sriracha Hot Sauce, White Refined Sugar, Rice Wine Vinegar, chili powder, and lime juice, Stir well to combine.
- Add cooked noodles and stir lightly until noodles coat the sauce.
- Add Cooked Shrimps and toss well until combined.
- Push aside the noodle to one side of the skillet or wok. Add two eggs and stir vigorously until they scramble.
- Finally add Fresh Bean Sprouts and dry roasted Peanuts. Stir well to combine. Serve right away with green onions, and lime wedges.
tobe says
This is one of the most amazing pad Thai I've had in a while. Followed the recipe exactly the way it was written and my pad Thai came out better than my expectations!!! Thank you much for sharing.
Mia says
This recipe for pad Thai is simply perfect!!