EAT IN ASIA / Destinations / Thailand
MUST try - Pad Thai
Well, I believe Pad-Thai is the most popular Thai dish. Does not matter where you live or where you stay, if you go to a Thai restaurant or to a Thai-style fast food bar, you will definitively find there that dish. Pad-Thai is as commonly served and liked as a regular Thai fried rice is. Order to it a cup of an iced Thai Milk Tea or coffee and you will eat like a real Thai.
Why is Pad-Thai so popular?
There is a couple of reasons that stay behind Pad-Thai's extreme popularity. First of all, it is not very spicy. It is also not too hot and includes a lot of worldwide known ingredients. But on the other hand, it has some local aromas that are so tempting and so nicely smelling. Apart from that, it is a refreshing Thai dish. This freshness comes from lime, finely chopped coriander and from lemongrass. What is more, Pad-Thai is also good for vegetarians and vegans. Apart from that, it can be consumed by people on a gluten-free diet. Pad-Thai is also usually lactose free. Unfortunately, as it includes soya and peanuts, it should be avoided by persons with allergies on these ingredients.
Given all above, Pad-Thai is a highly recommended meal for all people willing to try something really Thai, but who are also afraid of unknown flavors and who do not want to experiment with extremely hot dishes.
That said, Pad-Thai suits most tastes, and you should definitively try it in Thailand. Nowhere else would it taste in the same way. No matter whether in other Asian countries like Vietnam or Japan, or in any Thai restaurant in Europe (Check our post on Thai and Chinese food in Hungary to get some more information) or around the world.
Why to choose Pad-Thai?
Apart from all these reasons mentioned above, Thailand is the only place where you will get this dish in its purest form. That is here, in Thailand, where the meal was born and where all needed ingredients are on a daily basis and available on each market. Nowhere else in the world you will get as fresh herbs and vegetables, like for example lemongrass, as here in Thailand. Add to that list coriander, Chinese cabbage, juicy lime, and fresh sprouts. Finally, dried little cocktail prawns and freshly prepared sauces. All these ingredients must create a wonderful dish, there is no other option!
The most important ingredients in Pad-Thai
No matter whether you choose a regular Pad-Thai with meat, or this vegetarian or even a vegan one, there is a couple of ingredients that will always be in your dish.
Noodles
Firstly come noodles. Pad-Thai basis on them. Usually that are rice vermicelli noodles or rice narrow noodles. Sometimes, Pad-Thai is served with glass noodles or with yellow egg noodles. However, these last two are rarer. Eventually, wide, or extra-wide rice noodles appear sometimes too. In some places, you will have an option to choose between different noodle types, but if no choice is available, then rice, thin noodles will probably be served.
Vegetables
A composition of different vegetables is added to Pad-Thai too. And that applies not only to a vegetarian Pad-Thai, but also to all other variations.
Chinese cabbage, carrots, shallots, and sprouts are a MUST. Then depending on the Pad-Thai type, you will get or will not get other vegetables like baby corn or beans.
Tofu
Small tofu curd cubes are very common. Usually, they are grilled or marinated and have a delicate texture. Tofu curd might either have a nicely crispy outer crust or just be plain. Cubes are relatively small but play a significant role in Pad-Thai.
Nuts
Then come nuts. Actually, that are crushed peanuts that are either sprinkled on top of the dish or are fried with the rest of ingredients. Their intense aroma is well distinguishable in the whole Pad-Thai and while they are finely crushed, they are well combined with other ingredients and create a well-mixed dish.
Dried little prawns
If you order a standard version of Pad-Thai, I mean not a vegetarian one, you will definitively get these little dried prawns. Their amount in the dish will vary from place to place. Sometimes it is hard to spot them, but in most cases, they are added in abundance. That ingredient, combined with a fish sauce, adds this special fishy flavor to the whole dish.
Egg
Egg is another key element in Pad-Thai. Scrambled or poached and put on top of the dish. Fried, and mixed with Pad-Thai or just served as an omelet that is laid on top of Pad-Thai, egg is a MUST. As it is almost always, please, mention it that you would like not to have it if you opt for a vegan version.
Proteins – meat, seafood, tofu curd
Now comes the additional set of ingredients. They can be skipped, selected additionally or easily excluded. The basic Pad-Thai usually has tofu. All other meat ingredients are optional and very often are at an extra cost. Pork, chicken, and seafood is available in most places. The cheapest version of Pad-Thai is the one with pork or chicken. If you go with any kind of seafood, be prepared for a higher price.
Both pork and chicken are served in small slices and fried with the rest of ingredients. The same applies to an extra serving of the tofu curd.
Seafood might come in different forms. Choose either one type of them or their mix. If you choose a seafood mix, you will usually get a combination of prawns, squids, and mussels. But in some places, you will be able to get a crab meat too.
Topping
Pad-Thai is nicely served with some garnish. Cucumber or tomato slices come quite often and are placed close to the meal or just on it. Pad-Thai is also very often topped with some fresh coriander leaves and peanuts. Finally, half or a quarter of a fresh lime is added aside, so that you can squeeze it and add it to the Pad-Thai. Thanks to that, the whole dish will get a refreshing aroma and will nicely tune the meal. Optionally, some fresh onion rings or a piece of a young, green onion is added too.
Sauces
They are almost the most important elements of the Pad-Thai. Without a proper composition and proportion of them, Pad-Thai would not be this real Pad-Thai. Lime juice, some fish sauce, sugar, peanut oil and a dash of soy sauce are crucial. Of course, each recipe might slightly vary one from another, but this special composition of all ingredients and sauces makes Pad-Thai so difficult to be recreated at home if you are not a Thai.
