Recipes for Pad Thai noodles in 4 variants – or an exotic bomb from Asia

The best dishes for lovers of Asian cuisine are undoubtedly noodles in any form.

In this article, you can be inspired by noodles, which are served as fast food in Thailand, but also as a course in restaurants.

Let’s imagine a recipe for Thai Pad Thai noodles, whether with meat, vegetarian or vegan.

Pad Thai with chicken

Prepare Thai noodles with chicken. You can find the ingredients in any store and the dish will be ready within half an hour. Instead of chicken, you can choose shrimp or even beef.

Ingredients

• Thai rice noodles
• 450g skinless chicken breast, cut into small strips
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
• 1 red pepper, cut into strips
• 1 small carrot
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 cups bean sprouts (to taste)
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup unsalted chopped peanuts (to taste)
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• Sesame seeds (to taste)

Method

• Prepare the rice noodles according to package directions.
• Mix brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce in a bowl and set aside.
• While the noodles are cooking, heat the oil in a wok or deep pan.
• Add the shredded chicken and sauté until browned, about 6 minutes. (If using shrimp, fry for about 1.5 minutes per side.)
• Transfer the meat to a plate and leave the oil in the pan.
• Add pepper, carrot and sauté for 1-2 minutes, then add garlic, green onion and bean sprouts and sauté for another minute.
• Move the vegetables to the edge of the pan, then crack the egg into the center of the pan. Cook and stir until the eggs are done.
• Add chicken, noodles, prepared sauce, mix everything and cook for 1-2 minutes.
• Serve warm with coriander, peanuts and sesame seeds.

Vegetarian Pad Thai with tofu

The vegetarian version of Thai noodles is just as delicious even though it is prepared completely without meat. If you want a completely vegan dish, leave out the eggs.

Ingredients

• 1 package of Thai noodles (rice noodles)
• 2 to 3 teaspoons of salt
• 3/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 to 2 teaspoons of tamarind paste
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• A pinch of sweet paprika
• 10 to 12 tablespoons vegetable oil (divided)
• 400g tofu, drained
• 4 large eggs
• 1/3 cup roasted and unsalted peanuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 1 lime, quartered
• Chopped cilantro for garnish

Method

• Cook the noodles according to package directions.
• Mix 2 teaspoons of salt, vinegar, tamarind concentrate and sugar in a bowl. Refine the taste. Add a pinch of paprika for color.
• Heat a wok or other large, deep pan to a high temperature that you will maintain throughout the cooking time.
• Add 2 tbsp of oil and heat it.
• Add the chopped tofu and let it color a little, about 2 to 3 minutes. Fry for another 2 to 3 minutes, then place the tofu on a plate and set aside.
• Add another 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil to the pan and allow to heat.
• Crack the eggs into the pan and gently loosen the yolk with the tip of a wooden spoon. There should be enough oil in the pan to make it look like the egg is floating in the oil.
• Gently turn the eggs and fry for about a minute.
• Push the egg to the side of the pan to make room for the tofu. Then add it back to the pan.
• Put the finished noodles in the pan. Stir briefly so they don’t stick together. When the noodles look shiny after about a minute, it’s time to add the sauce.
• Pour the prepared sauce into the pan and mix with the noodles. Cook until there is no sauce left in the pan, the noodles should absorb it.
• Add the peanuts and sprouts and quickly mix all the ingredients. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and taste. Season to taste and serve immediately in bowls with lime wedges, peanuts and chopped cilantro.

If you like to prepare Asian dishes often, you should not miss Chinese noodle recipes .

Asian noodles with shrimp and peanut sauce

Prepare an unusual and slightly different Pad Thai with shrimps, which you soften thanks to the peanut sauce and are quite simple to prepare.

Ingredients for Pad Thai

• 250g raw prawns, peeled, halved lengthwise
• 2 spoons of soy sauce
• 250g flat rice noodles
• 6 chopped spring onions (split the green and white parts)
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon chili paste (to taste)
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 cup bean sprouts (or more to taste)
• Crushed unsalted peanuts (to taste)
• Lime (to taste)

Ingredients for Peanut Sauce

• 1/4 cup chicken broth or water
• 3 tablespoons of rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons of peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon of fish sauce

Method

• Mix all the peanut sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
• In another bowl, mix the shrimp with the soy sauce.
• Immerse the rice noodles in a large bowl of boiling water for 10 minutes. Then drain and set aside.
• In a wok or large pan, soften the white part of the spring onion, garlic and ginger in the oil.
• Add the peanut butter sauce, beaten egg, shrimp mixture, and noodles.
• Mix and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the shrimp are cooked and the sauce is absorbed into the noodles.
• Season to taste, you can add a little chicken stock to the sauce if needed.
• Serve immediately sprinkled with bean sprouts, green scallions, peanuts and garnished with lime.

If you fancy rice instead of noodles, try one of these simple Kung Pao recipes .

Vegan Pad Thai

These Asian noodles are ready in 30 minutes. So they’re great for a quick lunch or maybe dinner, and they’re sure to appeal to anyone who enjoys vegan food.

Sauce ingredients

• 4 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
• 4 tablespoons of maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons chili paste (to taste)

Ingredients for Pad Thai

• 1 package of Thai rice noodles
• 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 1 tofu, drained and diced
• 2 small carrots, finely chopped
• 2 chopped spring onions
• Lime wedges, chopped cilantro, crushed peanuts and a cup of bean sprouts for topping

Method

• Cook the noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside.
• Mix all sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
• In a large pan (you can also use the same pot you cooked the noodles in), heat the oil, add the tofu and fry it until golden brown on all sides.
• Add the noodles, sauce, carrots, green onions and half the cilantro to the pan with the tofu.
• Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Serve immediately, sprinkled with peanuts, cilantro, bean sprouts and lime wedges. You can sprinkle with lime juice to taste.

Don’t have the right WOK pan and thinking about buying one? Read reviews of the 5 best WOK pans .

Thai cuisine=spice bomb

In traditional Thai cuisine, a considerable amount of spices are used for the preparation of dishes, which are mainly used in their fresh form.

Among the most popular spices are galangal, coriander, shallot, pepper, lemongrass, but especially chili. Thanks to it, Thai dishes have a spicy touch.

Rice is the staple food in Thailand, as it is in many other countries in Asia. That is why rice noodles are mainly used in Thai dishes. In addition to noodles, semolina rice, jasmine rice and glutinous rice are used.

As for meat, Thai people most often process chicken, pork, beef, duck and buffalo. Fish are also a common part of their diet. Insects are quite unusual for us, while in Thailand they eat fried grasshoppers, crickets, bee larvae and ant eggs.

But we do not let ourselves be discouraged and prefer to stick with our usual meat or other familiar ingredients.