Recipe

Pad thai

Name: Pad Thai
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons tamarind concentrate (or 2 tablespoons tamarind paste plus 1 tablespoon water); 2 tablespoons fish sauce; 2 tablespoons light brown sugar or palm sugar; 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes, or to taste; 6 oz (170 g) flat rice noodles, about 1/4 inch (5 mm) wide; 3 tablespoons neutral oil, divided; 8 oz (225 g) raw shrimp, peeled and deveined; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 small shallot, thinly sliced; 2 large eggs; 1 1/2 cups (150 g) bean sprouts; 4 scallions, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces; 1/3 cup (45 g) roasted peanuts, chopped; Lime wedges, to serve

Thai · 40 min · Medium

Rice noodles stir-fried with shrimp, egg, bean sprouts and peanuts in a tamarind sauce.

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Pad thai topped with crushed peanuts, bean sprouts and chives, with a lemon wedge

Photo: John Aledia on Unsplash

Pad thai is Thailand's best-known noodle dish: chewy rice noodles stir-fried with shrimp, egg, bean sprouts and scallions in a sweet, sour and salty tamarind sauce, finished with crushed peanuts and lime.

Once everything is chopped, it cooks in under 10 minutes, so have it all ready by the stove before you start. Cooking for two at a time keeps the wok hot and the noodles from clumping.

Pad thai recipe

By FeastPick Kitchen · Updated October 11, 2026

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 10 min
Total: 40 min
Serves: 2

Ingredients

Sauce

3 tablespoons tamarind concentrate (or 2 tablespoons tamarind paste plus 1 tablespoon water)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons light brown sugar or palm sugar
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes, or to taste

Noodles

6 oz (170 g) flat rice noodles, about 1/4 inch (5 mm) wide
3 tablespoons neutral oil, divided
8 oz (225 g) raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (150 g) bean sprouts
4 scallions, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces
1/3 cup (45 g) roasted peanuts, chopped
Lime wedges, to serve

Instructions

Soak the rice noodles in lukewarm water for 20 to 30 minutes, until pliable but still firm in the center. Drain well. They'll finish softening in the pan.
Mix the sauce ingredients until the sugar dissolves.
Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the shrimp and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until just pink. Move them to a plate.
Add the remaining oil, the garlic and shallot, and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
Add the noodles and the sauce. Toss constantly for 2 to 3 minutes, until the noodles soak up the sauce and turn soft and chewy. Add a splash of water if they seem dry or stiff.
Push the noodles to one side. Crack the eggs into the empty space, scramble them until almost set, then toss them through the noodles.
Add the shrimp, bean sprouts and scallions and toss for 1 minute, so the sprouts stay crunchy.
Serve right away, topped with peanuts, with lime wedges and extra chili flakes on the side.

Tips

Doubling the recipe? Cook it in two batches. An overcrowded pan steams the noodles and makes them gummy.
Swap the shrimp for sliced chicken or firm tofu.