When we had Padthai for lunch at home one day, I asked my mother how come Padthai is called Padthai? Seriously, from the look of it, it is VERY CHINESE looking, from tofu to Chinese salted turnip? Nothing looks Thai to me.
“Well…tamarind, chili flakes and fish sauce make it looks Thai,” she replied and continued eating.
I never made Padthai before, but I am determine to master the art of making it in the very near future. It’s pretty embarrassing when my non-Thai friends request Padthai and I can’t make it.
So, the other day when we made Padthai for our guests, I went into the kitchen to observe, and it’s actually very easy to make. The secret to making a good Padthai is HEAT.
INGREDIENTS
Main Ingredients
1. Rice Noodle Sticks – soaked in water
2. Chopped Garlic
3. Chopped Red Onions
4. Hard Tofu cubed
5. Chives
6.Bean Sprouts
7. Shrimps or diced chicken
Rice Noodle Sticks
8. Chopped salted Chinese turnips (chai-pow)
9. Eggs
10. Roasted crushed peanuts
Tamarind, palm sugar, Chilli Flakes and fish sauce
COOKING METHOD
– Heat oil in the wok on medium heat, add chopped garlic and red onion, stirred until fragrant
– Add tofu, chai pow stirred for 2-3 minutes until tofu turns yellow, then add shrimps or chicken
– Add some rice noodle sticks, lower the heat, pour in some water to soften the noodles
– Add tamarind sauce, sugar and chili flakes, mix well together
– Move all the ingredients aside, leave rooms for eggs, add in the eggs, do not stir until eggs are nearly cooked.
– Scrambled the eggs then mix with the rest of the ingredients.
-Stir the noodles on very strong heat for 30 seconds, then lower the heat, add in chives, bean sprouts and peanuts.
And the Padthai is ready. Serve with lime wedges and raw beansprouts.
NOTE:
1) Duck eggs will make the Padthai taste better.
2) Tamarind need to be soaked in the water first, the juice is used for cooking.
3) Palm sugar can be melted or crumbled before adding into the Padthai.
Hungry guide to food and travel 
Funny thing is , I’ve never have any Padthai in when I lived in Thailand. I was unaware of the popularity of the dish until I moved here. I never find tamarind so we usually cheated with Vinegar,Sugar and Thick Soy Sauce.
I like your blog, you should do a public announcement blog about how Thai people don’t really eat a lot of peanut or peanut sauce. It is a crazy misconception here in America that can get me really annoyed.
“Oh are you Thai? You must eat a lot of peanut! I went to this Authentic Thai Restaurant and they put Peanut on everything I love it !”
Love your articles and photos on the market. Look great!