Pad Thai Carbon Steel Wok Recipe

Difficulty Easy Serving 4 15 mins

Ingredients

Tamarind Pulp (1×2 in)
Thai Soy Sauces: black soy (2 tbsp), sweet soy (1 tsp), thin soy (1 tsp)
Ground Dried Shrimp (⅓ cup)
Fish Sauce (3 tbsp)
Chinese Garlic Chives (1 cup)
Pad Thai rice noodles (8 oz)
Thai salted radish (2 tbsp)
chicken breasts (8 oz)
eggs (3)
mung bean sprouts (2 cups)
shallots (2)
roasted peanuts (2 tbsp)
sugar (3 tbsp)
white pepper (¼ tsp)
cornstarch (1 tsp)
water (1 tsp)
garlic (3 cloves)
vegetable oil (6 tbsp)

Pad Thai is a fascinating combination of flavors. It combines crunchy peanuts, chewy noodles, spicy sauce, chicken, and other ingredients in a mixture that wraps you up like a warm blanket. If you have a carbon steel wok, you can recreate this incredible highlight of Thai cuisine. The Yosukata chefs have the perfect Pad Thai wok recipe for you!

How to Make Pad Thai in Wok

Of course, you cannot cook Pad Thai with just a few ingredients. It will not be effortless, but the result is definitely worth it. If some items from this Pad Thai recipe are unavailable in your location, check our substitution tips at the end of this article.

Ingredients for Pad Thai in Wok

So, what do you need to recreate this authentic Asian dish in the comfort of your home? Here are the key items to include on your shopping list for the best Pad Thai recipe:

1Tamarind Pulp (1×2 in)

In America, Pad Thai has become a mainstream dish with a lot of ketchup. However, the traditional flavor comes from tamarind paste and sugar. You can find jarred tamarind concentrate, but it cannot compare to the real pulp. The flavor is very different.

2Thai Soy Sauces: black soy (2 tbsp), sweet soy (1 tsp), thin soy (1 tsp)

Do not expect to replace them with sauces from the Chinese or Japanese cuisines. No, they do not taste the same! For example, the dark soy sauce from China is thinner and less sweet. Unfortunately, mainstream food has blurred many new nuances of regional sauces.

3Ground Dried Shrimp (⅓ cup)

Even though we are cooking Pad Thai, not the Shrimp Pad Thai, the dish will be incomplete without a subtle seafood flavor. It is one of the things that make authentic cuisine so fascinating.

4Fish Sauce (3 tbsp)

One of the key differences between a takeout container and the authentic Pad Thai in a wok is the doubled seafood flavor. On the one hand, you have the shrimp. On the other hand, there is some fish sauce. Get some Red Boat if you can find it.

5Chinese Garlic Chives (1 cup)

No, these are not the ordinary chives most people know. These are flatter and wider. The flavor they give is more subtle, and it is indispensable for the original Pad Thai. Now, you are ready to learn how to make Pad Thai in wok. Other Ingredients:

Pad Thai rice noodles (8 oz) Thai salted radish (2 tbsp) chicken breasts (8 oz) eggs (3) mung bean sprouts (2 cups) shallots (2) roasted peanuts (2 tbsp) sugar (3 tbsp) white pepper (¼ tsp) cornstarch (1 tsp) water (1 tsp) garlic (3 cloves) vegetable oil (6 tbsp)

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1. Sauce

Add half a cup of water (boiling) to the tamarind pulp. Make sure the paste is dissolved, and add more water if necessary. Use a strainer with a fine mesh to remove the solids. Next, add the black and sweet soy sauces from the Pad Thai wok recipe, fish sauce, sugar, and white pepper.

Step 2. Noodles

Heat up some water in a pan and soak your noodles in it for around 20 minutes. Use a colander to drain them.

Step 3. Chicken

To create a marinade, mix water, cornstarch, and thin soy sauce, using one tsp of each. Slice the chicken and place it in the marinade.

Step 4. Shrimp

Mince the shrimp into powder. You can use a food processor.

Step 5. Veggies

Prepare all the veggies, eggs, and peanuts. Make sure everything is ready when you turn on the heat.

Step 6. Cook!

Put your wok on the stove and heat up to tbsp of oil. Wait until it starts to smoke — this is when it reaches the ideal wok temperature for Pad Thai. Then, add the chicken meat and sear it until it turns golden. Take it out of the pan and move on to the next stage. After pouring three tbsp of oil, cook the powdered shrimp over medium heat until crispy. This should take a couple of minutes. Throw in the garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the zha cai and shallots and repeat these stir frying. Now, turn up the heat and throw in the sauce and the noodles. Combine them inside the wok using a spatula. Push the noodles to one side, pour in one more tbsp of oil in the empty space, and pour your egg mix. Fold the eggs carefully using a spatula, wait until they are almost done. Then, distribute them into the noodles, add the bean sprouts and the chives. Finally, place the chicken back in and stir-fry to combine everything.

Step 7. Serve!

Plate the dish and add some crushed peanuts on top. Your Pad Thai is ready to be served!

Tips

We understand that this recipe requires a long list of ingredients, and you may not be able to find all of them in your grocery store. Here are a few suggested substitutions that work quite well.

Instead of Thai sauces, you can use their Chinese counterparts (light or dark). Just add half a teaspoon of sugar. Salted radish is also quite rare. Try using Chinese zha cai, or omit this ingredient altogether. Instead of dried shrimp, you could use oyster sauce. 1 tbsp is enough. If you cannot find Chinese chives, use ordinary scallions, but only half the amount.

How to Choose Oil for Wok Pad Thai Recipe

Cooking in a wok requires oil with a high smoke point. This means you can choose between coconut oil, palm oil, peanut oil, and soybean oil. Sesame oil and olive oil will burn and taste bitter.

Conclusion

Cooking Pad Thai is not easy, but the result will make you forget the hard work. This is one of the most delicious dishes in the world! Try five different flavors in one plate — sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and spicy!