Learn to make Pad Thai one of the most well-known Thai dishes around the world
Everyone who has visited Thailand will have tried Pad Thai, it's available from street stalls and restaurants throughout the country. It's a staple in most Thai restaurants around the world and is one of the most well-known of all Thai dishes. This delicious stir-fried noodle dish is great for lunch or dinner and Parawan’s Thai Home Cooking Class will show how to make a nice Pad Thai easily, but as some ingredients may be difficult for you to source at home we will vary slightly from the traditional recipe. The recipe that we shall use can be adapted to be suitable for vegetarians and vegans too by excluding chicken and prawns.
The history of Pad Thai
Pad Thai which was previously called Pad Thai Noodle became popular due to the economic downturn of the country during World War 2 and as rice was expensive Field Marshal P. Pibulsongkram campaigned for people to prefer noodles instead of rice. Meat fried with noodles was too similar to Chinese food (Thais wanted to be different) which caused the invention of Pad Thai which they called Thai fried noodles. This had a mixture of thin noodles, eggs, chopped Chinese chives, bean sprouts, chopped radish, yellow tofu, roasted peanuts and dried shrimp. Additional ingredients such as chilli, fish sauce and sugar were used to season the dish.
Originally, Pad Thai had no meat ingredients, especially pork, because it was thought that it would be too similar to fried noodle noodles. Therefore, tofu was used instead in the recipe, then depending on the area other ingredients were added such as fresh shrimp also known as Thai Thips, fresh shrimp for Chan noodles (rice noodles) and wrapped in eggs. Chicken can also be used in Pad Thai. Nowadays, Pad Thai is considered a famous food both in and outside Thailand. Wherever you go, there are always shops selling Pad Thai, often sold together with fried clams because they use a similar cooking method (using a flat pan for similar stir-frying), Not only popular in Thailand Pad Thai is another Thai food that foreigners are familiar with, making Pad Thai one of the most recognisable Thai foods.
What are the most common dishes people select to make with Pad Thai in my classes? Well, there aren't just two others, but the most popular choices from people who like a bit of spice are Tom Yum soup a Thai Curry either Green Curry, Panang Curry or Massaman curry. For people that prefer non-spicy dishes then Spring Rolls and Mango & Sticky rice tend to be the most popular options, but you pick any 3 dishes from my menu to cook if you are taking an online class, private class or are the first person to book in for a group class.
Ingredients you will need if you are taking an online class
● Tamarind sauce or tamarind paste
● Palm sugar
● Salt
● Red onions chopped
● Water
● Rice noodles
● Prawns or Meat or tofu
● Pad Thai sauce
● Eggs
● Garlic Cloves chopped
● Bean Sprouts
● Chives cut 1 inch long
● Extra Vegetables: Carrots,
● Cabbage or whatever you like. Cut to the size that you like
● Soy sauce
● Cooking oil