15 MINUTE PAD THAI- an easy, authentic recipe made with accessible ingredients that can be made with chicken, tofu or shrimp! Gluten free and Vegan adaptable!
Here’s an easy Pad Thai recipe that contains very accessible ingredients available at mainstream grocery stores and only takes about 15 -20 minutes to make with a little practice.
It came about after Brian and I were in Seattle several weeks ago, nursing away our woes with food. We ate at some pretty fancy restaurants, and the food, of course, was all amazing — cutting edge culinarily speaking, locally sourced and beautifully plated — perfect for drawing catering inspiration. But if I’m being totally honest with you, the meal that stands out most, even still, ended up being one that cost the least, in a divey hole in the wall — a Thai restaurant in University District, called Thai Tom. It was Pad Thai.
We sat at the counter in the direct line of fire where servers picked up food to deliver, causing us to lean to the left or right every few seconds, as hot sizzling food passed within inches of our faces. We noticed that everyone was ordering Pad Thai. We watched as the line cook busted out plate after plate during the dinner rush, while the line-up out the door grew longer and longer. After having one bite of it, I knew why. I immediately started paying attention. It was like watching an artist at work. I watched and learned and then committed it to memory and when we got home, I started practicing. For several weeks now, we’ve been having Pad Thai and each time it tastes just a little better. I used to make it more complicated, but after Thai Tom, paired it way down.
Give it a try. See if you can do it in 15 minutes! It’s a fun challenge. It took me 20 the first time. Read the whole recipe through first and then give it a go. You will be faster the second time, and I think you will like the recipe enough to want to try this two nights in row.
This can be made with tofu (like you see above) or chicken or shrimp — take your pick. If going for chicken, make sure to read the notes at the bottom of the recipe, especially if looking to reduce fat. We’ve been poaching the thinly sliced chicken in a bit of water instead of frying it, and this is the way it was done at the restaurant. In fact, they poached the chicken ahead to save even more time, which is always an option.
I really think the secret is the shallot and garlic. Sometimes I’ll add ginger, but its not imperative.
Pad Thai is most easily made in a wok, but I also make it in my cast iron skillet.
Pour boiling water over rice noodles and let them soak just until they are pliable (about 5 minutes) They don’t need to be soft, as they will soften as you sauce them.
I’m curious to know how you like this….let me know!
If you follow along on Instagram, you’ll know where I am right now. I wish I could transport you here to this magical seaside village on the other side of the world. It’s the stuff of dreams.
The lemon trees are blossoming and permeating the air with a scent so delicious and sweet. Wisteria is in full bloom, climbing over walls and trellises, hanging down heavy and full. The sea is the deepest colored aqua possible, it almost makes me want to weep. If soul had a color, I think it would be this perfect blue.
Anyway, it’s been a travel dream for a very long time and it has finally arrived….and I’m soaking it all up.
I can’t help but think of the quote by Anias Nin:
The dream was always running ahead of me. To catch up, to live for a moment in unison with it, that was the miracle.
Happy weekend. xo
Print15 Minute Pad Thai
15 MINUTE PAD THAI- an easy recipe with simple accessible ingredients with the most amazing flavor!
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 2
- Category: Vegetarian Main
- Method: stir fried
- Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients
- 3- 4 ounces dry pad thai noodles (rice noodles)
- Boiling water to cover noodles
- 6-8 ounces tofu, chicken breast or peeled prawns
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil, wok oil or coconut oil
- 1 large shallot, finely diced
- 3-4 chopped garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon chopped ginger (optional)
- —
- 2 eggs, whisked with a fork with a generous 3-finger pinch salt ( if vegan, leave it out)
- —
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce (or vegan fish sauce)
- 3 tablespoons sugar (or coconut sugar, palm sugar or brown sugar) see notes
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce (or GF liquid aminos like Braggs)
- Chili flakes to taste
- 1/2 lime
Garnish:
- lime wedges, fresh bean sprouts, chili flakes, chopped scallions, roasted peanuts.
Instructions
- Place rice noodles in a shallow baking dish and boil enough water to cover them. Cover with boiling water for 5-8 minutes, until tender, but not too soft, then drain.
- In the mean time, slice chicken into very thin strips, ⅓ inch thick x 1 inch long, and season with salt and pepper. (Alternately, press tofu with paper towels to blot dry well. Cut tofu into ¾ inch cubes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and for extra crispy, dredge in corn starch) Sear seasoned chicken or shrimp (see notes below) or tofu in a wok with hot oil until cooked through over medium high heat. Set aside, blot with paper towels, wipe out pan. Turn heat off.
- Chop shallot, garlic and ginger very finely. Set aside.
- In a small bowl whisk the two eggs with a fork and a generous, 3-finger pinch of salt.
- In another small bowl, mix fish sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, and soy sauce.
- Gather your bowls around the stove. Heat 2 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil in the wok over medium heat, add shallot, garlic ginger and stir, cooking a few minutes until golden and fragrant.
- Make a well in the center of the wok, and add the whisked eggs. With a metal spatula, scramble them and break them apart into little bits, letting them brown just little, and incorporate them into the shallots and garlic, continuing to break them into small bits.
- Add the drained, semi-soft, noodles and toss with the egg mixture, stirring, flipping constantly for a few minutes, until noodles become soft and pliable.
- Add sauce and either the chicken, tofu or shrimp. Turn and toss the noodles for a few more minutes. It will smell quite fishy at first – turn your fan on – but it will mellow out perfectly. Cook until the noodles are soft ( but still a little chewy) adding a little water if it seems dry. Toss in the bean sprouts and peanuts ( or serve on the side) and sprinkle with chili flakes and scallions. Give one more toss and serve immediately. Divide among two plates. Squeeze with fresh lime.
- Garnish with bean sprouts, fresh scallions, cilantro or basil, lime wedges and roasted crushed peanuts.
Notes
Notes: An easy way to cut back on the oil in the recipe is to poach the thinly sliced chicken in a little water (just enough to barely cover) in the pan or wok for just few few minutes. Drain and set aside. The thinner you slice the chicken the faster it will cook.
If you want to cut back on the sugar in this recipe, then cut back some of the vinegar.
Keywords: pad thai, pad thai recipe, easy pad thai, authentic pad thai recipe, chicken pad thai, pad thai recipe with tofu, vegan pad thai recipe, vegetarian pad thai recipe
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Finally a different recipe for us in the evening! (and a way to use my tofu). I felt I had to share it this week on my blog
http://made-inhome.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/friday-randomly-sharing.html
I love pad thai and cannot remember the last time that i made it! definitely hungry for a bowlful now. looks delicious and so easy to make too.
Happy travels Sylvia. I look forward to a recipe (or two) with some Italian flare? Thanks for the Pad Thai recipe 🙂 . Be safe and enjoy your time abroad!
Thanks so much Heather!! Yes, getting a lot of inspiration over here 😉
thank you so much for this recipe! I love pad thai but would never have thought I could make it at home in 15 minutes. can’t wait to give this recipe a try!
I made this for dinner tonight. It was very good and quick. Thank you.
★★★★
Oh good to hear!
Didn’t feel like another tuna sandwich so made this after reading that it only takes 15 min. Awesome recipe, loved it. My 9 yo loved it as well. More easy vegetarian recipes like this please!
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed and thanks for sharing!
Hi Sylvia, it seems like alot of sugar, 3 tablespoons. may I ask what would be the subsitute. thank you
Yes its a lot, but to balance out the fish sauce, unfortunately you need that amount. Play around with agave/ honey or maple…and see what you think. Let me know!!
Have you made this dish with a sugar substitute, like stevia?
★★★★
I have not. I personally have a hard time with the favor of Stevia, so usually I reach for maple or agave. Im trying to acquire the taste of stevia 😉
Yum! This took me longer than 15 minutes, but I’ll be making it again, so I bet next time will be faster. 🙂 I added a thinly sliced red bell pepper and carrot cut with the veggie peeler, and used rotisserie chicken.
★★★★★
I’ve been hearing this quite a lot… so you are not alone! And I know the next time will be faster… once you get the hang of it! Love that you used rotisserie chicken….great idea!!!
This was delicious – much better than my expectations of a 15 minute dish. I used smoked tofu, because that’s what I had to use up, and altered the sauce a bit, since I didn’t want to go to another store to find the veggie fish sauce. Because of that, I cut the sugar drastically and I’m glad I did. This is a recipe that I would make again without hesitation. Thank you!
★★★★
Love that you used smoked tofu and improvised with the fish sauce. Good call on lowering the sugar without fish sauce. Sounds like you know your way around a kitchen. Nice job!!!
This was delicious, who knew you could get the vivid flavours of pad thai in 15 minutes?
And you were right, I already had all the ingredients in my pantry already, it cost me nothing to make! Could I suggest a cheap eats tag on your recipes in future so recipes like this are easy to find? Just a thought!
★★★★★
I tried this one with chicken. It has a great flavor profile (mostly) for being a “quick” pad thai. I just felt like it was way too sweet for me. IDK maybe it’s just because I’ve been trying to not put extra sugar in my diet for a while…?? I love your recipes though. And you’ve made them simple, so I appreciate that!! Thanks for doing what you do.
Thanks Kimberly , that is strange. It shouldn’t taste sweet. Do you recall if you used the called for amounts on the soy, fish sauce and vinegar?
Delicious recipe, even though it took longer than 15 minutes to make the 1st time. I’m sure it will go faster once I’ve made it a few times. I didn’t have bean sprouts so I flash-sauteed whatever vegetables were on hand (bok choy, carrots, kale, scallions) and that turned out well.
I did feel that very generous squeeze of lime juice at the end was necessary to help counterbalance the sweetness of the sauce. Probably next time I’ll try it with 2 Tbsp sugar first, then add as needed.
Otherwise, a super-delicious and easy recipe that I’ll make again and again. Thank you!
★★★★
Interesting. I’ll definitely have to try this. Is the tamarind really not missed? It’s such an important flavor in the real thing. I’m curious to taste the difference.
Steph, of course tamarind is traditional and always best, but it’s not readily available, so I tried to make a recipe without it. It’s pretty good, I think! This Pad Thai recipe is more traditional.