Pad Thai Recipe – Iconic Thai Street Food

Pad Thai Recipe (Thailand)

This Pad Thai recipe captures the legendary flavors of Thailand’s most famous street food dish—sweet, sour, salty, and savory perfection in every bite. Featured on Global Street Eats with Devan Rajkumar, this dish re-creates the sizzling wok magic of Bangkok’s street vendors right at home.

Vibrant rice noodles are tossed with tamarind sauce, prawns, tofu, eggs, and fresh vegetables for a meal that’s balanced, craveable, and endlessly customizable. Whether you’re a first-timer or a seasoned home cook, this recipe delivers restaurant-quality results with authentic flair and approachable simplicity.

The Inspiration

Few dishes represent Thai street food better than Pad Thai. Created in the 1930s as a national dish that celebrated flavor harmony, Pad Thai embodies Thailand’s culinary philosophy—balance between sweet, sour, salty, and spicy.

When Devan Rajkumar explored Thailand for Global Street Eats, he discovered that Pad Thai isn’t just food—it’s performance. “There’s something transcendent about watching someone work a wok at lightning speed,” he says. “You can taste the energy in every bite.”

This recipe brings that experience into your kitchen, capturing both its complex balance and its street-side spontaneity.

Ingredients

Stir Fry:

• 4 oz dried rice stick noodles, medium width
• ½ onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 oz peeled and deveined shrimp
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cups (360ml) beansprouts
• ½ cup (120ml) firm tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes
• ¼ cup (60ml) chopped peanuts
• 3 tbsp (44.3ml) neutral oil such as vegetable or canola oil

Sauce:

• 1 ½ tbsp (22.2ml) tamarind puree
• 3 tbsp (44.3ml) brown sugar
• 2 tbsp (29.6ml) fish sauce
• 1 tbsp (14.8ml) dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp (14.8ml) sriracha
• 1 ½ tbsp (22.1ml) oyster sauce

To Finish:

• 4 lime wedges
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup (240ml) beansprouts
• Red pepper flakes (optional)

Methods

• Soak rice noodles in a bowl of room temperature water for 10-15 minutes. Drain and rinse thoroughly with cold water.
• Mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large wok over high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until onions are just slightly wilted.
• Push onions and garlic to one side of the pan and crack in the eggs. Scramble and flip the eggs until they are just cooked through, then combine them with the onion and garlic.
• Add the noodles, beansprouts, tofu, and sauce to the pan and stir to evenly distribute the sauce.
• Add the shrimp to the pan and continue to toss constantly until the sauce has been mostly absorbed by the noodles. Sprinkle in half the peanuts and toss again to bring together.
• Transfer to plates and top with additional peanuts, beansprouts, scallions, red pepper flakes (if using), and lime wedges for squeezing.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this Pad Thai Recipe hot from the wok for maximum flavor and texture. It’s a complete meal on its own, but pairs beautifully with Thai cucumber salad or crispy spring rolls for a full feast.

For authentic presentation, pile the noodles high on each plate, leaving room for condiments—chili flakes, crushed peanuts, and lime wedges—just as Thai vendors do. Diners can customize each bite according to their taste, the true hallmark of Bangkok’s street food culture.

Pair it with Thai iced tea or a chilled craft lager to balance the richness of the sauce and the spice from the chili. Whether eaten from a plate or a takeaway box, it’s a dish meant to be savored in the moment.

Final Thoughts

This Pad Thai Recipe embodies everything that Global Street Eats celebrates—authentic global flavors, local stories, and simple ingredients elevated through technique and respect for tradition.

With Devan Rajkumar’s modern guidance, you’ll capture that unmistakable Thai balance of flavors that keeps diners coming back. It’s fresh, fast, and endlessly satisfying—the best of Thailand’s culinary heritage, made accessible for your kitchen.

Sweet yet tangy. Rich yet bright. Comfort food at its most universal—this Pad Thai is more than a meal; it’s a taste of Thailand itself.