Easy Pad Thai

Pad thai is one my favorite Thai foods. The best pad thai I tasted was from this non-descript really small Thai eatery in the docks when I was going to Koh Samui. It wasn’t even a restaurant because it was more of a “carinderia” type, a local shanty eatery (similar to a food truck) where there is only one wooden bench in front of the cashier/receptionist/cook where you eat. But it had the perfect blend of spicy and sweetness in pad thai that I could never forget. That’s when I realized good food doesn’t have to come from a high-end restaurant and that you can find it anywhere.

Here in Madrid, I tried pad thai from a nearby restaurant but it was nowhere near as good as the pad thai I’m used to. In Manila, my husband and I used to frequent People’s Palace in Greenbelt, and it had the best pad thai in town.

Now, I just prefer to make pad thai at home. My favorite recipe is the one from Nagi of Recipetineats but I’ve made it my own with ingredients I always have here in my house. I always have chicken, eggs, rice noodles, and scallions. I skip on the tofu and substitute peanuts with walnuts and lime with lemon.

I’ve tried making pad thai with tamarind puree, but I didn’t like it so much. This easy pad thai recipe is made from a secret unexpected ingredient: ketchup. Who would have known, right? But let me tell you that this pad thai recipe is the bomb! I’ve made this easy paid thai so many times, both in Manila and here, and it never fails to amaze me! So, here you go! Try it, you will love it!

Easy Pad Thai

Pad thai using ingredients you already have in your pantry and refrigerator

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Servings 3

Ingredients

  

Pad Thai Sauce

• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 4 tbsp brown sugar
• 4 tbsp fish sauce
• 4 tsp oyster sauce
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 4 tbsp rice vinegar

Pad Thai

• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• 250 grams rice noodles
• 1 pc onion sliced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 lb chicken breast sliced
• 4 eggs scrambled
• 1/4 cup green onions cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/4 cup walnuts chopped

For Serving

• 1 pc lemon sliced in wedges
• cayenne pepper

Instructions

 

• Mix the ketchup, brown sugar, fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and rice vinegar in a bowl.
• Chop all the other ingredients that have to be prepared.
• Prepare the rice noodles according to the package instructions. In my case, I just poured boiling hot water on my rice noodles and strained it after 3 minutes.
• Put olive oil in a deep pan, wait until hot, saute the onions, then the garlic.
• Add the chicken, and saute until light brown.
• Move the chicken to one side, and add the lightly whisked eggs on the other side. Once the eggs are cooked, mix together chicken and eggs.
• Add the cooked rice noodles, then the pad thai sauce. Mix everything together.
• Serve with green onions, walnuts, a sprinkle of cayenne pepper, and lemon wedges.