The story of Pad Thai dates back to the era of Thai nationalism during the 1930s, which makes it one of the newest ones among the quorum of most popular global recipes. Today, the popularity of pad thai is so vast internationally. Considering the Thai geographical territories, Pad thai is so omnipresent in such a way that it is highly improbable for a traveller to spot a Thai menu that doesn’t list a Pad Thai dish. Pad Thai noodle dishes exist everywhere in Thai menus of street food to star restaurants.

dried noodles

Pad Thai, which is alternatively spelt ‘Phad Thai’ is basically a stir-fried noodle dish. The word Pad Thai can be roughly translated as ‘Thai stir fry'. The basic form of a Pad Thai noodle is made using dried rice noodles soaked in water mixed with tapioca starch. The main ingredient of a pad thai noodle dish can be either of chicken, beef or tofu, or a combination of them. Other accompanying ingredients can be peanuts, egg (scrambled), bean sprouts, and other vegetables.

History of Pad Thai

There are several accounts that link the origin of Pad Thai to Thailand’s former Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram. During 1930s, at the time of the peak of Thai nationalism, Plaek Phibunsongkhram came with the idea of creating a specific food that can be promoted as Thai national dish. As per this narrative, the original name of Pad Thai was ‘Gway Teow Pad Thai’ which alludes to its Chinese influence since Gway Teow is the Chinese word for ‘rice noodles’.

Chinese style stir-fried noodles were in existence in Thai culture centuries before. At this juncture, it should be mentioned that there are historians who believe that a version of Pad Thai was brought to Thailand by Chinese merchants during 18th century itself, and it underwent only a few changes before being domesticated by the Thai people. As per this story, Pad Thai is wholly a Chinese dish with a little cultural as well as palatal inputs by the Thai people. But, there are only very few takers for this version of Pad Thai history.

Also, another version that links the then prime minister of Thailand to the creation of Pad Thai tells slightly a different story. According to this narrative, during the food scarcity due to the second world war and the seasonal floods, there was a nationwide rice shortage in Thailand. To overcome the crisis of famine, Phibunsongkhram promoted the consumption of noodles on a national level to reduce household rice usage.

As a result of the government’s efforts, a national dish was created to represent Thai nationalism on a global level. A new noodle dish was created by using the Chinese stir-fry cooking style coupled with rice noodles, and the new noodle dish was formed. The new noodle was called ‘Sen Chan’, as it was developed in the Thai province of Chanthaburi. It later came to be known as Pad Thai. The initial recipe did not contain pork, but nowadays the most loved Pad Thai flavours are pork as well as chicken. Pad thai has since become one of Thailand's national dishes.

How to Make a Good Pad Thai Noodle Dish?

The basic noodle used for a good Pad Thai noodle dish is a traditional dried rice noodle. It is rehydrated after soaking in water and is mixed with tapioca flour to get a good starchy coating. The prepared noodle is then stir-fried in a  wok with chopped tofu and eggs. While stir-frying, other ingredients can also be added for imparting additional flavours to the dish. Such ingredients are generally, dried shrimps, shallots, garlic, red chilli pepper, sugar, fish sauce and tamarind juice.

To get the meaty flavours, chicken, pork, or any fish items can be added. Vegetables like bean sprouts, garlic chives, pickled radishes or turnips, and raw banana flowers can also be tossed into the Pad Thai stir-fry while it is being cooked. Generally, a thoroughly cooked Pad Thai dish can be served on a platter with lime wedges, chopped roasted peanuts and bean sprouts.

A good Pad Thai noodle dish with chicken can be found here.

There can be vegetarian alternatives of Pad Thai noodle dishes. The vegan Pad Thai noodle dish substitutes soy sauce for fish sauce and avoids all fish and meat ingredients.

Some More Pad Thai Facts

The Pad Thai noodle dish soon became a global hit since its inspection in the 1930s as it combined sour, salty and tangy flavours creating a brilliant equilibrium. Although king prawns were used as a topping for Pad Thai dishes initially, over the years, chicken and red meat acquired that position as this version became the favourite of the masses.

Pad Thai experts often have different opinions about getting a Pad Thai right, which is a very difficult feat to accomplish. But, everyone is unanimous about using cold water to soak the dried noodles to rehydrate it. Soaking in hot water will cause the noodles to become overly soft and broken. Another tip is to use an egg while cooking the noodles at the beginning, which will prevent the noodle threads from sticking together. Due to this reason, the vegan alternatives of Pad Thai noodle dishes are not very appealing as they are made without using eggs.

There are some tips to keep in mind while serving your Pad Thai to make it more enjoyable. The best time to serve the Pad Thai is right after cooking it. It can be topped with fried or grilled prawns, dried chilli flakes, roasted peanuts and bean sprouts for a good balance of flavours and colour. If it is served after some time, the noodle may stick together and the best flavour will be lost.

After learning all these facts, will your Pad Thai be better next time?