Pad Thai Recipe from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook
October 11th, 2009 | 30-Minute Meals Recipes, Thai Recipes | 38 Comments
Two years ago, about this time, Jaden was in Los Angeles. It was the second time we met in person, and she had just gotten an offer to write a cookbook from Tuttle Publishing. She was teaching a cooking class in LA and I was there to help (and also to learn from her about teaching a cooking class!). We went to dinner together, with a few others, after her cooking class.
I brought a beautiful Shangri-La cookbook to show her during the dinner, and she looked at me and said:
“I love this book, but it feels almost too perfect. I think when I create my book, I’d like it to be totally friendly, easy and just full of my personality…which ISN’T perfect!” (Get Pad Thai recipe after the jump)
Two years later, Jaden did it. Flipping through “The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook,” I can’t help but notice what a “real” cookbook she has put out: her gorgeous food photography (there are no food stylist and food photographer to pretty up her dishes—it’s all the work of Jaden), easy and accessible recipes perfect for everyday cooking, and her usual goofy and irreverent writing style (who else would spell “soooo looooong” and write about “playing footsie” in a cookbook!). “The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook” is a star.
Jaden has come a long way, from the early days when she first started blogging. Her slew of successes—TV appearances, cookbook, food writing, speaking at events, Twitter power, etc.—are not pure luck. Jaden works hard, very hard. Many a night in the past two years, Jaden would work past 2 am her time, working on her cookbook, blog, writing assignments, and food photography. I know it because we would email each other when it was 11 am PST or 2 am EST her time. She is one of the most ambitious people that I have ever met—extremely smart, savvy, multi-talented, but most importantly, she is genuine, warm, and sincere. I feel very proud that she has called me a friend, even a sister, and someone whom she trusts. I wanted to congratulate her on the launch of her beautiful cookbook, to thank her for everything, and also to wish her even more successes in the future!
Here is the Pad Thai recipe from her cookbook. A simple and scrumptious recipe that I would make over and over again. If you haven’t yet pre-ordered her cookbook, go get yourself a copy at book stores or order online now.
Adapted from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook
Serves 4-6 people
Ingredients:
Pad Thai Sauce
4 tablespoons Pad Thai paste
2 teaspoons tamarind paste/concentrate
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 teaspoons sugar
2/3 cup water
2-4 teaspoons Sriracha or 1-2 teaspoons chili powder
Other Ingredients:
8 oz packaged Pad Thai noodles
3 tablespoons cooking oil
2 eggs
1 lb. peeled and deveined raw shrimp
1 tablespoon minced garlic
A small bunch of chives (cut lengths)
1 cup bean sprouts
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
1/2 cup coarsely chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
2 blocks fried tofu (cut into thin pieces)
Method:
Soak the rice noodles in hot water for about 15 minutes or until they soften. Drain and set aside.
Combine the ingredients for the Pad Thai sauce in a bowl.
Heat up a wok and add oil. When the oil is very hot, add the minced garlic and do a few quick stirs. Add shrimp into the wok and stir until half cooked and then add the fried tofu pieces, noodles and Pad Thai sauce into the wok and stir continuously. Push the noodles to one side and crack the eggs into the wok, break it up by stirring and wait for 10-15 seconds, and then stir in the noodles. Add bean sprouts and chives into the wok, stir for 1 minute, dish out, sprinkle some peanuts on top and serve with a wedge (or two wedges) of lime.
Cook’s Note:
The above recipe is adapted from the cookbook. If you wish to make Pad Thai sauce from scratch. My recipe is below.
Pad Thai Sauce from Scratch
Ingredients:
1/4 cup warm water + tamarind pulp the size of golf ball
1/4 cup fish sauce
4 tablespoons palm sugar
1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons paprika powder (if you like it hot, use 2 tablespoons)
Method:
Soak the tamarind pulp in warm water for 15 minutes to extract the juice. Squeeze the seeds and membrane of the tamarind pulp to get the juice. Filter the tamarind juice for use and discard the residue.
In a small sauce pan, heat up tamarind juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, and paprika powder. Lower the heat and let it simmer until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat when it’s done.
The Pad Thai sauce is good for 8 oz. of noodles in the recipe.
Related Recipes:
Subscribe to RASA MALAYSIA by RSS
Follow RASA MALAYSIA on Twitter
Join RASA MALAYSIA on Facebook
My sentiments exactly RE: Jaden. She’s the real deal.
This looks absolutely fabulous. I can hardly wait until I get this in the mail!
It should de added tamarind sauce for better taste.
You can use my Pad Thai sauce recipe, it’s at the bottom of it.
Your photos are gorgeous, I’m looking forward to getting my copy.
What a great honest post! I’m just curious what the Pad Thai paste is as I did not use this when using Pam’s recipe.
I couldn’t agree more with every word! Jaden amazes me–I don’t know how she does it all! She deserves every bit of success because she has done the work!
Congratulations to your friend, Jaden. Will definitely check out the Steamy Kitchen cookbook! However, 2 ingredients in this dish makes me wonder if Jaden’s dishes are going to be easily replicated – Pad Thai paste and tamarind paste. Are they easily available in the Asian spice aisle?
wow ur noodles full of ingredients!!
Yes, the more ingredients the better the Pad Thai is.
Great recipe, well executed. Will check out the book on Amazon.
This looks like a delicious pad thai. Can’t wait to get the book!
Pad Thai Paste???? I cook Pad Thai often, and have only once used Pad Thai paste. As this one dish is at the top of the list in identifying Thailand’s excellent cuisine, the recipe should have been given from scratch. Pad Thai paste is when you don’t have time to make the real dish!
Frtank, the recipe is adapted from the Steamy Kitchen cookbook, which is for people who wish to make quick and easy meals. Not many people have the time to make everything from scratch.
I have added my Pad Thai sauce recipe at the bottom for those who wishes to make it from scratch.
Bee, you are such an awesome friend. If I was Jaden, I would be truly touched by your kind words. And your photos- simply gorgeous!
Great post! :)
Kamran – Hehe, thanks for your sweet note.
I think two of you share one similar charateristic: make the food talk for itself…..so homely…..Well done!
Such gorgeous photographs, probably the best pad thai pictures we’ve ever seen!
It looks scrumptious and can’t wait to finally start cooking from Jaden’s book!
I just received Jaden’s book today and i totally agree with everything you said. I love it already. Just from flipping through the pages i stopped countless times and literally drooled over the pictures. I want to make the ginger-scallion sauce tomorrow. I want it bad! Jaden deserves all the success in the world for all her hard work, passion and generosity.
Bee, the Pad Thai looks fabulous and the write-up is really nice as well. Waiting eargerly for your cookbook now!!
Mmm, pad thai! I’m totally ordering Jaden’s book – I’m excited for her!
Another fan of Jaden’s here! :) I can’t until her book hits our shores! :)
Hey RM :) Lovely write up of one of Jaden’s start to her cookbook.
On another note, I tried your scallop recipe with buna shimeji mushrooms for an Iron Chef challenge over the weekend. Everyone loved it :) I had no idea how cute those mushrooms were until I saw them in real life. Cute and delicious.. mmm…
Jaded – You should come out with a “The Jaded Kitchen Cookbook.”
Great that you love the scallops recipe.
I found your website through Chez Pim’s site, I was reading her instructions on making Pad-Thai–then I stumbled upon your latest post on … Pad-Thai! Thanks for a great post, I’d be book-marking your blog as well.
Believe it or not, I have pad thai paste in my cabinet. :D
LOL, you are a cheater. ;)
I love love love Pad Thai – my workmates are amazed everytime we got for Thai food I keep ordering the same dish – Pad Thai! – I like them with chilli flakes as well.
Yes, I love pad Thai with chili flakes too.
I can’t wait to get my copy of the book to start cooking from!
You have just pushed me over the edge, and I have ordered Jaden’s cookbook. I suspect I will be ordering more for Christmas gifts. Thanks!
hmm, would love to have Jaden’s cook book as well!
I love Pad Thai anytime…. one of my fave Thai dish!
I think kids would luv it too. It’s colorful, so nutritious and looks delicious. My girls luv shimp ‘n’ stir-fry, I’m going to give this a try, I may up the peanuts ‘n’ not use so much spice. I’m enjoying browsing thru your site. http://kidsnaturalnews.com/default.aspx
mnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnmmmmmm
The photos are so mouth watering! Looks so good. I use a very similar recipe, but the quality of those photos puts me to shame. You can see a video of me preparing my pad Thai recipe at http://www.HomeThaiRecipes.com
Pad thai is one of my favourites and it really is so simple to make, it suprises me that people don’t make it more often!
Cherry x
Thanks ! Great recipe….
I can only find ‘Tamarind concentrate’ OR ‘Tamarind puree’ in my local Chinese supermarket. Maybe i should find a new supermarket?! but for now, which do you think would be better for this dish? Would concentrate be better as the recipe calls for ‘juice’?
Thanks again!
- This is the tamarind concentrate found in the supermarket; http://importfood.com/media/sads1001.jpg
You can use the concentrate.
hi, when you make the pad thai sauce from scratch, all you need to do is to add it into the cooking right? or do i have to mix in a bowl with
2 teaspoons tamarind paste/concentrate
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 teaspoons sugar
2/3 cup water
2-4 teaspoons Sriracha or 1-2 teaspoons chili powder
to make a sauce before i cook?
Make the Pad Thai sauce first before you cook, then add the required amount while cooking the Pad Thai.