Blog Post

What Are Pad Thai Noodles?

Tiki Thai Cuisine • May 14, 2020

Pad thai is listed at number five on a list of "World's 50 most delicious foods" readers' poll compiled by CNN Go in 2011.

Thai stir-fry, is a stir-fried rice noodle dish commonly served as a street food and at most restaurants in Thailand

Ingredients

Pad thai is made with soaked dried rice noodles, which are stir-fried with eggs and chopped firm tofu , and is flavored with tamarind pulp, fish sauce , dried shrimp , garlic or shallots , red chili pepper and palm sugar and served with lime wedges and often chopped roasted peanuts. [2] It may contain other vegetables like bean sprouts , garlic chives , pickled radishes or turnips , and raw banana flowers. It may also contain fresh shrimp, crab , squid , chicken or other animal products. Many of the ingredients are provided on the side as condiments such as the red chili pepper , lime wedges, roasted peanuts , bean sprouts and other miscellaneous fresh vegetables. [3] Vegetarian versions may substitute soy sauce for the fish sauce and omit the shrimp.

History

A dish of stir-fried rice noodles is thought by some to have been introduced to Ayutthaya during the time of the Ayutthaya Kingdom by Chinese traders [4] [5] and subsequently altered to reflect Thai flavor profiles. [5]

During World War II , Thailand suffered a rice shortage due to the war and floods. To reduce domestic rice consumption, the Thai government under Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram promoted eating noodles instead. [6] His government promoted rice noodles and helped to establish the identity of Thailand. As a result, a new noodle called sen chan (named after Chanthaburi Province ) was created. Pad thai has since become one of Thailand 's national dishes. [7] Today, some food vendors add pork or chicken (although the original recipe did not contain pork because of the government's perception that pork was a Chinese meat). [8] Some food vendors still use the original recipe.

Pop culture

Pad thai is listed at number five on a list of "World's 50 most delicious foods" readers' poll compiled by CNN Go in 2011. [9]
The Thai film Jao saao Pad Thai uses pad thai as a plot device as the protagonist claims she will marry whoever eats her pad thai for 100 days in a row. [10]
In 2008, in an episode of Throwdown! with Bobby Flay , celebrity chef Bobby Flay was defeated by Chef Nongkran Daks at her restaurant, Thai Basil, in Chantilly, Virginia. [11]
On 7 November 2017, a Google Doodle featuring pad thai was displayed in the U.S., Canada, Cuba, Thailand, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, and several countries in both Europe and South America. [12] [13] Google celebrated it as an initiative of Doodler Juliana. [14] While she was researching how to prepare it, she aimed to show all the ingredients up close and with a colourful animation. [15]