I’ve been wanting to post pad Thai for a while but have been a little hesitant as it’s one of those foods that has history, tradition and with it a whole line of followers. It’s a bit of an institution and those who are true devotees are pretty staunch in their belief that you just don’t mess with pad Thai.
I know these people, they almost always order pad Thai from Thai restaurants and they can easily point when one is too oily, doesn’t have enough acidity, is lacking in tamarind or has overcooked noodles. I know because I live with one of these self-proclaimed connoisseurs.
But when carrying out my ‘pad Thai research’ I noticed much more variation in ingredients than expected. I assume this variation is driven by the availability of protein and produce in different provinces. Pad Thai actually originated from Vietnamese traders and was adapted to suit Thai ingredients and flavour profiles. So keeping this in mind I’m a little more comfortable in posting this version of a deeply traditional dish. It’s simple and delicious and just like it’s Thai takeaways counterpart, delicious eaten cold from the fridge the following day!