Pad Thai without tamarind is like salsa without cilantro - just missing something. I added tamarind paste, cut down on the lime and bean sprouts a bit and kicked up the heat more. It came out great. I also didn't have a wok on hand so I cooked the chicken and garlic and green onions first, then removed them from the pan, cooked the eggs then added the noodles and sauce then added the chicken back in.
This recipe was excellent, but only after I followed the suggestions of several other reviewers: I used 1 T tamarind paste (because what is Pad Thai without tamarind?!) and also increased the amount of sauce. I was feeding four people so I doubled the whole recipe, but TRIPLED the sauce recipe and it came out perfect. I decreased the lime juice by 50% to account for tartness of tamarind, and didn't use as much fish sauce as the recipe called for. I omitted the oyster sauce (didn't have any) and used veggie bullion instead of chicken stock. I made other subs since I didn't have some of the veggies, and wanted to make it vegetarian: I used tofu in place of both the chicken and shrimp. I didn't have bean sprouts, but I DID have baby Bok Choy so I used that. And I used thinly sliced carrots. Other than that, I followed the recipe steps and amounts exactly and it made the best Pad Thai I've ever made (and I make Pad Thai often!). Excellent and very flexible recipe. Thanks!
I'm picky about my Pad Thai, and this was VERY GOOD! I thought it was a little heavy on the lime juice for my taste. It yeilded WAY more than 3 servings. I make a little extra of the sauce, about 25% more. I like alot of juice, and I like the noodles a little softer.
Fantastic Recipe! I would recommend it to those that are picky about their Thai food!!!
This recipe is amazing. The v first time i made it all my family and friends raved that it was better than all the thai restaurants. I did however add a lil tamarind juice to get the real pad thai flavor. It is only about 2 dollars in most stores. Just ask someone who works at the store where it is because it is hard to find on your own. I also reduced the fish sauce down a couple tablespoons and same with the lime juice because the tamarind has a sweet and sour taste to it already. I definetly suggest that you try this recipe. REVISED: So I have made this about 20 times by now and i think i have it perfected. First of all if you are feeding a family of six like mine the recipe should be doubled. Also I know this seems like overkill but I add a packet of pad thai seasoning to the liquid mixture and it makes the sauce just perfect. I also think it helps the sauce thicken up a little. The sauce packet should be near the asian sauces at the store and is usually like 1 dollar. I also suggest that you do not omit any ingredients. For example the green onion cilantro and bean sprouts really make this pad thai worth making. I also add about 1/2 cup of brown sugar to the sauce and about triple the chili sauce because we love sweet and spicy food.
While I didn't follow this recipe to the letter I thought the basics of it were right on the mark. This is a delicious dish. Some changes I made: Instead of lime juice I now use "True Lime" packets. They work great. I also omitted the green onions since I didn't have any around. In stead I used what I had which included Asparagus Spinach Cabbage Carrots. YUM! I sauteed the some onion for a bit and then added the other veggies. No chicken on hand so I went with shrimp that I had already cooked and frozen when it was cheap in the market. One other change I made... My husband and I love the peanut taste. I added nearly twice the sauce like other readers and then threw in about 1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter for good measure. Try this recipe. It tastes like what you get in the Thai restaurants but 1/4 the price..and right now that's really important.
Considering how good this recipe was for the price and time it was a 5 star hands down. Great recipe. Next time I make it i'll add more vegetables and maybe some marinated mushrooms. Don't think about substituting the chile sauce it makes the dish.
Loved it! Very happy to have a recipe for pad thai to make at home. I cut way down on the oil which worked out fine and used just 1 T of sriracha - I can't imagine how spicy it would be with more! Also didn't have any fish sauce but just increased the oyster sauce and added some soy. Also didn't have (many other things) but put in diced tofu instead of shrimp. Tailor the recipe to your liking!
This is reasonably tasty Pat Thai but I felt it had a little bit of a Southwestern US thing going on which wasn't quite on the mark to me. It may have been because I used fresh limes and squeezed the juice in but it seemed extra limey compared the kind I've usually gotten in Thai restaurants. I also feel that the cilantro is perhaps not the right herb to top this with but I think restaurants perhaps use Thai basil of if you can't find Thai basil then regular basil. It's overall a decent dish maybe not quite exactly right to me though.
I added 1T Tamarind. Only 2T Lime juice.
