Reviewed: Aug. 13, 2008

Absolutely fabulous! We loved this recipe. Of course I could not find the tamarind pulp or the oriental radish. Subbed tamarind pulp with lime pulp and just left out the radish. Oh yeah, as others have said you have to soak the noodles in very hot water. Mine were still not completely soft after 25 or 30 minutes. So I turned the temp to medium like the recipe said and gradually added about 1 1/2 cups of water while stirring occasionally. Well it worked, the noodles soaked up the water and were perfect. I would just add a little water at a time. I am wondering if I could have added the sauce sooner and not used as much water because I had to let the sauce cook down a little. Anyway I was worried about all those peanuts too, but they were awesome! I think I could have actually added more! This recipe went well with Thai Chicken Curry with Pineapple & Fresh Spring Rolls with Thai Dipping Sauce from this site. TRY THIS RECIPE!!! AWESOME!

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Yummy 4 Tummy

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Cookeville, Tennessee, USA

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Reviewed: Aug. 12, 2008

so close to what you get in a restaurant. I might add some thai chilis as this wasn't spicy, just super tasty

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tamjai

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Reviewed: Jul. 16, 2008

Yummy! I didn't even have the bean sprouts, and it was still good (though the sprouts would have been a good addition) For the noodles, we boiled them for about 2 minutes, turned off the stove, and then they sat for about 2 minutes. When you stir fry the noodles, they cook more and absorb the sauce. You do not want to overcook the noodles or they will turn to paste.

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Janeille

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Owego, New York, USA

Living In: Groveland, Florida, USA

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Reviewed: Jun. 25, 2008

I made this almost exactly according to the recipe and was really disappointed. Way too vinegary, but also kinda too sweet -- and you can't just throw a couple tablespoons of tamarind paste in a dish, it's supposed to be soaked in water and you only use the water. I used peanut oil and added chicken, no tofu. It was edible but I wasn't proud. I don't know how it could be improved and wouldn't make this recipe again.

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YONDERBOY777

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Reviewed: Jun. 2, 2008

I made this last night, with chicken, and it tasted like what you'd get in a restaurant. So said my boyfriend and his roommate, anyway. I used peanut oil instead of vegetable oil, and did not use the tamarind pulp because I couldn't find it at Safeway. (The Asian + Hispanic foods aisle failed me!) Instead, I used lime pulp. Nor could I find chives, oddly enough, so I used green onions instead. I chopped the peanuts in a food processor, and added a little extra (1.75 cups instead of 1.5). If you're a meat eater, I seriously advise the addition of chicken and/or shrimp. You can add these in the beginning stages (with the oil + garlic), and they'll make it a more filling dish. Remember to soften your noodles in SUPER HOT water for 25-30 minutes. Oh, and I think 1/2 cup is way too much oil. I love oil as much as the next person, but if you use enough to cover the bottom of the wok (1/4 cup or so), that should be plenty.

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Jasmine

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Portland, Maine, USA

Living In: San Francisco, California, USA

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Reviewed: Apr. 1, 2008

I am still looking for that restaurant taste pad thai. I haven been searching for over 7 years and tried over 2 dozen different recipes but NOTHING even comes close to it. I have no idea what's missing! My husband and kids liked it but once again, I didn't care for it that much hence, 4 stars.

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tofu19

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Living In: Sunnyvale, California, USA

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Reviewed: Feb. 26, 2008

This comes out just as good as the Thai restaurants. The first time I made this, I followed the recipe (except for omitting the tamarind pulp because I couldn't find any). It came out pretty well. The second time around, I added a tablespoon of peanut butter to chicken and extra peanuts, and followed the suggestions in Bes's review for substitutions. It was amazing!

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Carrie

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: West Milford, New Jersey, USA

Living In: Morristown, New Jersey, USA

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Reviewed: Feb. 18, 2008

Sauce was thin and had no flavor

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Joe Mahoney

Cooking Level: Beginning

Home Town: Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA

Living In: State College, Pennsylvania, USA

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Reviewed: Feb. 15, 2008

I researched the comments of the reviewers and combined common suggestions to come up with the following recipe. It turned out EXCELLENT... my boyfriend and I think we have bested the best pad thai in the city! Sukhothai Pad Thai Pad Thai Sauce • 1/2 cup white sugar • 2 T. lime juice (or ½ c. rice vinegar) • ¼ cup fish sauce • Dash of sesame oil • 2 tablespoons tamarind pulp (mix w/ ¼ c. water to make tamarind juice) Peanut Sauce • 2 T. peanut oil/sesame oil (optional – makes it pretty oily) • 1-1/2 c. peanut butter • 1/3 c. hot water • 1/3 c. soy sauce • 1 c. coconut milk • 1-1/4 c. brown sugar • 1/3 c. lemon/lime juice • Season w/ 2 T. garlic powder and 1 T. paprika, and cayenne pepper to taste Other Ingredients • 1 (12 ounce) package dried rice noodles • 2 T. vegetable oil (recommended - sub. peanut oil) • Finely chopped Thai chili peppers • 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic • Chopped shallots • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground, dried oriental radish (or ½ c. chopped pickled oriental radish or turnip) • Minced dried shrimp • 4 eggs • 1 1/2 cups ground peanuts • 2 cups fresh bean sprouts • 1/2 cup chopped fresh chives • 1 tablespoon paprika (some said to sub. 1 teaspoon chili powder) • Chopped cilantro • 1 lime, cut into wedges DIRECTIONS 1. Soak rice noodles in hot water until soft or boil very briefly; drain before adding to wok/skillet in Step 6 below. Marinate 1-1/2 c. sliced chicken in 3 T. soy sauce and 2 t. cornstarch. 2. To prepare Pad Thai sauce: In a medium sa

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NBH

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Jan. 28, 2008

Yummy. I subbed 2 tb fish sauce for 2 tb of the soy sauce, added extra paprika, more garlic and chile paste instead of radish. I also served all the garnishes (peanuts, cilantro, lime, green onion, bean sprouts) on the side. Yummy, thanks!!

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Yummum

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Reviewed: Jan. 16, 2008

I can't believe that I made this. I followed a combination of other reviewers suggestions, boiling noodles, adding chili powder. I was a little skeptical about the fish sauce (i tried it and I'm going to need to air out my kitchen) but this was good!

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dolores773

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Reviewed: Jan. 16, 2008

This was not good if you followed the recipe. Way to much vinegar and tamarind. Also, it does not state how long to soak the noodles. I soaked them for about 45 minutes. I thought all that oil was meant to finish cooking them but they never softened.

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ONICA GRAY

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Reviewed: Jan. 16, 2008

Joycie K variation on the Pad Thai: (4 servings) I left out the tamarind pulp, dried oriental radish, and chives. I made double the Pad Thai sauce. I also made mine with both chicken and tofu, and added minced onions and slices of red bell pepper (about 1/2 cup each). Served with cilantro and lime. Probably not as authentic, but still super tasty!

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Statis

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: San Jose, California, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 1, 2008

I liked this recipe and I'll make it again, but I used several of the adjustments mentioned by previous posters. I used: half the sugar in the sauce, rice vinegar instead of distilled, fish sauce instead of soy, extra lime juice in the sauce (I did use the tamarind pulp - wasn't hard to use after I heated it in the microwave with some water for 20 seconds), very hot water to soften the noodles, red pepper flakes instead of the radish, and I omitted the sugar at the end of the recipe. I also added 2 cups of raw snow peas while cooking the tofu to add in some veggies. I did think it was rather dry so next time I'll double the sauce recipe. I definitely liked it, but I don't think I would have if I'd stuck with the original recipe. Also, the recipe as posted says it serves 8 but it's really more like 6. 12 ounces of noodles is just not enough for 8 decent portions.

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VesHeill

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Dec. 28, 2007

This took me a long time to make the first time, but I got it down after making it a few times. Really great with peanut sauce. I agree that the vinegar could be reduced, but it's also good as is.

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spbeaudry

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Reviewed: Dec. 13, 2007

This recipe was better than ok but not quite "the Best" I've ever had. It has great flavour, but it's just not quite what I've had in restaurants. I find restaurant ones superior in taste and in texture. It does have an authentic flavour though due to the tamarind pulp so I recommend you take the time to find it. My hubby liked it a lot so I will be making it again. Some tips I have for others after trying this recipe for the first time is 1/ to start soaking the rice noodle right away so it has time to soften while you do the other prep/cooking steps; 2/ to soak the rice noodle in HOT tap water to help to speed up the softening process (would have taken too long in cold water); 3/ to strain the Pad Thai sauce before adding to wok as the tamarind I used had fiber and seeds in it; 4/ to add the bean sprouts just after incorporating the Pad Thai sauce as it does need to wilt down a bit (and it helps prevent salmonella poisoning); and 5/ to use "DRIED" tofu which is different than firm tofu - it holds up much better and makes it more authentic. Changes I made: 1/ added some siracha to add spiciness (what's a Pad Thai without the heat?) 2/ left out most of the chives - just used a little as garnish and for colour and 3/ left out most of the peanuts (I added peanuts to a small amount first to test and preferred it without). Having said all that it was still enjoyable and different than what I normally make so it will be something I make again.

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vlin28

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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Reviewed: Dec. 11, 2007

It was quite good. I liked the fact that it did not have the sticky peanut butter sauce. I added a few more vegetables and overall liked it a lot.

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VIVNIDHI

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Reviewed: Nov. 5, 2007

We put in less soy sauce than they asked for and we still didn't like it.

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Gina

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Reviewed: Nov. 3, 2007

Finding some of the ingredients were a challenge (I had to hit the Korean market and find an English-speaking worker to help me, and I'm Korean myself!!). However, the pad thai turned out great and tasted pretty authentic! I might leave the noodles in the water a little longer next time, though. They were slightly al dente. Still, 5 stars.

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audriesaur

Cooking Level: Beginning

Living In: Diamond Bar, California, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 21, 2007

I made this according to the suggestions of "Bes" in the reviews. It turned out very well. I omitted the chilly powder and spiced it mildly with chili sauce, and I couldn't find the oriental radish, so omitted that too... didn't seem to miss it. the tofu really fell apart... next time I would try an extra firm. Over-all, turned out great. Tamarind and fish sauce should not be omitted if you want an authentic flavor.

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