Easy pad thai recipe with common ingredients?

Question

I know most pad thai recipes call for tamarind, but are there any without it (and other less common ingredients) that still taste good?

Answer 1

The Thais never use tomato based instead of tamarind based... a lot of recipes on websites they claim it's Thai but it's not.

Answer 2

There is a Pad Thai recipe from North Thailand (or is it the South?) that is tomato based instead of tamarind based:  you can also buy Pad Thai sauce (easily available everywhere these days!).  The ready made sauce already has the tamarind, galangal, kaffir lime, fish sauce..... all those hard to find & authentic Thai ingredients.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quick-and-E...

http://lifestyle.msn.com/foodandentertai...

Answer 3

Nope, we have to use it. That why we call it Thai food

here what I do.

4 teaspoons fish sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground dried chili pepper

ground pepper

1 shallot, minced

2 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoon tamarind

1/2 package Thai rice noodles

2 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2-1/4 lb shrimp Optional

1/2 banana flower Optional

1/3 cup tofu - extra firm Optional

1-1/2 cup Chinese chives - green Optional

2 tablespoons peanuts Optional

1-1/3 cup bean sprouts Optional

1 tablespoon preserved turnip Optional

Shrimp can be substituted or omitted.

Soak the dry noodles in lukewarm water while preparing the other ingredients, for 5-10 minutes. Julienne tofu and cut into 1 inch long matchsticks. When cut, the extra firm tofu should have a mozzarella cheese consistency. Cut up Chinese chives into 1 inch long pieces. Set aside a few fresh chives for a garnish. Rinse the bean sprouts and save half for serving fresh. Mince shallot and garlic together.

Use a wok. If you do not have a wok, any big pot will do. Heat it up on high heat and pour oil in the wok. Fry the peanuts until toasted and remove them from the wok. Add shallot, garlic and tofu and stir them until they start to brown. The noodles should be flexible but not expanded at this point. Drain the noodles and add to the wok. Stir quickly to keep things from sticking. Add tamarind, sugar, fish sauce, chili pepper and preserved turnip. Stir. The heat should remain high. If your wok is not hot enough, you will see a lot of juice in the wok at this point. Turn up the heat, if it is the case. Make room for the egg by pushing all noodles to the side of the wok. Crack the egg onto the wok and scramble it until it is almost all cooked. Fold the egg into the noodles. Add shrimp and stir. Add bean sprouts, chives. Stir a few more times. The noodles should be soft and very tangled.

Pour onto the serving plate and sprinkle with peanuts. Serve hot with the banana flower slice and a wedge of lime on the side and raw Chinese chives and raw bean sprouts on top.

As always, in Thailand, condiments such as sugar, chili pepper, vinegar and fish sauce are available at your table for your personal taste. Some people add more pepper or sugar at this point.

Voila!!!

Enjoy!!!

Answer 4

It really needs those unusual thai ingredients (tamarind, fish sauce, etc)  to taste like pad thai.  Otherwise it'll just taste like any other noodle dish.

Thai cooking is really gaining in popularity.  Many of the better supermarkets have a good selection of thai ingredients in the asian aisle.