We probably don’t need to really explain why we decided to post a Shrimp pad Thai recipe. As a common street food in Thailand and one of the most popular Thai dishes internationally, pad Thai is incredibly popular wherever people enjoy a good plate of noodles (which is to say…everywhere).
We’ve had many versions of Pad Thai here in the US, some good, and some that made us genuinely irritated that we ordered it! But Pad Thai is such a tasty dish when done right, and it’s something you should be able to make reliably at home. We decided to tackle it in our kitchen, saving us lots of heartache eating gloopy, overly sweet rice noodles and saving you, our dear readers, loads on takeout orders.
Our Shrimp Pad Thai recipe incorporates many authentic ingredients, except for banana flowers––a specialty ingredient widely available in Thailand. Here in the US…well when was the last time you saw a banana tree, let alone a banana flower?!
We also tried a slightly different approach for this Shrimp Pad Thai recipe. We used whole shrimp (with the heads on). While it may sound unnecessary and perhaps a bit off-putting compared to those squeaky clean bags of peeled and deveined frozen shrimp, the shrimp heads really add flavor and color to the dish. Take a walk on the wild side, use all of the ingredients (whole shrimp included!), and I promise you won’t be disappointed.
One more thing before I forget. You will want to use a wok that produces high heat to get that elusive wok hay flavor. If you’ve got a bit of spare time, you may want to separate this shrimp pad Thai into two batches to really get the full effect of the Thai street food vendors who make pad Thai to order one serving at a time. Smaller portions, while not always practical, almost always guarantee better results when cooking at home. This Shrimp Pad Thai does require quite a bit of prep work and organization, but once everything is assembled, it really comes together quickly.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 8 ounces dried pad Thai noodles
- 8 ounces whole shrimp (with heads on if you can get them)
- 4 tablespoons oil, divided
- 2/3 cup water
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- white pepper, to taste
- ½ block of extra firm tofu, cut into thin rectangles
- 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 tablespoons salted preserved Chinese turnip or radish, washed in warm water and julienned (optional)
- 2 cups Chinese garlic chives cut in inch long pieces
- 3 medium eggs, (preferably at room temperature)
- 2 cups mung bean sprouts washed and drained
- 2 tablespoon roasted peanuts, crushed
- a handful of cilantro leaves (optional)
Soak the pad Thai noodles in warm water for about 20 minutes, and drain in a colander. If the noodles are in really long strands, you will want to cut them into 10- to 12-inch lengths, or you will end up with a huge noodle ball when cooking. And nobody wants a huge noodle ball.
Remove the heads and shells from the shrimp and collect them into a bowl. Wash and devein the shrimp and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in your wok over high heat until just smoking. Add the shrimp heads and shells.
Stir-fry until all of the shells are bright orange, and add 2/3 cup water. When liquid comes to a boil, press the shrimp heads with your metal spatula to bring out the flavor and color. Simmer for another 5 minutes and remove from heat.
Strain the shrimp stock (about ½ cup) into a bowl and discard the heads and shells. To the bowl of stock, add sugar, tamarind paste, fish sauce, and white pepper. Mix well and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in your wok over high heat and sear the shrimp for 1 minute. Remove the shrimp immediately after they’ve gone opaque and are a little golden at the edges, leaving any excess oil in the wok. Set the shrimp aside.
Set the wok to medium high heat and add another tablespoon of oil. Spread the firm tofu in the wok in one layer, and sear on both sides until slightly browned (about 1 to 2 minutes). Next, add the shallots, garlic, preserved turnip (if using), and chives. Turn up the heat to high.
Time to add the noodles! Add the noodles and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, or until all the ingredients are combined.
Pour the tamarind-shrimp sauce mixture over the noodles, and stir fry for 30 seconds or so. Push the noodles to one side of the wok to make way for the eggs. Add two tablespoons of oil to the clear area of the wok. Crack the three eggs in, using your spatula to lightly beat them in the wok (how’s that for an oxymoron?). Fold the eggs gently without completely scrambling them, and when they’re about 60% done, fold the noodles over the eggs.
Lastly, add the bean sprouts.
Stir fry everything at high heat until the bean sprouts are just cooked (about 1 to 2 minutes, depending upon how hot your flame can get). Toss in the cooked shrimp, and serve the Shrimp Pad Thai with crushed peanuts and cilantro on top, if using. For more noodle goodness, check out all our noodle (and rice/pasta) recipes here.
- 8 ounces dried pad Thai noodles
- 8 ounces whole shrimp (with heads on if you can get them)
- 4 tablespoons oil, divided
- ⅔ cup water
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- white pepper, to taste
- ½ block of extra firm tofu, cut into thin rectangles
- 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 tablespoons salted preserved Chinese turnip, washed in warm water and julienned (optional)
- 2 cups Chinese garlic chives cut in inch long pieces
- 3 medium eggs, (preferably at room temperature)
- 2 cups mung bean sprouts washed and drained
- 2 tablespoon roasted peanuts, crushed
- a handful of cilantro leaves (optional)
- Soak the pad thai noodles in warm water for about 20 minutes, and drain in a colander. If the noodles are in really long strands, you will want to cut them into 10- to 12-inch lengths, or you will end up with a huge noodle ball when cooking. And nobody wants a huge noodle ball.
- Remove the heads and shells from the shrimp and collect them into a bowl. Wash and devein the shrimp and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in your wok over high heat until just smoking. Add the shrimp heads and shells. Stir-fry until all of the shells are bright orange, and add ⅔ cup water. When liquid comes to a boil, press the shrimp heads with your metal spatula to bring out the flavor and color. Simmer for another 5 minutes and remove from heat. Strain the shrimp stock (about ½ cup) into a bowl and discard the heads and shells. To the bowl of stock, add sugar, tamarind paste, fish sauce, and white pepper. Mix well and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in your wok over high heat and sear the shrimp for 1 minute. Remove the shrimp immediately after they've gone opaque and are a little golden at the edges, leaving any excess oil in the wok. Set the shrimp aside.
- Set the wok to medium high heat and add another tablespoon of oil. Spread the firm tofu in the wok in one layer, and sear on both sides until slightly browned (about 1 to 2 minutes). Next, add the shallots, garlic, preserved turnip (if using), and chives. Turn up the heat to high.
- Time to add the noodles! Add the noodles and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, or until all the ingredients are combined. Pour the tamarind-shrimp sauce mixture over the noodles, and stir fry for 30 seconds or so. Push the noodles to one side of the wok to make way for the eggs.
- Add two tablespoons of oil to the clear area of the wok. Crack the three eggs in, using your spatula to lightly beat them in the wok (how's that for an oxymoron?). Fold the eggs gently without completely scrambling them, and when they're about 60% done, fold the noodles over the eggs.
- Lastly, add the bean sprouts. Stir fry everything at high heat until the bean sprouts are just cooked (about 1 to 2 minutes, depending upon how hot your flame can get). Toss in the cooked shrimp, and serve the Shrimp Pad Thai with crushed peanuts and cilantro on top, if using.
DJ says
* One star – I have made this dish two times and was seriously disappointed . I question the amount of Tamarind. 2 tablespoons turned mine a dark brown, not at all the same color as your picture.
The half cup of shrimp juice added to the several tablespoons of fish sauce and tamarind was a lot of liquid for 8 ounces of rice noodle. It was very wet and I poured at least 1/4 cup of juice off. I was careful to measure the second attempt but still way to much liquid.
My conclusion is the liquid measurement and possibly the weight of dry pad Thai noodles is off by a mile.
It’s a lot of cost and time to invest for the end result.
Sorry but this one is a loser.
Bill says
Hi DJ, Not sure where you went wrong with this recipe but my guess is that your wok and stove setup is not hot enough. If you decide to attempt this recipe again, I suggest cooking it in two batches. My tamarind paste is also dark brown but brands could be different.
yenwoda says
This was awesome, by far the best pad thai recipe I’ve tried. Cooking times were spot on and the shrimp stock added a great flavor element. I completely forgot to add the sugar but it was still excellent (my perceptive wife sprinkled some on her plate and I looked at her like she had three heads, before going back to double-check the recipe).
Bill says
Hi yenwoda, glad you enjoyed this recipe. The shrimp stock really does set this dish apart from others ;-) sounds like you and your wife are both great cooks!
Victoria Wong says
This looks really good! How different does it taste using frozen shrimp and fresh shrimp? :)
Bill says
Hi Victoria, The short answer is that fresh shrimp are definitely going to taste better. However, it is highly unlikely that you can get fresh caught shrimp that has never been frozen unless you buy shrimp directly from a fishing boat.
All shrimp sold at retail stores have been flash frozen after they were caught and/or processed. Generally, the shrimp you see in fish markets that are not frozen are actually frozen shrimp that have been thawed for sale.
That said, the better choice is to buy frozen shrimp that have been frozen only once and thaw them yourself. You never really know how long the shrimp at the fish market have been thawed, or if they have been thawed, refrozen, and then thawed again.
Happy cooking!
Bill says
Hi Victoria, I prefer using frozen shrimp b/c it is really difficult to get fresh shrimp in most places. The shrimp you see in markets are usually thawed. It is always better to thaw your own frozen shrimp, which are flash frozen at sea or at the dock.
liza says
hi!
I want to make this tomorrow.
Can I replace the sugar with palmsugar?
Judy says
Sure, Liza!
caroline says
not sure if i’m missing something but it doesnt describe how to make the pad thai sauce. It shows the ingredients but never mentions them in the recipe.
caroline says
nm, I must have skipped that part of the recipe by accident, sorry!
Bill says
No worries Caroline, happy cooking!
Patty says
It’s so great to find your site! Having bought pad thai noodles in bulk at Costco, I’ve tried a few recipes but haven’t found one that I love, yet. Now, having friends over tomorrow for a belated Chinese New Year gathering, I’m going to give this one a try. I couldn’t find whole shrimp so will give the broth a go using just the shells. I will be back to browse around your other recipes, but am really excited to use this one. Thank you!
Bill says
Hi Patty, hope it turned out delicious for you!
Lisa says
Garlic chive substitute?
Bill says
Hi Lisa, If you can’t find garlic or Chinese chives, regular chives, scallions, or leeks would be a good substitute. The Chinese chives have a pleasant, strong flavor, so keep looking for them or plant some in your garden. They keep coming back every year as long as you keep fertilizing.