Pad Thai in the UK: what it is, how to order it, where to find it
Quick answer
Pad thai is stir-fried rice noodles with tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar, egg, prawns or chicken, bean sprouts, peanuts and lime. Thailand's most famous dish abroad and the default UK Thai order. The balance of sweet, sour and salty is the point; the good version tastes of tamarind, the bad one of ketchup and sugar.
Calories and nutrition
- Calories
- 600
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 78 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Salt
- 2.8 g
480–750 kcal
Portion: One portion, about 350 g.
Peanuts and the sugar-fish-sauce base carry the calories; tofu is a little lighter.
Estimates for a typical portion, based on standard UK and USDA food composition data. Actual values depend on the recipe and the restaurant.
What pad thai is
Thin flat rice noodles are soaked then stir-fried in a hot wok with tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar, with egg, firm tofu, dried shrimp, garlic chives and bean sprouts, plus prawns or chicken, finished with crushed peanuts, chilli flakes and lime. The signature is tamarind: sour, dark, fruity, balanced by palm sugar and fish sauce, with chilli and lime adjusted at the table.
How to judge it
It should taste of tamarind, balanced sweet-sour-salty, the noodles separate and slightly chewy with a little wok char, not a sweet orange mound. Good ones come with peanuts, chilli and lime to adjust yourself.
Ordering it in the UK
Pad thai is the safe first order, but a kitchen that only shines at pad thai cooks for tourists; also try a curry or som tam. Squeeze the lime and add the chilli and peanuts before deciding it needs more.
Where it is done well in the UK
Thai restaurants and street-food places, now in most towns. The list below shows areas with the most Thai restaurants.
How to order it
Squeeze the lime and add the peanuts and chilli before deciding it needs more. It should taste of tamarind, not ketchup. Try a curry too to judge the kitchen. Prawn or chicken; tofu is easily vegetarian (ask for no fish sauce).
Where it's done well
UK councils with the most pad thai specialists, by restaurant name, in our directory.
Restaurants near you
Search by postcode or use your location to find restaurants likely to serve pad thai near you.
Make it at home
Serves 2 · 25 min
Ingredients
- 150 g flat rice noodles
- 2 tbsp tamarind paste, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp palm sugar
- 150 g prawns or chicken
- 1 egg
- 50 g firm tofu, cubed
- 100 g bean sprouts, garlic chives
- crushed peanuts, chilli flakes, lime
- oil, garlic
Method
- Soak the noodles in warm water until pliable; drain. Mix the tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar.
- Stir-fry the prawns and tofu in a hot wok, push aside, scramble the egg.
- Add the noodles and sauce and toss hard until coated and cooked, with a splash of water if dry.
- Add bean sprouts and chives, toss, and serve with peanuts, chilli and lime.
Soak, do not boil, the noodles. Tamarind is the defining flavour; do not let sugar dominate.