By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 14, 2026
Serves 6
457 cal · 40 min
Pad Thai
Recipe GLPR6981f069d6f849
A vibrant Thai stir-fried noodle dish featuring tender shrimp, tofu, and flat rice noodles tossed in a tangy-sweet tamarind sauce with crushed peanuts, fresh sprouts, and aromatic chives. This balanced one-pan meal delivers the classic flavors of Thailand with shrimp, eggs, and a hint of spice.
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Ingredients
7 oz. dried flat rice stick noodles
3 oz. seedless tamarind pulp
3 tbsp. palm sugar or light brown sugar
2 tbsp. Thai fish sauce
1 tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. Thai chili powder
7 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 small shallots, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
6 oz. medium shrimp, peeled with tail intact and deveined
2 oz. firm tofu, cut into strips
2 tbsp. dried tiny shrimp
½ bunch Chinese chives or 4 scallions, green parts only, cut into 2-inch pieces
¼ cup shredded salted radish
1½ cups soybean sprouts
¼ cup roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped
1 lime, quartered
Directions
Soak the dried rice noodles in room-temperature water for 30 minutes until pliable but still firm, then drain well and set aside.
While noodles soak, prepare the sauce: soak the tamarind pulp in ¼ cup warm water for 5 minutes, then press and strain through a sieve to extract 3 tablespoons of tamarind liquid, discarding solids.
In a small bowl, whisk together the tamarind liquid, palm sugar, fish sauce, rice vinegar, and chili powder until the sugar dissolves. Set the sauce aside.
Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Add the beaten eggs and scramble until cooked through, then transfer to a plate and break into bite-sized pieces.
Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil to the wok and increase heat to high. When the oil is hot, add the sliced shallots and chopped garlic, stirring constantly for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add the peeled shrimp and dried tiny shrimp to the wok, stirring continuously until the fresh shrimp turn opaque and firm, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the tofu strips and salted radish, tossing gently to combine with the shrimp, cooking for 1 minute.
Add the drained noodles to the wok, breaking them apart with two utensils or chopsticks as you toss to separate them.
Pour the prepared sauce over the noodles and toss everything together constantly for 2-3 minutes until the noodles are well coated and heated through.
Add the cooked scrambled eggs, soybean sprouts, Chinese chives, and three-quarters of the chopped peanuts to the wok, tossing gently to combine for 30 seconds.
Transfer the pad Thai to a serving platter and garnish with the remaining chopped peanuts. Serve with lime wedges on the side for squeezing over individual portions.
Comments
Pad Thai hits a wall with ingredient availability: tamarind pulp, palm sugar, salted radish, and dried shrimp live outside regular Charlotte grocery chains and require a trip to an Asian market—a real cost on a weeknight. Rice noodles and fish sauce are now easier to find at Kroger and ALDI, but even accounting for that, you are looking at two stops for a casual dinner. Cost per serving lands around $4 to $5 if you hit an Asian market with bulk pricing, but add 15 minutes to the stated 40 for ingredient hunting and proper prep work—the noodles need soaking, the shrimp marinade time, and the wok work demands focus. This is a rewards dish for planning ahead or a weekend project, not a grab-it-all impulse recipe.
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