Going Places

This is by far my most favorite noodle dish in Asia. Pad Thai – a Thai noodle dish that was created during World War II. Yes, you did not hear wrongly. During that time, Thailand had a serious rice shortage due to less production in the rice fields, which coincided with bad floods. In order to preserve the stocks of this precious grain, the then Prime Minister and Military Dictator, Plaek Phibunsonghram, started to promote noodles instead among its people. Noodles used only half of the grain, thus making it more economical and cheaper to produce. This aromatic dish is so accessible not just in Thailand, but most cities in the world with Thai restaurants will surely have it. This is undisputedly the most famous Thai stir-fry noodles in the world!

Pad Thai ranks above all other noodle dishes in my heart. Don’t get wrong.. I also Chinese la mian (拉面), chilli pan mian (辣椒板面), Malaysian/Singaporean laksa, Japanese ramen, udon, Italian pastas, but Pad Thai is on a different level of liking. I cannot imagine world without Pad Thai.

This simple noodle dish traditionally contains several basic ingredients, such as rice noodles, eggs, chicken, shrimps, tofu, pickled turnips, beansprouts, a concoction of tamarind paste, fish sauce and palm sugar, shallots, dried shrimps, peanuts, chilli flakes, lime, garlic, some coriander garnish. Though the ingredients are not expensive at all, some places have pushed the boundary and elevated this dish with more premium ingredients such as river prawns instead of shrimps.

One thing I must point out.. out of probably not less than 500 plates of Pad Thai, I have tasted some unforgivably inauthentic ones. It must not contain ketchup or tomato sauce. It should not taste like sugar syrup. The noodles should not be soggy or clumpy.

A good plate of Pad Thai should be cooked in a wok, comes out filled with a little smoky taste or charred scent (or as the Chinese says – wok hey 鍋气 ). The consistency should not be wet. Taste wise should be a fine balance of sweet, salty, sour. No one should eclipse the other. The reason for adding a generous amount of beansprouts is to add freshness to the dish and reduce the “heaviness” of the noodles. The real joy of eating Pad Thai is in every spoonful you get bits of shallots, tofu, garlic, dried shrimps. I personally like adding some sugar and chilli flakes, sometimes even fish sauce with chopped chilli to enhance the flavours. Imagine sweet, spicy, tangy, smoky, all in one. How amazing is that? I am drooling already, that’s the Pad Thai magic xx