Pad thai

Pad Thai, also known as Phad Thai, is a beloved stir-fried noodle dish that holds a prominent place in Thai cuisine. You can find it everywhere, from bustling street food stalls to upscale restaurants throughout Thailand. This delectable dish typically features rice noodles, a choice of protein such as chicken, beef, or tofu, crunchy peanuts, scrambled eggs, bean sprouts, and various vegetables. All these ingredients are stir-fried in a wok and tossed in a distinctive Pad Thai sauce that imparts its signature sweet, tangy, and salty flavor.

The classic ingredients for Pad Thai often include rehydrated dried rice noodles mixed with tapioca flour, eggs, tofu, tamarind pulp, fish sauce, dried shrimp, garlic or shallots, chili pepper, palm sugar, lime wedges, and roasted peanuts. You can also incorporate additional proteins like shrimp, crab, squid, or chicken. Accompanying the dish, you’ll typically find condiments such as red chili pepper, lime wedges, extra peanuts, bean sprouts, and spring onions. For vegetarians, soy sauce can substitute for fish sauce, and the shrimp can be omitted entirely.

Although stir-fried noodles have been a part of Thai cuisine for centuries, Pad Thai as we know it was created in the mid-20th century by Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram. He introduced the dish to promote nationalism during a period of nation-building. Pad Thai gained even more popularity during World War II when Thailand faced a rice shortage, and the government encouraged people to consume noodles instead. Today, it stands as one of Thailand's national dishes.

Pad Thai's fame has spread far beyond Thailand's borders. It has been recognized globally for its incredible taste, often appearing on lists of the world's best foods and even featuring in movies and TV shows. In one notable instance, celebrity chef Bobby Flay lost a cooking competition centered around Pad Thai. Furthermore, in 2017, Google commemorated the dish with a special Doodle that animatedly showcased its ingredients.