Pad thai is Thailand's most exported dish, and most versions outside Thailand are made with canola or soybean oil. The lard version is closer to what pad thai tasted like before seed oils standardised street food cooking. Lard handles the high heat of wok cooking without smoking acridly, and its flavour compounds complement the fish sauce and tamarind in a way that neutral seed oils cannot.
Pad Thai Recipe
Ingredients
- 300g dried flat rice noodles (3-4mm wide), soaked in warm water 20 min, drained
- 3 tbsp pasture-raised lard
- 300g raw shrimp (peeled) or chicken thigh (sliced thin)
- 3 large eggs
- 200g fresh bean sprouts
- 4 spring onions, cut into 3cm lengths
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Pad Thai sauce: 3 tbsp tamarind paste, 3 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp honey, 1 tsp chilli flakes
- To serve: lime wedges, crushed roasted peanuts, sliced spring onion, fresh coriander
Method
- Whisk together all sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- Heat the lard in a wok over the highest heat until smoking. Add the protein and sear for 2-3 minutes until cooked through. Remove.
- Add the garlic to the wok. Sauté 30 seconds.
- Add the drained noodles. Toss for 2 minutes, pressing against the wok surface.
- Push everything to the sides. Add the eggs to the centre and scramble until just set, then fold into the noodles.
- Return the protein. Add the sauce and bean sprouts. Toss everything together for 1 minute over high heat.
- Add the spring onion lengths. Toss once more. Remove from heat.
- Serve immediately topped with crushed peanuts, lime wedges, and fresh coriander.
Is pad thai seed oil free?
Yes with lard. Most restaurant pad thai uses canola or soybean oil. Tamarind paste, fish sauce, and rice noodles contain no seed oils.
What is tamarind paste?
A tart, fruity paste made from the tamarind fruit — the essential souring agent in pad thai. Available at Asian grocery stores. Lime juice is an inferior but workable substitute.
Can I make it vegetarian?
Yes — replace protein with firm tofu (pressed, then fried in lard), replace fish sauce with soy sauce, omit the eggs or keep them.
Follow Savannah: @theefoodiekitchen · All Links
African, Hawaiian, Indian, Mediterranean, Asian, Exotic, Chicken, Rice, Cookies, Coffee, Spices, Plants, World Cuisine, 30-Minute Dinners and more.
View All 23 Books on Amazon →