Pad Thai

Pad Thai is a plate of stir-fried rice noodles seasoned with tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar — sour, salty and sweet in the same mouthful.

What it really is

Flat dried rice noodles are soaked, not boiled, then finished in a very hot wok. The sauce rests on three things: tamarind for sourness, fish sauce for salt, palm sugar for sweetness. Traditional versions also fry shallot, garlic, chopped dried shrimp and preserved sweet radish (chai po) in the oil first; then shrimp, tofu or both go in, an egg is set against the side of the pan, and bean sprouts and garlic chives are tossed in last so they stay crisp.

The sauce is the dish, and the wok heat is what makes it work. The noodles should arrive as separate strands, coated and slightly chewy, never a soft clump. Stir-fried rice noodles were eaten in Thailand before, but pad Thai became widespread in the mid-twentieth century, when noodle dishes were promoted across the country.

How it is served

• On a plate, straight from the wok, hot.
• With lime, crushed peanuts and chilli flakes on the side or on top, so the guest sets the balance; some kitchens serve the peanuts separately or leave them out.
• With raw bean sprouts and garlic chives alongside.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the protein: shrimp, chicken or tofu — the sauce stays the same.
• The classic version with shrimp, dried shrimp, fish sauce, egg, tofu and peanuts carries crustaceans, fish, egg, soy and peanuts; say so, and say when peanuts come on the side.
• Rice noodles are gluten-free, but sauces such as soy sauce or ready-made pad Thai sauce can contain wheat: check the actual products before calling it wheat-free.
• A vegetarian version needs more than soy sauce in place of fish sauce: the shrimp and dried shrimp must go too, and for a vegan version the egg as well.