Pad Thai

Pad Thai
Rice noodles
Pad Thai from a street stall in Chiang Mai
Alternative name(s):
Phat Thai
Place of origin:
Thailand
Main ingredient(s):
Dried rice noodles, eggs, tofu, tamarind pulp, fish sauce, dried or fresh shrimp, garlic or shallots, red chili pepper, palm sugar, lime, peanuts
Recipes at Wikibooks:
Pad Thai
Media at Wikimedia Commons:
Pad Thai

Pad Thai or phat Thai (Thai: ผัดไทย, RTGS: Phat Thai, ISO p̄hạdịthy, [pʰàt tʰāj] ( listen), "fried Thai style") is a stir-fried rice noodle dish commonly served as a street food and at casual local eateries in Thailand. It is made with soaked dried rice noodles which are stir-fried with eggs and chopped firm tofu, and flavored with tamarind pulp, fish sauce (Thai: Nam pla น้ำปลา), dried shrimp, garlic or shallots, red chili pepper and palm sugar, and served with lime wedges and often chopped roasted peanuts.^[1] It may also contain other vegetables like bean sprouts, garlic chives, coriander leaves, pickled radishes or turnips (Thai: Hua Chai Po หัวไชโป๊ว), and raw banana flowers. It may also contain fresh shrimp, crab, chicken or another protein. Vegetarian versions may substitute soy sauce for the fish sauce and omit the shrimp.

In Vietnam, a similar dish is called "phở xào" or "bánh phở xào sa tế," meaning "stir-fried pho".

History

A dish of stir-fried rice noodles is thought to have been introduced to the ancient Thai capital city of Ayuthaya by Viet traders, and was subsequently altered to reflect the Thai flavor profile.^[2] During the late 1930s and 1940s, the dish was made popular in Thailand during World War II. Thai fascist government Plaek Phibunsongkhram named pad Thai as part of campaign to promote Thai nationalism and centralization, seeking to reduce domestic rice consumption.^[3] The Thai economy was heavily dependent on rice exports, and the prime minister hoped to increase the amount available for export by encouraging Thais to make and sell rice noodles from street carts and in small restaurants.^[4] Pad Thai has since become one of Thailand's national dishes^[5] and has become popular in many countries around the world.

Pop culture

• Pad Thai is listed at number 5 on World's 50 most delicious foods readers' poll compiled by CNN Go in 2011.^[6]
• The Thai film Jao saao Pad Thai uses pad Thai as a plot device as the protagonist claims she will marry whoever eats her pad Thai for 100 days in a row.^[7]
• In 2008, in an episode of Throwdown! with Bobby Flay, Bobby Flay was defeated by Chef Nongkran Daks at her restaurant, Thai Basil, in Chantilly, Virginia.^[8]
• "The Cooper-Nowitzki Theorem" episode of The Big Bang Theory ends with Leonard having a bad dream of Sheldon procreating by splitting in two after consuming too much pad Thai.

See also

• Cuisine of Thailand
• Pad see ew

References

Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on Pad Thai

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pad Thai.