One Pot Pad Thai

Forget the takeout with this easy to make and full of flavor One Pot Pad Thai! Tender rice noodles stir-fried with eggs, shrimp, veggies, peanuts, and a wonderful tart, sweet, and salty sauce!

When we visit Asian restaurants, I always try to order different things. Sometimes I discover true hidden gems, sometimes I can’t even finish my plate because of the unfitness of a dish to my taste buds. Nevertheless, I keep trying.

That’s not the case with my husband, though. He is one of those people who likes playing it safe and ordering the same time-tested dishes all the time to avoid unpleasant surprises. I tried to talk him around a few times and he actually listened but… He got unlucky, wasn’t able to finish the food, and, ultimately, was left hungry. Oops. I don’t do that anymore since.

One of his most favorite Asian dishes is Pad Thai. Yes yes, I know. It’s everywhere, right? Igor loves it, though! Despite the numerous recipes of this Thai creation on Pinterest, I have never tried making it at home. Seriously. I mean, why bother if you can just grab some takeout.

I have my reasons now. The quality of the food in fast food restaurants has dropped lately (at least where I live) and they don’t tempt me like they used to anymore. It’s much better to make something at home with the ingredients you can vouch for. Moreover, this One Pot Pad Thai is really easy to make!

One Pot Pad Thai – What’s Inside?

• Rice noodles. What’s an Asian dish without them? For Pad Thai you should use wider noodles (marked “L” or “M”) or simply the widest rice stick noodles you can find. Rice noodles are naturally gluten-free so it’s a great choice for people with celiac disease.
• The sauce. Usually contains brown or palm sugar, fish sauce, and tamarind juice, paste, or concentrate. Other ingredients such as honey, vinegar, chili powder can also be added. I substituted tamarind with lime juice + brown sugar combo because the book I adapted the recipe from (One Pan, Two Plates – a great book for one pan meal fans) suggested it.
• Vegetables. The set of veggies used in Pad Thai can be different. Garlic, shallot, green onion, bean sprouts, pickled radishes or turnips, and the list goes on and on. I also used napa cabbage and it was a great addition.

• Eggs. A mandatory ingredient. You can’t make Pad Thai without eggs! Well, you can, obviously, but it won’t be authentic anymore. Eggs are stir-fried with rice noodles.
• Shrimp. I am not sure if it’s a mandatory ingredient but all Pad Thai recipes I’ve seen had them. Traditional recipes use small dried shrimp (they are super cheap in Thailand and that’s what the most people can afford) but nowadays more recipes use fresh shrimp instead. I checked the price of dried shrimp here in Tenerife and they are even more expensive than fresh ones so in such case there is no point in using them at all.
• Other common ingredients are tofu, peanuts, and lime. I didn’t use tofu because my hubby is not into it + I saw plenty of recipes without it. I did throw some halved peanuts inside and served this one pot Pad Thai with lime wedges. Loved squeezing some lime juice over it!

Now let me tell you this. This homemade one pot Pad Thai is way better than any version I had in local restaurants. Plus, it’s so easy to make! My hubby was in awe. I am pretty sure we won’t order Pad Thai from takeout again. Try this full-of-flavor Thai stir-fry and let me know in a comments section below how you liked it! 

* This post contains affiliate links, thank you for the support in keeping Yummy Addiction up and running!