Did you ever wonder what “pad” means in English? It simply means “stir fry”. Of course, “Thai” stands for Thailand, a country in South East Asia. Put the two together and you get this delicious and flavorful meal, gluten free pad thai.
You don’t have to make homemade Pad Thai sauce, but I do because the popular gluten-free brand of premade sauce contains tomatoes, to which I am allergic. Authentic pad thai gets its amber color from fish sauce, not tomatoes, but if you don’t care for the taste of fish, substitute some of the fish sauce for ketchup. I have included both the homemade recipe and a link to the commercial brand
You can make gluten free Pad Thai at home without all of the heavy grease that restaurants use. In Thailand Pad Thai is not greasy like you find it in America. It is extremely flavorful. Use gluten free Pad Thai sauce from a jar or make your own.
Ingredients:
- 1 large (1/2 to 3/4 lb.) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small pieces (or deveined shrimp or diced tofu) (optional)
- 8 oz. wide/flat rice noodles (found here and in Asian markets)
- 1 cup bean sprouts, plus additional for garnish
- 1 bunch garlic chives, cut into pieces, plus more for garnish
- 1/4 cup sliced yellow onion
- Chopped peanuts, for garnish
- 1 large hard boiled egg, minced, for garnish (optional)
- Sea salt, for garnish
- Red pepper flakes & seeds, for garnish
- 1 lime, sliced, for garnish
- 1 Tablespoon (tamarind paste (It's so good!)
- 1 cup palm sugar
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup fish sauce, or more to your liking
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Thai Kitchen Pad Thai Sauce
Instructions:
- Heat oil in a wok or large, heavy skillet. Add garlic and fry about 1 minute or until golden brown.
- Add chicken or shrimp. Fry shrimp just until it changes color, about 2 to 3 minutes. Fry chicken for about 5 minutes, depending upon size. Just be sure the inside is no longer pink. Any further cooking than that will dry out the chicken. Remove shrimp or chicken and set aside.
- Soak noodles in hot water and drain thoroughly.
- Add noodles to empty skillet/wok whether using chicken and shrimp or not. Stir quickly to prevent them from sticking. Sprinkle with a little water to keep them moist.
- Add sprouts, chives, and onion. Stir and fry until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Pour pad Thai sauce over everything in the skillet, and toss gently to combine.
- If using, return the chicken or shrimp to the skillet and heat through.
- Serve immediately alongside the desired garnishes. You can also add the chiles, peanuts, garlic chives and bean sprouts in the skillet and toss to combine. Then serve with lime slices.
- Add all of the sauce ingredients into a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it thickens. Use as desired on Gluten Free Pad Thai.
Tips
You may boil the noodles in advance. Immediately after draining, rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and remove much of the stickiness.