Pad Thai Basics

• Rice stick noodles for pad Thai may be matchstick thin or wide as a pinkie nail, and they become tender in water. The dish often contains cabbage and bean sprouts. Other vegetables suit it as well, along with chicken, shrimp, egg or tofu. The simple stir-fry preparation makes it a convenient quick meal. A homemade sauce featuring tamarind -- a pod with a tart taste,Thai fish sauce, rice vinegar,and honey or palm sugar create a classic pad Thai. Thai sweet chili sauce offers a sweeter variation. Although quibbles about authenticity may arise about any Thai dish, adjusting Thai recipes to suit local tastes has a long tradition in U.S. Thai restaurants.

Traditional Sauce

• Tamarind paste in classic pad Thai recipes give the dish a satisfying tart flavor that adds a bite to contrast with the honey or sugar. Whisk it with lime juice or rice vinegar, chili pepper flakes and Thai fish paste made from anchovies. This combination produces a full-bodied, flavorful sauce for pad Thai. Because rice noodles take on the flavors of your sauce, these striking and traditional Thai ingredients bring the dish to life.

Sweet Chili Sauce

• A ready-made Thai sweet chili sauce offers a convenient solution for a fast stir-fry meal. To cut preparation time even more, use vegetables that are already washed and cut and cube chicken or tofu ahead of time. For maximum flavor, marinate your choice of protein in the sauce overnight and add more to taste at the end of cooking, when the vegetables become tender. Avoid adding other ingredients that contain sodium until after you taste the dish because Thai sweet chili sauce already contains salt.

Serving Suggestions

• Present pad Thai in a serving dish or plated as individual servings. Create a mound on the plate to show off the dish's colors and textures. Garnishes such as cilantro, chopped peanuts, dried shrimp, mung sprouts, fresh ginger and lime wedges set off the sauce and create a colorful presentation for your dish. Serve Thai sweet chili sauce on the side to adjust the dish to individual taste.