For authentic food lovers, this is not the recipe for you. But if you want a taste of takeout Pad Thai without the crazy cost or any specialty techniques, then try out this recipe! This Pantry Pad Thai utilizes average kitchen staples and transforms them into a flavorful stir-fry sauce that coats simple grocery store basics to create a dish that you can make even during the week.
What gives this Pantry Pad Thai its flavors?
Pad Thai without a wok and no specialty ingredient insight? Yes, it is possible to a degree. With a simple bit of mixing and concocting, you can create similar sweet, salty, sour, and acidic flavors present in classic Pad Thai.
Traditional Pad Thai relies on essential umami-rich ingredients like tamarind paste, fish sauce, palm sugar, fresh citrus, and fresh chilis. Here, the essential ingredients are mimicked with pantry staples. Tamarind paste’s sweet and sour elements are mirrored with the ketchup and rice vinegar. Fish sauce, which gives Pad Thai a distinct, but undetectable level of savoriness, is mirrored with Worcestershire sauce, which is made with anchovies.
Preparation and speed are king.
When it comes to this Pantry Pad Thai, it’s less about the cooking and more about the preparation. Cooking ingredients happens in rapid succession, so it’s crucial to prep all of the ingredients and have them all ready to go ahead of time.
Once the chicken is seared, the aromatic vegetables are sautéed. Next, the eggs are scrambled, followed by adding the bean sprouts, noodles, sauce, and nuts. While rice noodles are traditional to Pad Thai, if you don’t have them, don’t fret, anything like a spaghetti or fettuccine would work as well.
A bit of water is added to combine everything, and then it is ready to serve!
This Pad Thai is a fusion of sweet, spicy, acidic, and salty, making for a dish that is bright, flavorful, and blanched. Not only are the flavors complimentary, but the textures are wonderful, with carby noodles acting as a base for the crunch of the peanuts and bean sprouts.
The juicy pieces of chicken and the fluffy bits of scrambled eggs have the perfect amount of savoriness to satisfy those restaurant takeout cravings.
Pantry Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons ketchup
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons crushed red chili flakes
- 3 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil, divided
- 2 medium-sized chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 to 2 scallions, cut into 1 to 2-inch pieces
- 1 small shallot (or half 1 onion), finely diced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten with a bit of salt and allowed to rest for 10 minutes before cooking
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 8 ounces dry fettuccine, cooked according to the package directions
- 1/4 cup peanuts or cashews, roughly chopped
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup water (if needed)
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- In a bowl whisk together ketchup, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and chili flakes, set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat up 1 tablespoon of oil and cook the chicken, seasoning with salt and pepper, about 4 minutes on one side and 3 to 4 minutes on the other side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add the remaining oil into the pan and sauté the scallions, shallot, and ginger together, cooking for a few minutes or until the shallots are getting transparent and soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add in garlic cooking for 30 seconds. Push these ingredients to one side of the pan and add in the egg, making a large thin surface area for the egg to cook. Move the egg around until it starts to scramble.
- Next mix in the bean sprouts, cooked noodles, chicken, sauce, and peanuts, stirring to combine.
- If the mixture is looking too dry, add a bit of the water allowing all of the components of the Pad Thai to be coated in the sauce. You don’t want the mixture to be too wet but just enough liquid to spread the sauce to cover all of the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!