Pad Thai

[Jingthing]

Pad Thai has become a mainstream American food, right along with Vietnamese pho, Italian pizza, and Japanese sushi.

However, I think the standard of Pad Thai is both different and better (as in fancier) in the US. Do people know what I mean?

For example, anyone here remember the amazing pad Thai at Racha restaurant on Ellis Street in San Francisco?

What is different when it is good different (it isn't always, often it is worse and made with a prepackaged spice oil)?

The noodles are very red (color probably from paprika).

It often contains a good quantity of dried shrimps.

It is presented with a large pile of raw bean sprouts on the side. You are meant to mix it into the noodles after serving. This is so delicious and crispy.

Egg, there is usually a fried egg mixed in, not always done here.

I miss American pad Thai!

Edited November 2, 2007 by Jingthing

[britmaveric]

Try Da Da's on Second Rd.

[TheDon]

Is the whole thing deep fried??

[Jingthing]

Pad Thai is fried in oil in a wok. not deep fried. I can cook a mean one myself but I am too lazy to cook Thai food in Thailand.

Edited November 2, 2007 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

Try Da Da's on Second Rd.

Where is Da Da's exactly?

[lannarebirth]

Sprouts are OK, but banana flower is what makes it great IMO. And it's got to be moist, but not soggy. Never dryish.

[Jingthing]

Sprouts are OK, but banana flower is what makes it great IMO. And it's got to be moist, but not soggy. Never dryish.

You are right about banana flowers. You don't find that in the US. Also, its usually moist here, as in very oily and greasy, which may be authentic, but to me is not wonderful.

[BambinA]

Pad Thai has become a mainstream American food, right along with Vietnamese pho, Italian pizza, and Japanese sushi.

However, I think the standard of Pad Thai is both different and better (as in fancier) in the US. Do people know what I mean?

For example, anyone here remember the amazing pad Thai at Racha restaurant on Ellis Street in San Francisco?

What is different when it is good different (it isn't always, often it is worse and made with a prepackaged spice oil)?

The noodles are very red (color probably from paprika).

It often contains a good quantity of dried shrimps.

It is presented with a large pile of raw bean sprouts on the side. You are meant to mix it into the noodles after serving. This is so delicious and crispy.

Egg, there is usually a fried egg mixed in, not always done here.

I miss American pad Thai!

In my opinion you like phad thai in The US style because it is adjusted recipe.I mean they try to make it click for farang's favourite taste. Secondly, you may never tried the 5 stars authentic phad thai in Thailand before.

The very red noodles are from ketchup ( the kosher phad thai does not have it as an ingredient)

About the sprout on which is the side ,is common in TH aswell. Nothing new.

In Thailand, wrapping phad thai with egg is classy.

Anyway, as beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, yummy dish is depends on a person who eats.

[britmaveric]

Try Da Da's on Second Rd.

Where is Da Da's exactly?

Going towards Big C, on left side rd. Strip mall directly after Mike's Shopping Mall. (name alludes me) Second restaurant in. Cigar shop on the other side of the strip mall.

Edited November 2, 2007 by britmaveric

[Jingthing]

I don't agree with you. The places I went in San Francisco had many Thai customers, so maybe I am talking about certain places in SF rather than the US in general. I still think the red comes from paprika and not kethcup because that is what the recipes say to use to make it red and I have cooked it this way myself making it very red, and no ketchup. OK, maybe they did use ketchup, its possible, hard to know. Pad Thai here is mostly found on the street, but I have yet to find a great version in a restaurant here, but you are probably right, I haven't tried hard enough. I have also never seen the big pile of really fresh crispy sprouts here. Either they cook it in, or it is a small portion and not very crisp. Makes a huge difference.

I know what you mean about restaurants adjusting for farang tastes in bad western restaurants. Especially adding too much sugar, but Thais cooks do that here too. But I only went to good Thai restaurants with real Thai taste and many Thai customers.

OK, I am sure I will sound like an American chauvinist, but here goes. There are some foods that can be better in America than their home countries. Lets say a Thai beef dish. All the spices are Thai, exactly the same as Thailand, but the beef is decent American beef, makes it much better! Also, I used to eat Indian alot and at my favorite place (mostly Indian customers from India) I overheard an Indian engineer say that when he was back in India he was dreaming of eating at that place, Indian food in America.

BTW, most of the Thai food I do like better here (especially the price), but pad Thai is an exception.

Edited November 2, 2007 by Jingthing

[BambinA]

I still think the red comes from paprika and not kethcup because that is what the recipes say to use to make it red and I have cooked it this way myself making it very red, and no ketchup. OK, maybe they did use ketchup, its possible, hard to know.

I know that it's ketchup because i have read in TH forum and know that they use ketchup for making red colour

OK, I am sure I will sound like an American chauvinist, but here goes. There are some foods that can be better in America than their home countries. Lets say a Thai beef dish. All the spices are Thai, exactly the same as Thailand, but the beef is decent American beef, makes it much better!

I understand what do you mean; however, let's us look at phad thai 's ingredient. They has no meat(it's optional if you want to add chicken or shrimp) . All of it's ingredients come from asia.

[BambinA]

This is "adjusted recipe" phad thai sauce in farangland which creates by thai restuarant there (obviously, in TH we do not use it)

Phad Thai Sauce

1 cup water

1 ½ cups sugar (less if you rather not as sweet)

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1 piece of tamarind (approx 1" x 1")

½ cup ketchup

Combine ingredients in a saucepan, stir and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for approximately 30 minutes. Strain sauce to collect remaining bits of tamarind (pits, skins etc). Makes 2 cups. This sauce can be stored in the fridge for weeks. Reheat when ready to make Phad Thai dish.

[britmaveric]

Pad Thai at Da Da's is exceptional. Freshly cooked. I highly recommend it, and def far better than I've tried anywhere else in the world.

[Jingthing]

I don't know if my favorite places used ketchup or not. It doesn't really matter, Thais love ketchup and it is widely used in Chinese cooking as well. I do know it is possible to make red Pad Thai noodles without ketchup, just paprika, because I used to do this myself all the time. I also found this idea to use paprika from a Thai cookbook. For my own cooking I did add tamarind paste which some recipes suggest and to me that does add alot of flavor. I am guessing street Pad Thai here does not use tamarind and they don't even try to make it red. Thanks brit, I will try Da Das. I don't need it be exactly like my favorite places or the way I cooked it, just wonderful and I have yet to have wonderful Pad Thai in Thailand.

I noticed your Americanized recipe did not use fish sauce in the spice mixture. Fish sauce is a standard ingredient and should be there. Also palm sugar. I would have noticed the lack of fish sauce. The places I lived, almost all the Thai ingredients were easily available and also cheap. No shortcuts or faking needed.

Edited November 2, 2007 by Jingthing

[BambinA]

I am not here to fight with you. People have different preference. You may like phad thai in SF and I may add more than 3 spoons in my noodle soup.

Why no palm sugar? Coz it's hard to find in some states in the US also fish sauce can be a cause of nasty smelly problem.

For your information, we thai don't have paprika.

Nevermind

[Jingthing]

I am not here to fight with you. People have different preference. You may like phad thai in SF and I may add more than 3 spoons in my noodle soup.

Why no palm sugar? Coz it's hard to find in some states in the US also fish sauce can be a cause of nasty smelly problem.

For your information, we thai don't have paprika.

Nevermind

OK, thanks and sorry for being so passionate about Pad Thai.

I wouldn't have any respect for a Thai restaurant anywhere in the world that doesn't use fish sauce. You can't make Thai food without fish sauce, thats absurd.

I am a little surprised about paprika. Thai people certainly have paprika because I see local paprika for sale here all the time, but maybe this making the pad Thai red isn't done here? I know it isn't on the street places. What about in fancy Thai restaurants here serving more royal style Thai cooking, would they make the pad Thai red?

Any major US city these days at least on the coasts would have Thai/Lao markets and palm sugar available, but true there are huge areas where you couldn't get it. Thats not as big a deal as the fish sauce though.

Have you considered that lots of farangs who live in Thailand as well as those not here really love Thai food that tastes like Thai food, hot chilis, fish sauce, and all? Frankly, it is annoying to be stereotyped based on nationality as to what tastes we like. It would be like assuming that a person won't like a western dish because they are Thai, yet as we know, many Thais love to eat western food. I know the kind of bad Americanized Thai restaurants you are talking about. I think most are like that, and they don't get repeat custom from people who want closer to the real taste. Except in cities where that is all thats available, sadly there are cities like that.

BTW, Thai people didn't always have chilis either. For that, you can thank the Americas.

Edited November 2, 2007 by Jingthing

[BambinA]

I am a little surprised about paprika. Thai people certainly have paprika because I see local paprika for sale here all the time, but maybe this making the pad Thai red isn't done here? What about in fancy Thai restaurants here serving more royal style

Paprika is a spice made from the grinding of dried sweet red bell peppers (Capsicum annuum). In many European countries the name paprika also refers to bell peppers themselves. The seasoning is used in many cuisines to add colour and flavour to dishes.

ํYou may try to refer paprika as พริกป่น (prik pon) . It's not dried sweet red bell peppers.

We use Capsicum frutescens Linn.(Chilli Padi, Bird's Eye Chilli, Bird Chilli, Thai pepper)

Thai dried chiili powder

I believe that you can not eat that red noodle if it uses the TH dried chiili powder.

[Jingthing]

I believe that you can not eat that red noodle if it uses the TH dried chiili powder.

I think you are joking with me? My middle name is Prik Kee Nu!

Of course I could eat it, but I still think you have paprika in Thailand, because I see it all the time. Maybe you are saying it is not normally used in Thai cooking here, and I wouldn't know, if that is what you are saying, thats interestiing.

I will give up on the red thing.

Edited November 2, 2007 by Jingthing

[TheDon]

Australian beef is 10 times better then US beef, US beef looks kind of grey looking.

[Jingthing]

Australian beef is 10 times better then US beef, US beef looks kind of grey looking.

OK, if you say so, then that stuff must be 100 times better than Thai beef.

Actually, my favorite is Argie beef but I think it has too much grassy taste to work in Asian food.

Edited November 2, 2007 by Jingthing

[Ulysses G.]

Australian beef is 10 times better then US beef, US beef looks kind of grey looking.

Sorry, but I've spent a lot of time in both places, and Aussie beef isn't nearly as good as American beef in the same price range.

[TheDon]

No way, American beef is not even in the same class as aussie beef. American beef has a very dull taste to it and has no colour, aussie beef has to be the bext in the world easily.

Also do you americans deep fry your beef

[britmaveric]

Well Japanese beef is really lovely. Yank beef is bloody good as well. Aussie is ok. Argie is not bad too, but I tell you what portuguese beef is outstanding and tops the list.

[Plus]

Pad Thai isn't really a Thai dish to begin with. It was invented on orders of one Thai nationalist dictator about seventy years ago, to fight the spread of Chinese and Western food.

If you put so much Thai "paprika" that your noodles look red you can forget about selling it in American restaurants to your average Americans. Whatever it is, it's not what Thais put in their Pad Thai, but what do they know about Thai food? Americans always do everything better - they even invented pizzas before the Italians, and Germans had to name one of their cities Hamburg after that tasty American invention.

Threads like this are ridiculous.

[Jockstar]

Scottish beef is the best.

Just ask the wife.

[Jingthing]

Threads like this are ridiculous.

You say it is ridiculous but I am telling you the taste I was used to for pad Thai in the US is much better than the average pad Thai here, so who cares about "authentic" or whether you like to bash America or not? And I am not a yahoo type American who eats at McDonalds and Pizza Hut; rather more like a foodie type. Forget the paprika, I think the reason is that pad Thai is considered a fancy restaurant meal in the US and they often try to make it more fancy while in Thailand it is more thought of as 25 baht street food stomach filler. Just my theory. Actually when you just use sweet paprika it doesn't change the taste much because there are so many other flavors in the spice mixture, but I am coming around to the idea the places that make it red in the US probably do use kethcup (and so what?). I can tell when they use the commercial spice oil and don't make the dish from scratch, and I find that very bad.

Edited November 3, 2007 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

OK, here is a picture of a San Francisco restaurant style pad Thai. Notice it looks fancy and red? I haven't tasted from this place but the look is similar to what I am talking about. Compare to what street pad Thai looks like in Thailand:

[sabaijai]

I don't agree with you. The places I went in San Francisco had many Thai customers, so maybe I am talking about certain places in SF rather than the US in general. I still think the red comes from paprika and not kethcup because that is what the recipes say to use to make it red and I have cooked it this way myself making it very red, and no ketchup. OK, maybe they did use ketchup, its possible, hard to know. Pad Thai here is mostly found on the street, but I have yet to find a great version in a restaurant here, but you are probably right, I haven't tried hard enough. I have also never seen the big pile of really fresh crispy sprouts here. Either they cook it in, or it is a small portion and not very crisp. Makes a huge difference.

I know what you mean about restaurants adjusting for farang tastes in bad western restaurants. Especially adding too much sugar, but Thais cooks do that here too. But I only went to good Thai restaurants with real Thai taste and many Thai customers.

OK, I am sure I will sound like an American chauvinist, but here goes. There are some foods that can be better in America than their home countries. Lets say a Thai beef dish. All the spices are Thai, exactly the same as Thailand, but the beef is decent American beef, makes it much better! Also, I used to eat Indian alot and at my favorite place (mostly Indian customers from India) I overheard an Indian engineer say that when he was back in India he was dreaming of eating at that place, Indian food in America.

BTW, most of the Thai food I do like better here (especially the price), but pad Thai is an exception.

Thai cuisine doesn't use paprika. Trust me, I've been eating Thai food nearly 40 years. It's ketchup, even here in Thailand. Or some of the pink coming off the dried shrimp (when the shrimp has been coloured).

I've never found a good phat thai in the USA. Jingthing, I think what you mean is that *you* prefer the phat thai you've had in the US. Nothing wrong with that. Just don't claim, as you have above, that it is 'much better'. All depends on your taste.

Many Thai connoisseurs say Ang Thong has the best phat thai. Ever tried it there? Seasoned with som sa rather than lime, in the traditional manner. In Chiang Mai there's an entire restaurant devoted to nothing but phat thai in its various versions.

+1 for BambinA

[Jingthing]

Thai cuisine doesn't use paprika. Trust me, I've been eating Thai food nearly 40 years. It's ketchup.

I've never found a good phat thai in the USA.

Yeah I know generally no paprika but I know I got the idea from some Thai recipe specifically for pad Thai. Which is weird because if it was written for an American audience, more kitchens would have ketchup handy than paprika. What cities did you live in, because I find it hard to believe you couldn't find very tasty pad Thai in the US. Anyway, doesn't matter. Maybe I will stop being lazy and cook it myself because my version is better than any restaurant in either country (to me anyway). Maybe you are saying you did not find pad Thai in the US exactly like in Thailand; that is more understandable and I think I agree. 100 percent "authentic" is not the same thing as good or bad.

People are getting a little sensitive about this. I think my main point is that pad Thai in the US is a restaurant food and in Thailand it is mostly eaten on the street.

Edited November 3, 2007 by Jingthing

[wmchen]

pad for pat, thai for taya. phat thai best in pataya i guess.