Sharing a quick takeout-style Pad Thai recipe that’s easy to make during the week, bursting with flavor and fresh aromatics. Our Pad Thai combines medium sized rice noodles, the standard vegetable fillings, marinated tofu bites, scrambled eggs, and chili butter roasted peanuts and shrimps with a hint of Thai chilies.

Who doesn’t love a good serving of noodles?! Pad Thai is such a tasty dish when done right and hands down one of the most popular Thai dishes internationally it only seems fitting that you should be able to make it reliably at home.

It’s not an overly complicated dish to make when you break it down. It may seem like there is a lot going on and you’ve got quite the grocery list of ingredients to prepare when really it all comes together in one pan. Added steps include marinating the tofu which can be done at the same time as the noodles are soaking in warm water and lastly- separately toasting the peanuts and the shrimps which adds some heat to your dish.

For the sauce we like to make it all in one bowl, add it to the tofu to marinate and use that same liquid to add as little or as much to the noodles when cooking. Traditional Pad Thai uses tamarind paste however we know this is not a typical ingredient to have on hand or find. By adding a bit of sugar and citrus it mimics a bit of that missing ingredient.

We love Pad Thai topped with peanuts. The added crunch adds extra texture and flavor to the dish. What we’ve done differently here is incorporated some chili oil and Thai chilies to add heat and spice to our dish. The level of spice results in a medium spiced Pad Thai. If you want spicier we encourage adding more Thai chilies or even mixing in chili flakes.

If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it on Instagram! We love to see what you come up with. #thecommunalfeast

Print Recipe

shrimp pad thai

shrimp pad thai filled with marinated tofu, fresh aromatics and topped with chili butter roasted peanuts.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: Weeknight Dinners

Servings: 4

Author: the communal feast

Ingredients

• 4 ounces dried medium rice noodles
• 1/2 block extra firm tofu drained and cut into bite sized cubes
• 1 lb raw jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined
• 3 TBS soy sauce
• 2 TBS fish sauce
• 1 TBS oyster sauce optional
• 1 TBS brown sugar
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1 cup unsalted peanuts finely chopped
• 2 TBS chili oil
• 1-2 Thai chilies roughly chopped (add more to increase level of spice)
• 1 TBS butter
• 1/2 small yellow onion thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 3 green onions chopped
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 2 eggs beaten
• fresh basil and lime for serving

Instructions

• Bring a pot of water to a boil, remove from heat and soak noodles for 10 minutes. The noodles should become soft enough to eat.
• In a medium sized bowl combine soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice. Stir to combine. Place tofu in a container large enough to marinate. Pour the sauce mixture over the tofu and allow to soak for at least 10 minutes or until ready to cook.
• In a large cast iron or wok over medium heat melt butter with chili oil, add thai chili and cook for 1 minute. Add peanuts tossing to coat until lightly roasted. During the final minute of cooking add the shrimp searing on both sides until pink about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• In the same skillet, cook the tofu along with 1 TBS of the marinate. Cook stirring occasionally until some of the liquid evaporates and tofu begins to crisp. Add the onions and garlic and cook for another minute. Add the noodles cooking until warmed. Drizzle some of the marinate overtop tossing to combine in the sauce.
• Push the noodles to one side and pour in the eggs. Roughly scramble the eggs and cook for about 1 minute. Add the bean sprouts and toss everything together.
• Divide the noodles between plates, top with peanut and shrimp mixture, serve with fresh herbs and lime wedge. Add a dash of chili oil or chili flakes for added spice.