i love me some pad thai

[i love me some pad thai No.14518229]

I love me some pad thai. I have been making it 1-2x per week for the last 5 years.
With shrimps, crispy beef, chilli beef, chilli chicken or fried tofu.
I could say that this is one of the dishes that i have really perfected over the years.
The only enigma that i am yet to discover is the sauce. I have tried to make it many times
without success, either too much fish sauce, either completely wrong taste or ratio, you name it.
So i just kept to my favourite thai place that sells me the sauce in big amounts so
i can divide it and freeze it. I have tried so many recipes, different ratios, ingredients etc.
i cannot come close to the sauce that they make, i even called them a couple of times stating i have
alergies so they could tell me whats in it, but still this doesn't make the full recipe. Even translating
my request in thai language and searching it on thai pages didn't bring the recipe that i need.

The sauce i am used to and want to make is red/orange color, not too fishy, not too sweet, just the right balance.

I know 100% that it includes:

-tamarind
-fish sauce
-palm sugar
-red paprika powder
-some form of tomato paste or concentrate

I also know that they cook it for an hour or 2, these are only bits of information i was able to acquire everytime
i went to purchase it :)

If anyone has any useful information or recipes, i would be very happy if you'd share them. This is the only part
of pad thai that is my weak point.

And i know many will say tomato and paprika are not authentic pad thai sauce ingredients, but this is the sauce
that makes my day. Have tried numerous brown colored sauces but they just dont work for me.


Pic related

i love me some pad thai

[Anonymous No.14518250]

>>14518229
Are you missing sweet preserved radish? They could also add in some shrimp paste in oil (Man Kung Sa-woei) for that red color. Could also be a dash of nam prik pao for spiciness.
If you're certain its tomato, it might be ketchup.

[i love me some pad thai No.14518264]

>>14518250
heard about the radish and forgot to add it to the recipe, its not ketchup but rather some form of tomato, i think its concentrate. But he also said that paprika powder is one of the ingredients... the problem is that even if i find out all ingredients, there is still the important part of ratio's and preparation method :)

[i love me some pad thai No.14518267]

>>14518250
https://shesimmers.com/2011/11/pad-thai-recipe-part-four-pad-thai.html

[Anonymous No.14518359]

>>14518229
I know a common addition is ketchup- it adds a different sweetness, and the tomato adds stickiness to the sauce.

It might also be the ratios, like you say, or the brand of fish sauce. Some brands are 'fishier' than others.

[i love me some pad thai No.14518375]

>>14518359
this whole sauce quest is extremely fishy

[Anonymous No.14518378]

>>14518229
>The only enigma that i am yet to discover is the sauce.
Herro, pic related. Add fresh ginger, sauteed garlic, and tiny bit of fish sauce. This is what restaurants do.

[i love me some pad thai No.14518426]

>>14518378
the one that i go to makes everything alone, from basic ingredients

[Anonymous No.14518618]

>>14518229
Have you considered applying for a job at a thai place to steal the recipe?

[Anonymous No.14518666]

>>14518375
Squid is the fishiest but I think it tastes the best with fried rice, 3 crab is decent if you want a more mild, complex fish sauce taste (goes well in curries).

[Anonymous No.14518735]

>>14518229
fry up some shallots + garlic and use that oil to make the sauce OP
Then add some of that oil to the mixture of tamarind + fish sauce + sriracha + ketchup, ration 3:2:1:1
Then add sugar until it’s sweet enough to your liking

[Anonymous No.14518755]

>>14518666
I agree Squid is pretty fishy. It does well in cooking, but if you're using it in raw dishes like salads or as part of a dipping sauce, the fishiness is too much.

I use Tiparos. It's not as funky and easily available without being too expensive. I've heard good things about 3 crabs.

[Anonymous No.14518971]

>>14518755
Tiparos is great, I'd stick with that. I also like megachef fish sauce for salads (cant get tiparos)

It might not be accurate, but browning tomato paste is pretty tasty, try browning some in shallot oil and see if that matches what you're looking for. Experimenting with chili pastes and shrimp pastes might also fit the umami tomato-y taste you're looking for.

[Anonymous No.14519166]

>>14518229
You've posted this same thread dozens of times.

[Anonymous No.14519538]

Reminds me of Principal Skinner having a PTSD attack over being unable to replicate a Vietnamese prawn broth

[Anonymous No.14519948]

>>14518229
I think you want tamarind water. You need Thai, Viet, Laos, etc soft tamarind pulp, not paste. The recipes you are looking for bring it to a boil and then let it sit and steep like a tea for an extended period.

You are missing vinegar. Typically you will want nearly equal parts vinegar, fish sauce, and palm sugar. I think tomaot pase and paprika are used sparingly to thicken, I think they would fry a bit of tomato paste in oil, some tamarind water and incorporate and boil, then the 3 equal parts, and paprika at the end.