Thailand’s popular street food dish, pad Thai, is responsible for helping to establish the nation’s identity, and to unite its people through culture. The humble, minimal meat stir-fried noodle dish is made and sold on the street, and is listed on every menu in Thai restaurants all around the world. Vegetarians who are keen to taste the national dish can tuck into delicious pad thai tofu, minus the shrimps.
What Is Pad Thai?
Unlike the majority of Thailand’s staple dishes, pad Thai features noodles instead of rice. This simple yet iconic dish gets its name from the Chinese word for rice noodles ‘kway teow’ – it was originally known as Kway Teow pad Thai – and the manner in which it is cooked – ‘pad’ means ‘fried’.
The most famous of Thai dishes is by no means a revered culinary creation that is solely served on special occasions. Pad Thai is cheap and cheerful food of the people, and is made from rice noodles that are laced with stir-fried eggs, tofu, tamarind paste, fish sauce, dried shrimps, garlic, red chilli pepper and palm sugar. A garnish of spring onions, bamboo shoots, lime wedges, and raw banana flowers is optional. Last but not least, the tasty noodle concoction is topped with are a sprinkling of peanuts.
Pad Thai Heritage
So that you can enjoy tucking into a steaming bowl full of pad thai tofu today, history had to play out in a certain way. During World War II, Thailand suffered a serious shortage of rice, which was primarily due to the flooding of the rice fields. In order to preserve stocks of the precious grain, the Thai government had an inspired economical idea to promote noodles as the food staple for its people.
As only 50% of the grain is used to make rice noodles, the nation could protect its rice resources, while also feeding its people with a cheaper to produce alternative. By following the lead of the kitchens of the Chinese, and changing the way in which rice was used, there was no need to apply rationing in the country’s food supply system.
Although the Prime Minister and Military Dictator, Plaek Phibunsonghram is widely credited as the inventor of pad Thai, it is the housekeeper in his kitchen who is actually responsible for the creation of the patriotic dish. There are some people though who believe the rumour that it was the winning recipe in a ‘support the nation’ cooking competition.
The population were encouraged to eat the healthy and economical stir-fried noodle dish, to help the country’s wartime efforts. By the late 40s, Thai families that had embraced the government’s “noodle is your lunch” campaign were eating pad Thai as a weekly staple.
To entice the rice-centric nation to adopt the nutritious noodle based pad Thai as the dish of the people, the government’s Public Welfare Department gave street vendors free food carts so that they could sell the stir-fried noodles to everyone. The recipe was also given to restaurants, for authentic reproduction of the new national dish. During this time, Chinese and foreign street vendors were banned from selling their food in Thailand.
In helping to preserve Thailand’s rice resources and improving the variety of the nation’s diet, Prime Minister Phibunsonghram’s humble pad Thai also promoted a sense of national identity and unity among the population. The Thai government’s culture campaign also included changing the country’s name (it was formerly known as Siam), and commissioning a new national anthem.
Modern Day Pad Thai
In the context of world war, a noodle project may have seemed somewhat trivial, yet the rice shortage of Siam birthed an iconic dish that is eaten the world over today.
Throughout the wartime years, pad Thai remained a staple food for the masses. Once the nation began to welcome tourism generations later, their patriotic dish was introduced to the world in order to boost international awareness of the country. Today, vast crowds of enthusiastic eaters flock to Thailand’s rich food scene ever year, while on holiday.
Although some regions of Thailand have created their own adaptations of the classic dish, the core ingredients – rice noodle, eggs, tofu and dried shrimps – remain the same.
From the bustling streets of Thailand to the hippest restaurants around the world, pad Thai’s popularity is due to its perfect balance of saltiness, sourness and sweetness. Its stir-fry sauce combines the three distinctive tastes and unites them in an exciting fusion that is perfect for uplifting the bland rice noodles.
Many people now prefer to cook and eat a healthier version of the iconic economical, sweet and salty dish dish. Lean pork is often added to satisfy meat-eaters, while vegetarians are more than happy to enjoy classic pad thai tofu with toasted chilli flakes and a good squeeze of zesty lime.
High-end restaurants that feature the dish on their menu may choose to adapt the recipe by infusing it with luxurious ingredients like fresh river prawns, shredded green papaya, or deep-fried wontons.
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