This Pad Thai recipe is coming straight from a Thai restaurant in North Hollywood.

How to Make Delicious Pad Thai at Home
Pad Thai is a beloved Thai street food that has found its way to the streets of LA making it one of the most popular cuisine here. It's tangy, savory with incredible textures. Whether you’re a seasoned cook or a beginner, making this dish at home is easier than you think.
What Makes Pad Thai So Special?
This classic dish is a stir-fry of rice noodles, fresh vegetables, and your choice of protein—like chicken, shrimp, or tofu—all tossed in a bold, well-balanced sauce. The magic is in the toppings: crunchy bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, and a squeeze of lime for that bright, tangy finish.

The Secret Sauce: No Tamarind? No Problem!
Ok, I get that tamarind is an important piece of the puzzle. But the chef at Barn Rau in North Hollywood, takes a different approach. Instead of tamarind, he uses oyster sauce for a savory depth, paired with fish sauce and a hint of sweetness. I'm sorry I don't make the rules. I just know that that dish is bang on!
Tips for Authentic Pad Thai Flavor
- Quick Stir-Fry Technique: Cook everything over high heat to create that slightly smoky, street-style flavor. A hot wok or large pan works best.
- The Right Noodles: Use flat, dried rice noodles for the perfect texture. Soak them in hot water until pliable, then drain before cooking.
- Balance is Key: The sauce should have the perfect combination of sweet, salty, and sour—without any one flavor overpowering the others. You can definitely adjust here and if you do have tamarind paste, use it!
- Toppings: Don’t skimp on fresh toppings like bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, and lime wedges. restaurants always always add a generous helping of crisp bean sprouts and crushed peanut. Sprinkle a little paprika to add that reddish hue.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy: Ready in under 30 minutes, it’s perfect for weeknight dinners.
- Accessible Ingredients: You don’t need to hunt down tamarind; oyster sauce and pantry staples do the job perfectly.
- Packed with Flavor: Every bite has a balance of textures and tastes that feels fresh, light, and satisfying.


The Easiest Pad Thai You Will Ever Make!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup peanut oil or regular canola
- 1 egg
- ¼ lb chicken thighs skinless, boneless and cut in very thin strips
- ½ a packet of rice noodles I used the wider rice noodles at home
- 5 tablespoon vinegar
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoon oyster sauce thin it out with 2 tablespoon water
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon white sugar
- paprika I sprinkle about ¾-1 teaspoon for color
- 1 ½- 2 cups bean sprouts
- peanuts, green onions, and cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- First we're going to cook the rice noodles like pasta until it's al dente, meaning it should not be cooked all the way through but should still have a bite. For this, add your noodles to a pot of water. Place the pot on the stove and on a low heat let the noodles soften for about 10-12 minutes. Once done, drain the noodles.
- When noodles are done, heat up a wok on the highest flame. Once wok is hot, add oil and let it heat up.
- Next, crack in an egg directly in the wok and stir.
- To the eggs, add the chicken strips and stir until no longer pink and cooked through about 5-6 minutes. Make sure the chicken is in small strips so it cooks fast.
- Next, add in rice noodles and stir.
- Add the remaining ingredients: vinegar, lemon juice, fish sauce, oyster sauce, salt and sugar and stir really well. *Just throw it all in. This is why I love this recipe!*
- Sprinkle paprika to give the dish a little color.
- Pad Thai should not have a sauce so dry out the liquid by continuing to stir on the highest heat of the burner. My wok is not restaurant quality so it took me about 10-15 minutes to dry out the sauce. So it is very important that your noodles are not fully cooked in step 1 because they will continue to cook in the wok.
- Lastly add in the bean sprouts and stir for a minute or two because we want bean sprouts to still be a bit crunchy.
- Garnish with crushed peanuts, finely chopped green onions (just the green part) and cilantro and serve!
Douglas Soper
This pad thai is so close to a restaurant’s recipe that my partner loves that it’s a huge lifesaver. Super fast and easy to make. There’s enough wiggle room in the sauce to tweak flavors. Easily one of the most beloved recipes in our household!
Rookie With A Cookie
Thanks for the review Douglas! Glad this has been a success in your kitchen!
Bilal Ahmad Khalid
Can we use prawns instead?
Rookie With A Cookie
Absolutely, but prawns get really tough when overcooked, so I would fry until half done and then toss back at the end
Linda Davidson
What type of vinegar did you use?
Rookie With A Cookie
Hi Linda, I use regular distilled vinegar.
Mahima
Can this be made without fish sauce and oyster sauce?
Rookie With A Cookie
Hi Mahima, this recipe calls for oyster sauce and unfortunately I haven't tried any alternatives.You can use soy sauce but it may not give you the same flavor.
Cess
Could this be made with beef strips?
Rookie With A Cookie
Hey yeah any meat works.
Ayesha
How much is half a packet of rice noodles? Im grams, i mean.
Rookie With A Cookie
I want to say 8 oz or about 225 grams
Claire Landry
This is the best Pad Thai! My husband says it's a keeper, so I'll definitely make it very often. Thanks for this recipe and all your hard work. I added some red pepper flakes and broccoli, and your sauce is to die for!
Rookie With A Cookie
Right? I thank the chef at Barn Rau every time I make this! So glad you liked it.
Salamat
In the video, it says to boil the chicken, but the recipe says to add it after the eggs..? I'm confused, and I really want to make this recipe!! 😛
Rookie With A Cookie
Yes.. because we're going to just transfer the boiled chicken into the wok.. The boiling part is only to expedite the cooking of the chicken. Hope this helps!
Justin
Looks great and I will make soon. You say salt to taste...about how much do you generally put in?
Rookie With A Cookie
Justin, Maybe a tiny pinch because oyster sauce is very salty. So definitely taste and then add salt.