Bonnie: I discovered this pouch a of couple years ago when Pam Simmons, the director of recipe development in the A Taste of Thai test kitchens, sent me various product samples to taste test. She also provided a number of suggested ways to use the sauce packet, other than the classic way described on the packet. (By the way, I prefer it with the addition of some diced fresh hot peppers or a few drops of hot pepper sauce, as I like my food spicy!) You’ll discover, as you scroll down to see the recipes, that this Pad Thai Sauce is also a sauce for meat, seafood and veggies.

According to Pam, “A Taste of Thai Pad Thai Sauce is authentic, made in Thailand and has tamarind in it, which is the way the Thais make it. Very few Pad Thai sauces on the market have tamarind in their sauce. Tamarind pulp gives a sweet-sour flavor so crucial to the true taste of Pad Thai. You can see the little brown flecks of the pulp right in the sauce.”

Pam also provided me with some recipe ideas that I’ve tweaked a bit. Here’s my version of her recipes.

Grilled Salmon, Thai Style Season a salmon fillet or steak, about 1 1/4 pounds or a tad more, with salt and pepper to taste; drizzle with 1 T olive oil. Heat 1 T olive oil in a skillet over a medium high heat. Cook skin-side down (if the skin is on the salmon) for 5 minutes, turn over, and continue to cook until lightly browned and just cooked through. Transfer fish to plate. Add 1 medium-sized chopped onion to skillet; cook until soft. Add Pad Thai Sauce and the juice of a lime, cooking until heated through. Pour sauce over fish and sprinkle — if desired — with chopped fresh cilantro and a few drops of hot pepper sauce. Delicious served with jasmine or other aromatic rice. As my friend Joanne would say: “Yummers.” (I’ve also tried this recipe with sea scallops that I seared first as I did with the salmon.)

Definitions

  • Julienne: cut into thin, match-like strips
  • Stir-fry: to quickly fry meat, fish or veggies over high heat while stirring briskly and constantly

Stir-fried Veggies Heat 1 T oil in skillet or wok. Add 1 T minced garlic; cook for 30 seconds. Add 2 cups broccoli florets; stir-fry 1 minute. Add 4 julienned carrots and 1 julienned red bell pepper; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add Pad Thai Sauce and, if desired, a few drops of hot pepper sauce; stir and cook 1 minute more. Stir in 2 cups bean sprouts and serve immediately. If desired, garnish with chopped fresh cilantro, chopped peanuts or minced basil.

Pad Thai Noodle Salad (A cold version of hot Pad Thai) Cook 8 ounces rice noodles, drain and run under cold water to chill. Toss with 2 t oil, then add 1 red and 1 yellow julienned peppers, 2 julienned carrots, 1 cups bean sprouts, 1/2 cup minced scallions, 1/2 cup chopped peanuts and 1/4 cup minced cilantro. Combine 1 packet Pad Thai Sauce, 1/4 cup each ketchup, honey and rice vinegar, 2 T vegetable oil, 1 T soy sauce, 2 t minced ginger and the juice of half a lime. Pour over noodles and veggies, using all or part of the dressing; toss and garnish with additional chopped cilantro.

Ginger-Lime Marinated Shrimp or Scallops Combine Pad Thai Sauce, juice of 2 limes, 1 T sugar and 1 T freshly grated ginger. Add 1 1/2 pounds scallops or peeled and deveined shrimp in a medium bowl, and marinate for up to 2 hours in the refrigerator. Drain marinade into a saucepan; thread seafood on skewers. Grill or broil using medium heat, turning shrimp in 1 to 2 minutes (when it turns pink), scallops in 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile, bring marinade to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken. Serve as a dipping sauce for the seafood. Garnish with chopped peanuts, basil or cilantro if desired. Also yummy with grilled pork tenderloin or chicken.

Bryan: I don’t remember when my love affair with Pad Thai began, but I do trace its origins back to my time spent living in New York a few years ago. My old office was located on 47th and Ninth, in the heart of NYC’s Broadway and restaurant districts. Though for most people, a midday feeding is nothing more than routine, for us, lunch was a source of constant excitement. I developed more than a few go-to’s on the West Side. Though there was always a variety of great lunch specials (since most of the nearby restaurants were pre-theater dinner spots), one of my clear favorites became Pad Thai noodles. Lunch cost $8.50 (a true value in NYC); the classic dish was served with noodles, sprouts, green onions and chicken… all coated with Pad Thai sauce and served with a side salad similarly dressed. The meal has remained a strong part of my food routine and I could not be happier about our review of A Taste of Thai’s Pad Thai Sauce.

Creating a realistic version of Pad Thai noodles at home is quite a task. Though the stores are stocked with a wide array of other pasta sauces (pesto, marinara, cream, etc), a quality prepackaged Pad Thai sauce has been a hard item to find until recently. Alternative Asian cuisines are growing in popularity (read as “anything not Chinese or Japanese”) and the selection of sauces, pastas and ingredients grows daily on our supermarket shelves. I’ve tried more than a few sauces, but was floored by the quality of this one. As Bonnie pointed out, A Taste of Thai uses real tamarind in its sauce – and you can really taste the authenticity. This is the closest thing to restaurant quality I’ve ever tried.

The making of a good Pad Thai is quite easy, actually — now that there is a premade sauce. Bonnie has already taken you through some alternative recipes for salmon and veggies… but Pad Thai is so quick and good, you must try it. Stir fry some chicken chunks in a wok after boiling some rice noodles and putting the noodles to the side. When the chicken is cooked through, add the noodles and sauce. Stir ingredients together and crack an egg into the wok while stirring. Once cooked through, plate with some chopped green onions, fresh bean sprouts and a squeeze of lime. Sit back and enjoy with a nice Reisling or Gewürztraminer…. It will certainly become one of your food routines as well!

Eric: I, unlike the rest of my family, am not the biggest Pad Thai enthusiast. I am a fan of Asian cuisine – I am addicted to American-style Chinese food and will binge on sushi & edamame until my stomach hurts, but when it comes to Thai food, I’m always scared off by the sauce. As my brother wrote, a good Pad Thai sauce is hard to find – and even more difficult in a prepackaged form – so when you do come across one that uses tamarind as a main ingredient, be sure to give it a try. I recently took out my wok and tried the recipe listed on the back of the package – making a few additions of finely chopped shallots and garlic – but was slightly disappointed in the result. Maybe it was my additions. I initially thought the sauce was going to pack a bit more “punch” – but truthfully it turned out a little bland. I wouldn’t push this product to the back of my cabinet just yet – I just think next time, I’ll take my mother’s advice and spice it up a bit.