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Budget-friendly, bullet-fast, high protein, low effort, crazy tasty. Shrimp pad Thai has it all. This egg, shrimp and noodles recipe is a 15-minute wok ride to the vibrant streets of Bangkok, hitting all the flavour stops along the way; sweet, salty, sour and of course, spicy. Are you ready?

Pad Thai is a street food fave. For a more roof-over-restaurant style meal, that’s still rice noodles and shrimp, choose Thai red curry with prawns and snow peas with a side of coconut rice.

wok with pad Thai, with tongs removing a portion, next to a lime and peanuts

Both my kids are at university now and cooking for themselves. I couldn’t bear the thought of them both living off instant noodles so, somehow, I managed to persuade them that this noodle upgrade still fit the student profile.

Here’s my 3 reasons why every student should learn how to make shrimp pad Thai:

Quick to prepare: so there’s no FOMO while cooking.
Student budget-friendly, once you have the pantry ingredients (which will last all term and then I’ll send them back with more!).
Nutritious: eggs, shrimp, peanuts for protein and lime for Vitamin C!

My mum-work is done!

Authentic pad Thai

Pad Thai is considered Thailand’s national dish. My recipe is as close to the authentic version as Western kitchens and convenience will allow! Did you know that traditional Thai homes have an indoor kitchen and an outdoor kitchen? Ahh! The freedom to fry at will!

So, pad Thai literally means ‘Thai stir fry’, which sounds fairly open to interpretation, but an authentic dish will contain:

The four-flavour balance: sweet (sugar), salt (fish sauce), spice (chillies), sour (tamarind purée)
Thai rice noodles, soaked not boiled for perfect bite
Bean sprouts, for crunch and veg-factor both in the dish and as a garnish
Egg provides a just-scrambled and deliciously silky texture
Shrimp, my choice of protein
Dried shrimp – I actually skipped this!
Peanuts, more crunch, more protein and very Thai
Garlic adds a pleasingly pungent layer
Lime is usually a wedge on the side ready for squeezing to taste

The world famous rice noodle recipe is an intense combination of classic Thai flavours, a quick and easy cook (minimal chopping or mixing)- it’s a stir-fry after all, that’s high protein and fairly low budget. What’s not to love?

close up of noodles with shrimp, bean sprouts, green onions and a slice of lime

Recipe Tips and Notes

Soak, measure and mix the ingredients all before you fire up your This is an affiliate link.wok. This recipe is rapid!
Do not boil the delicate Thai rice noodles. Soaking in hot water is enough to keep them chewy.
Pad Thai should be equally sweet, sour, salty and spicy. Stick to my measurements for the perfect balance.
Use tamarind purée, not sauce. Indian tamarind sauce is too sweet and not sour enough for a Thai dish (see above!).
Authentic pad Thai is made with shrimp (prawns). But you can swap for your preferred protein, chicken, duck and tofu will work well.
Dried shrimp and palm sugar are classic Thai ingredients, but hard to source.
I skipped the dried shrimp, but if you find some- great! Add 3 tablespoons, chopped, with the shallots and garlic.
I’ve subbed palm sugar for light brown sugar for convenience.
Be generous with the beansprouts. They give good crunch!

six process shots showing the ingredients and how to assemble the dish

Serving suggestions

Street food-style, you’d sit on a tiny, white plastic stool next to the scorching hot wok your shrimp pad Thai was prepared in, and scoff your shrimp and noodles with a disposable fork and spoon from a polystyrene tray. You’d most likely drink a fruit shake (blended fresh fruit with ice) or a worryingly orange, iced Thai milk tea.

Still peckish, or just can’t resist the rising aroma of boiled, fried or chopped snacks emanating from other street stalls? Perhaps you’d choose a refreshing (but spicy) som tam salad, or mini Thai fishcakes, grilled chicken skewers, or more noodles??

Storage and leftovers

This egg, shrimp and noodles dish will keep in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave for 60 seconds. TIP: take the shrimp out for the first 30 secs and add in for the last 30.

Or stir fry the leftover shrimp pad Thai in the wok with a splash of water and lime juice. Make sure the shrimp is cooked through to a food safe temp (70C/158F) before serving.