Lazy Pad Thai

Pad Thai without tamarind is not pad Thai. It's a different dish made with the same noodles. Tamarind paste is the sour fruit paste that gives pad Thai its characteristic puckered, fruity acidity, and no substitute replicates that specific flavor. Lime juice is too bright. Vinegar is too sharp. You need tamarind.

The tamarind is one of three sauce ingredients. Fish sauce provides the deep fermented salt backbone. Tamarind paste provides the sour fruit note. Brown sugar or palm sugar provides the balancing sweetness. Together, these three create the sweet-sour-salty-umami profile that defines the dish. Everything else is texture and aromatics.

Thin-sliced chicken thigh goes in the pan first over high heat, seared quickly until just cooked. Pushed to the side, eggs cracked in and scrambled until just set. Garlic, scallion whites, and the three sauce ingredients go in next. Let them bubble for 30 seconds to combine.

The soaked rice noodles go in with a cup of water. The noodles should look slightly underdone when you add them because they'll continue to cook and absorb liquid in the pan. Toss continuously as the water reduces, the sauce thickens, and every strand gets coated. If the pan dries out, splash in more water. The final texture should be soft and tender, not chewy.

Bean sprouts and sliced scallions go in at the very end, off the direct flame. They stay crunchy and bright that way. If you cook them into the noodles, they soften and lose their role.

The toppings are where pad Thai gets its identity. Crushed peanuts for crunch and richness. Lime wedges for a squeeze at the table that brightens the whole bowl. Don't skip either. Pad Thai without these finishing touches tastes incomplete in a way that's hard to pin down but immediately noticeable.