Pad Thai - The real Thai dish

What is actually behind this popular Thai dish that everyone wants to know about and how did it all start? Pad Thai is a dish synonymous with Thailand and, unlike Singapore noodles, is actually from the place it’s named for! Thai people take great pride in the dish and use it as a yardstick for their own cuisine. “Whenever we try Thai food, we try Pad Thai first because that is a way to judge how good a restaurant is,” chef and Thailand native Nick Srisawat tells Gastronomica.

It’s become a staple in Bangkok and is loved across the world, but the story of its inception is one you might not know.

Back in 1938, a man named Phibunsongkhram, better known as Phibun in the West had just played a prominent role as a military officer in a coup that dethroned Thailand’s monarchy and, after rising through the ranks of government, became Prime Minister (dictator).

Despite being the center of power in Thailand, Phibun was worried. Siam as Thailand was then known had never been colonized, but was surrounded by the French and British. Siam was also an ethnically diverse country with strong regional identities, and with the removal of the monarchy, there was little to hold these disparate groups together.

So, in an effort to forge a true national identity and more importantly cement his power, Phibun decided to transform the country’s culture and identity. From 1939–1942, Phibun passed 12 Cultural Mandates that would hopefully encourage the Siamese people to be productive, well-mannered, and proud of their country.

Phibun’s mandates were incredibly nationalistic, and like a lot of modern-day legislation, were aimed to curb foreign influence within Siam. Some of his mandates—like his desire for everyone to wear hats in public—have faded into the fog of history. But his decision to change the name of the country to Thailand has stuck, and his ability to forge a true national identity has lived on.

“But what has this got to do with Pad Thai?” I hear you ask. Patience, we’re getting to that.

Before Phibun, Pad Thai didn’t exist. In fact, most Thai people ate rice with chili paste, leaves, and salt and bought lunch and snacks from Chinese food vendors. But during World War II, Thailand suffered a shortage of rice, and Phibun used this shortage as a nationalistic propaganda opportunity. Thus Pad Thai was born, ironically from a dish with Chinese origins. The original name for Pad Thai was ‘Gway Teow Pad Thai’. ‘Gway Teow’ is a Chinese word for rice noodles, while ‘Pad’ means ‘fried’ and ‘Thai’ means ‘in Thai style’. Some people believe that a similar creation to Pad Thai was brought to Siam by Chinese traders in the 1700s.

Phibun’s son told Gastronomica that his family cooked Pad Thai before his father made it the national dish of Thailand, but is unsure who invented it. Others say there was a national competition held and Pad Thai won. What everyone does agree on is that the dish was used to protect Thailand’s rice resources. Noodles are cheap and economical to produce and could be dried and kept for long periods of time. The amount of rice used to make noodles was 50% of what would be consumed if it was eaten unprocessed, so noodles essentially doubled Thailand’s rice stores.

Married with Phibuns mandates, Pad Thai was promoted heavily up and down the country under the campaign slogan “noodle is your lunch”. The propaganda-led menu change told the Thai people they were “helping the war effort” and “supporting [their] country” all while reducing the influence of international powers within the country. The Public Welfare Department gave out recipes to restaurants and even gave free food carts to people to sell Pad Thai in the streets, all while quietly banning foreign nationals from selling their wares.

But it worked. The Thai people adopted Pad Thai and started eating it regularly. Phibun’s push to unite the Thai people under his nationalist agenda worked and the Thai nation started to become the country Australians regularly visit today.

So, next time you order pad thai from your local Thai, remember it was the delicious brainchild of a dictator. Oh and Phibun? The vocal fan of Mussolini and the man who forged an alliance with Japan during World War II? After numerous coups where he lost and then regained power, he was forced into exile in Japan in 1957 and lived there until his death in 1964.

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces pad thai or lo mein noodles
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 1 medium lime)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 green onions, sliced
1/4 bunch fresh cilantro, leaves only, roughly chopped
1/4 cup chopped, unsalted peanuts


PREPARATION

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the noodles and cook for 7 to 10 minutes or until tender. Drain the noodles and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until tender.

Whisk the eggs lightly with a fork. Pour them into the skillet and cook just until they solidify, but are still moist, moving the eggs around the skillet slightly as they cook so that they lightly scramble. When the eggs are cooked, remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, lime juice, sugar, fish sauce, and red pepper flakes. Pour the sauce into the skillet with the scrambled eggs. Add the noodles and toss to coat in the sauce.

Sprinkle the green onions, cilantro, and peanuts over the noodles. Toss lightly to combine. Serve warm and hope you enjoyed this recipe.