Liven up vegetables and make pad pak with a delicious homemade sauce in 15 minutes! The Thai vegetable stir fry pairs perfectly with a side of rice, chicken, tofu, and shrimp to make it a complete meal.
What is Pad Pak Ruam?
Pad pak Thai is a traditional Thai dish featuring stir-fried vegetables tossed in homemade stir-fry sauce. It’s common to prepare stir-fried vegetables by serving them alongside chicken, fish, or tofu.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Oil: Saute the vegetables in avocado oil or vegetable oil; because of the high smoking point, either one is perfect for stir fry.
- Garlic: I suggest using three fresh garlic cloves, but measure with your heart.
- Vegetables: We use a classic combination of stir-fried vegetables like broccoli florets, carrots, snap peas (snow peas), red bell peppers, mushrooms, and baby corn. If you are in a rush, use a frozen bag of mixed vegetables and prepare them with the pad pak sauce in this recipe. If using frozen vegetables, drain the pan halfway since they will release water as they defrost and cook.
- Stir Fry Sauce: My homemade sauce combines soy sauce, oyster sauce, and rice vinegar; finish it with a pop of sugar that helps the sauce coat the vegetables and sweetens the overall dish. If you’re not a fan of sugar, use honey or maple syrup.
What Veggies are Best for Stir Fry?
Pad pak is a versatile dish. Feel free to customize by adding or substituting ingredients based on your preferences. I love the combination of broccoli florets, carrots, snap peas, red bell peppers, mushrooms, and baby corn, or try onions, bok choy, cauliflower, napa cabbage, zucchini, Chinese broccoli (gai lan), green beans, asparagus, and water chestnut. The easy meal is a great way to use whatever leftover vegetables you have in your fridge.
Speaking of stir fry, try sesame mushroom and tofu stir fry next!
Additions and Substitutions
- Protein: Serve the vegetables with chicken, fish, shrimp, beef, pork, or tofu to make it a main dish.
- Noodles: Add sen yai (wide rice noodles) or ramen to the vegetables.
- Make it Spicy: Include Thai chiles or 1-2 teaspoons of Sriracha, chili crisp, gochujang, or garlic chili paste.
- Add Herbs: Finish the stir fry with a handful of fresh Thai basil.
- Toppings: Top the vegetables with sesame oil, green onions, toasted sesame seeds, peanuts, or cashews for a nutty flavor.
How to Make Pad Pak
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Heat the cooking oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli florets and carrots to the wok and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Step 2: Then, add the remaining vegetables and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the vegetables and set them aside.
Step 3: Add garlic to the same wok and cook for 30 seconds. Combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine vinegar, and water in a small bowl and pour into the wok. Stir to combine, then cook for 30 seconds before adding the sugar.
Step 4: Return the vegetables to the wok and stir them into the sauce. Transfer to a serving bowl, and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- You might want to add the vegetables all at once, but I prefer adding vegetables that take longer to cook before adding the others; this way, none of the vegetables become overcooked.
If you enjoy this dish, try one of these vegetable side dishes!
Serving Suggestions
Make a grain bowl using jasmine rice, white rice, brown rice, coconut rice, or cauliflower rice. Serve the vegetables with other Thai food favorites like green curry, pad Thai, or pad cha.
What to do with the Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store the leftovers in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
- Freeze: Let the vegetables cool completely. Then, transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag. Pad pak freezes for 2-3 months.
- Reheat: Warm the leftovers in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is pad pak healthy?
Pad pak is a healthy side dish loaded with delicious vegetables – making it an excellent choice for a well-balanced diet. Fresh vegetables add fiber and nutrients. Plus, you can pair them with protein for a complete meal.
Two things you should consider, depending on your health goals, are that the sauce contains a small amount of sugar and oyster sauce that increases the overall carbohydrates.
Can I add meat to this stir fry?
Of course! Start by seasoning and stir-frying the beef, chicken, shrimp, or tofu. Remove the meat from the pan and set it aside. Then, add the vegetables and cook according to the recipe. Once cooked, return the protein and vegetables to the pan and combine them with the sauce.
Is pad pak gluten-free?
Because of the soy sauce and oyster sauce, this recipe is not naturally gluten-free. You can replace the soy sauce with tamari sauce or coconut aminos.
More Thai Recipes:
Pad Pak
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup broccoli florets, cut in half
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- ½ cup carrots, round slice
- ½ cup snap peas, cut in half diagonally
- ½ cup red bell peppers, sliced
- ½ cup baby corn, sliced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon warm water
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- Thai chiles, for garnish
- Heat the cooking oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli florets and carrots to the wok and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then, add the remaining vegetables and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the vegetables and set them aside. Then, add the remaining vegetables and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the vegetables and set them aside.
- Add garlic to the same wok and cook for 30 seconds. Combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine vinegar, and water in a small bowl and pour into the wok. Stir to combine, then cook for 30 seconds before adding the sugar.
- Return the vegetables to the wok and stir them into the sauce. Transfer to a serving bowl, and enjoy!
- You might want to add the vegetables all at once, but I prefer adding vegetables that take longer to cook before adding the others; this way, none of the vegetables become overcooked.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.
Ethan
Friday 26th of May 2023
Absolutely love it!
Tressa Jamil
Friday 26th of May 2023
Thank you for taking a moment to comment and rate the recipe.
Carlos Santos
Friday 26th of May 2023
I was craving Thai and this hit the spot! The stir-fried vegetables were bursting with flavor and the meal came together so quickly. I added chicken to the vegetables to make it a complete meal.
Tressa Jamil
Friday 26th of May 2023
I love that you took the vegetable dish and added chicken. We have done that in the past too, so good!