To get the perfect Pad Thai you have to go to Thailand and spend some time eating at the street vendors in Bangkok, now this isn’t for everyone as the hygiene at these places may not seem to be that important to them. I have taken various family members and friends, from the UK, to my favourite vendors but some of them have down right refused to even sit at a table and wait while I eat, but that’s their choice and loss.

Pad Thai looks such an easy dish to do when you actually watch the Thai people but it is very hard to replicate back in the west, in-fact its hard to replicate even when you live in the country. The basic ingredient of rice noodles can be your 1st stumbling block as the type used in Thailand are often not available in the west. The ideal type are the thread rice noodles not the broad rice noodles and they must be softened first before you start the dish. In Thailand this step is not necessary as the noodles they have seem softer and only take 30sec or 1min to soften in the wok with some water.

The list of ingredients are also a point of disagreement, with everyone having their own recipe and style and some people actually saying their is an official recipe that other don’t follow. The following list of ingredients are what I have seen go into the majority of Pad Thai’s in Bangkok, it should be noted that the amounts have been omitted as this is a very personal preference.

• Thin Rice Noodles (pre-softened)
• Firm Tofu (cubed or strips your choice only make it bite size)
• Dried/fresh/frozen prawns (shrimp)
• Meat (your choice which, bite size pieces, can be omitted for vegetarian option*)
• Cooking Oil
• Shallot (chopped)
• Garlic (crushed roughly)
• Egg
• Pad Thai Sauce (see below for more on this)
• Crushed Red Dried Chillies
• Beansprouts
• Crushed Peanuts
• Spring Onions
• Lime

Pad Thai Sauce

The sauce used for Pad Thai various from vendor to vendor but after some time I believe that the pad thai sauce is far more simple than I first thought. To make a Pad Thai sauce combine equal amounts of tamarind paste and fish sauce (about 3tablespoons of each) with 2tablespoons of palm sugar, bring to a simmer and stir it gently until the sugar dissolves and the sauce is runny, this takes about 2-3mins.

An even easier method to making pad thai sauce is to add fish sauce, brown sugar and oyster sauce directly to the noodles as they get stir fried in the wok, I’ve seen this done many times by street vendors often replacing the brown sugar with palm sugar.

The Method

Again there are much differences on how best to bring all these ingredients together, so what I suggest here is just that, a suggestion.

Heat the wok and add 1-2tablespoon of oil, shallots and garlic. The wok should be on a medium high heat but be prepared to increase it as the stuff is added. Fry these for about 30 sec then add prawns and meat and cook it quickly moving the stuff in the wok all the time. Add the tofu, fry for 30 sec then add the noodles all the time ensuring the food is moving in the wok, If the noodles start to stick add a few tablespoons of water. After about 2mins move all the food to one side of your wok and crack in the egg on the free side and fry it rapidly while moving it about, when it is almost cooked move the noodles mixture onto the egg and add the pad thai sauce, or sauce mix, and fry for a few more minutes. Last thing to go in is the beansprouts, spring onion and chillis, mix these through the Pad Thai and remove from heat after about 30secs.

Plate the food up and sprinkle crushed nuts over the top, serve with a wedge of lime, beansprouts and peeled cucumber on the side of the plate, with fish sauce, dried chillies and more crushed nuts as the accompaniments. This is, to me at least, the perfect pad thai.

When people arrive in Bangkok the heat and humidity often saps their energy, so much so they miss out on some of the cities most wonderful sights. I have listed, in order, the top 5 things to try and see while in the city, why only 5 you may ask? There will be other post on this site detailing things to do, see, experience and avoid while in Bangkok, so with all the lists combined there should be enough to fill most short trips to Bangkok.

I would suggest that you try and spend at least 3 full days in Bangkok to see most of the things the city has to offer, that’s without the sideline trips to places such as Kanchanaburi or the floating market which take a full day themselves.

TOP ATTRACTIONS IN BANGKOK

• The Royal Grand Palace – The number one must do while in Bangkok. To save time and enjoy the place more it is best to spend a little extra on this and book an organised tour and guide and best of all get a personal guide for you and your group, just not one who stands outside the entrance and touts.

• Wat Po & the Reclining Buddha – This temple is older than Bangkok itself and was enlarged in 1801 by King Rama I, the founder of Bangkok. Among many of the buildings on the grounds you will find the reclining Buddha lying cramped up in a temple just large enough to house it.

• The Temple of Dawn at Wat Arun – A different kind of temple along the river that is often missed but if you like temples and are already on a river cruise this is worth a visit.

• Wat Traimit & the Golden Buddha – This very unremarkable temple hidden at the end of Chinatown is home to the worlds largest golden Buddha. Weighing over 5Tons and standing 15 feet tall this sitting Buddha has been estimated to be worth US$1Million.

• The Jim Thompson House -Thailand is renowened for its silk and without Jim Thoampson it may not be that way. He revived the trade after moving to Thailand to settledown in the 1940’s and falling in love with Thailand traditions and people.

You will hear people say that you don’t need a guide for many of the tourist sights in Bangkok as it is cheaper to get your own transport and find your own way around. This is so true, it will save you a few £’s, $’s or Baht, but take the advice from someone who has done it both with and without a guide, you see a lot more, have a more structured day and save your short trip time with a professional guide. On top of these benefits from using a guide service it is also a very good way to get to know a little more about the people of the country.

There is only so much someone can say about a building so after all the tourist chat, Thai people like to find out about other countries and in return like to talk about their own. This is a perfect way to gain an insight to what it’s like to work and live in Thailand, but don’t think of the person that guides you as an employee think of them as your friend in Bangkok and who knows maybe you may make a new friend half way around the world.

Travelling with young children is no easy task, especially in a built up capital city like Bangkok, with heat, traffic and humidity. I have listed a few fun things for kids to do, should you find yourself there for a couple of days. Most can be done in a half day but as shopping centres are never far away I’m sure you’ll spend a little longer.

Siam Ocean World – Covering an area of the size of two football pitches Siam Ocean World is in the the basement level of the Siam Paragon shopping mall. This place has mixed reviews with some saying that, although one of the largest aquariums in Southeast Asia there is not much underwater creatures on offer and that the water clarity is not great. Other love the fact that its in a shopping mall so can enjoy a full day in an air-conditioned building. As yet I have not spoke to anyone who as tried diving with the sharks, but having tried that myself in the UK I’m not expecting huge things from it.

2) Ice Skating – This is something that is most definitely on my list to do the next time I’m in Bangkok with the kids. I was surprised to find out that there are 3 ice rinks in the city. Sub Zero Ice Skating Club brings out some laser lights and D.J’s as the sun goes down to turn into a nightclub with a difference, maybe not one for the kids! Open Ice Skate is a smaller rink located on the fourth floor of Imperial Lad Prao. Like the name suggests, this rink is open for viewing so you will become a spectacle to many of the local Thais to watch. Imperial World Ice Skating is the only Olympic-size rink in Thailand complete with skating facilities like first aid, training room, changing room, and Pro Shop. This rink is located 15mins outside Bangkok, on the top floor of Imperial World Samrong.

3) Ten Pin Bowling – Many of the large shopping centres in Bangkok will have a bowling ally. The main ones to consider would be MBK, Central world and Siam Peragon. Having spent a lot of time in MBK, this is one thing I would miss out until my children get older and I could leave them there unsupervised. The place is FULL of teenage kids hanging out with their friends, playing hundreds of game machines and generally acting like …. Teenagers!

4) Water Parks – Always a hit with the kids, Bangkok has some large water parks to spend the day at. Leoland Water Park is a little out from Bangkok centre but worth a visit if near that area. It’s on the roof of the Central City Bangna shopping mall so you can combine a shopping day with a something to do with the kids. Fantasia Lagoon is on the roof top of yet another shopping mall. With huge water slides and whirlpools this water park is popular at weekends and bank holidays, but the daddy of the all must be Siam Park. This place is again on the roof top of a large shopping mall but this time it’s the the 400-metre Super Spiral water-slide and giant man-made sea pool with artificial surf that are the star of the show. Shopping won’t really be on the cards at this place which boast swimming pools, water-slides, whirlpools and a lake, as well as playgrounds, botanical gardens, an open zoo and an aviary. A note of warning though with all these attractions it does get very busy so try to go on a weekday as weekends and public holidays gets pretty busy.

5) Dusit Zoo – Dusit Zoo or “Khao Din” is regarded as the most popular zoo in Thailand. Built by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) as his private garden adjacent to the royal palace was converted to a zoo in 1938. Today the zoo is run by the state Zoological Park Organization who control many of the other zoos around Thailand. Its distance from the city makes it a nice trip out of the heat and traffic and if you go there midweek you will find it even more quiet.

There are other things for children to do in Bangkok so if you think i’ve missed a good one then plaese leave a comment about.