Pad Thai Sauce
The sweet, sour and salty heart of pad thai: tamarind, fish sauce, palm sugar and chilli.
makes 14 cubes, about 16p each

- Time
- 10 min5 min prep · 5 min cook
- Makes
- 14 cubes
- Cost per cubePer cube
- 16p
- Calories per cubeCalories
- 63 kcal
- A serving
- 2 cubes
- Spice
- 2 of 5
You’ll need
- 150gtamarind paste
- 120mlfish sauce
- 120gpalm or light brown sugar
- 3gchilli flakes
- 2 cloves (10g)garlic, grated
- 100mlwater
Allergens: Fish. Check the labels on stock cubes, sauces and pastes, as brands vary.
Use it for
Chicken or prawn pad thai for one · 2 cubes; Tofu pad thai · 2 cubes; Dressing for a noodle salad · 1 cube
Method
- Step 1: Put everything in a small pan over a low heat.
- Step 2: Stir until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Step 3: Simmer for 2 minutes. Taste: it should be equally sweet, sour and salty.
- Step 4: Cool.
- Step 5: Pour into 30ml trays and freeze.
| kcal | protein | carbs | fat | fibre | salt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per cube | 63 | 0.8g | 15.2g | 0.1g | 0.6g | 3.47g |
| Per 2 cubes | 126 | 1.6g | 30.4g | 0.2g | 1.2g | 6.94g |
Cook’s notes
- Straight from frozen into the wok after the noodles.
- Two cubes per portion of noodles; toss them in after the noodles and egg.
- Use soy instead of fish sauce for a vegetarian version.
Use it for
- Chicken or prawn pad thai for one · 2 cubes
- Tofu pad thai · 2 cubes
- Dressing for a noodle salad · 1 cube
Freeze, reheat and serve
- Freeze
- Cool it within two hours, freeze it in 30ml ice-cube trays, then bag and label the cubes. It keeps for 4 months.
- Use from frozen
- Straight from frozen into the wok after the noodles. Never refreeze thawed cubes.
- A portion
- 2 cubes is a serving: about 126 kcal.
Pad Thai Sauce questions
What kind of tamarind should I use?
A soft tamarind paste is easiest. If you have a block, soak it in hot water, push it through a sieve and use the pulp; concentrate is much stronger, so use less and add water.
What else can I use it for?
Toss it through egg-fried rice or stir-fried vegetables, or brush it over chicken wings in the last few minutes of cooking.
What if it tastes too sour?
Tamarind varies a lot between brands. Add a little more sugar while it simmers, a teaspoon at a time, until it tastes balanced.
Updated . Nutrition, costs and yields are estimates.







