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    Home » Recipes » Easy Main Dish Recipes

    Feb 28, 2020 · Modified: Feb 1, 2023 by Andrea· This post may contain affiliate links · 23 Comments

    Easy Shrimp Stir-Fry with Pad Thai Sauce

    Jump to Recipe

    Who needs take out when you can whip up this Easy Shrimp Stir Fry with Pad Thai Sauce in less than 30 minutes! The tangy Pad Thai sauce is so good you'll want to use it for every stir fry you make!

    With the addition of a variety of vegetables the nutritional value of this dish is leveled up. So not only are you saving money on take-out but you are also being kind to your body.

    If you love shrimp and want more recipes check out my Creamy Shrimp and Scallops as well as these delicious Grilled Shrimp with Coconut Creamed Corn.

    If you are looking for a perfect dessert to serve with this stir fry check out this delicious Panna Cotta recipe that's simple and easy to prepare!

    Can I use chicken instead of shrimp?

    Yes and it is delicious! Substitute with 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 3-4 boneless skinless thighs. Cut into 1" pieces. Add chicken to fry pan or wok first and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, proceed with original instructions. Total cooking time for chicken should be 5-7 minutes.

    Can I make this vegetarian or vegan?

    Yes you can! For a vegetarian or vegan version substitute the shrimp for firm tofu cut into cubes. Marinate tofu in the Pad Thai sauce for 20 minutes. If you are vegan you will want to use a vegan "fish" sauce. Although not very widely available, you can find vegan "fish" sauces at your health food store, Amazon, or at specialty Asian stores (may be labeled "Mushroom Sauce or "Seaweed" Sauce). Or you can make your own by following this recipe for vegan fish sauce by Minimalist Baker.

    How to make shrimp stir fry with pad thai sauce

    • Mix together all the ingredients for the Pad Thai sauce, finely chop peanuts in a food processor or with a knife, and set aside separately.
    • Follow my instructions on how to make tamarind paste.
    • Or you can purchase tamarind paste already made in your local Asian supermarket or here - Tamarind Paste Concentrate. For another recipe to use your tamarind paste in check out these Grilled Chicken Wings.
    • Thaw and peel shrimp.
    • Prepare the vegetables, garlic and cilantro
    • Heat oil in a fry pan or wok over high heat.
    • About 1-2 minutes apart, add shrimp, Bok Choy, and the rest of the vegetables.
    • Add the sauce and peanuts and cook for 1-2 more minutes or until shrimp are pink and opaque and sauce has thickened slightly.
    • Serve immediately garnished with fresh lime, extra peanuts, red pepper flakes and cilantro leaves.

    What can I serve it with?

    Serve over your favourie type of rice or noodles. Here I used black rice. I love black rice not only because it looks so good but also because it tastes delicious! It also has high nutritional value so it's my #1 go to. For instructions on how to cook black rice check out this recipe for Black Rice Salad with Roasted Vegetables NOTE: 1 cup black rice yields approximately 3 cups cooked.

    Can't find black rice where you live? You can order it here: Organic Black Cargo Rice

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    📖 Recipe

    An individual portion of shrimp stir fry served over black rice with fresh lime wedges on the side.

    Shrimp Stir Fry With Pad Thai Sauce

    A quick and delicious shrimp stir fry packed with vegetables and a tangy Pad Thai Sauce
    3.89 from 18 votes
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved!
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Asian, Fusion
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 415kcal
    Author: Andrea Mut
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    Ingredients

    Pad Thai Sauce

    • ¼ cup tamarind paste (or substitute with 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice mixed with 1 tablespoon brown sugar)
    • ¼ cup water
    • ¼ cup fish sauce
    • 3 tablespoon fresh lime juice
    • 2 tablespoon raw or brown sugar
    • ½ cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, finely chopped

    Stir fry

    • ¼ cup avocado or coconut oil
    • 24 large or jumbo raw, frozen, unpeeled shrimp, thawed and peeled
    • 2-3 heads baby Bok Choy
    • 1 large red pepper, seeded and cut into 1" dice
    • 2 cups snow peas, approximately
    • 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
    • 3-4 green onions
    • ¼ teaspoon dried chili flakes, or more to taste

    For garnish

    • 1 cup cilantro leaves, rinsed
    • lime wedges
    • dried chili flakes
    • extra chopped peanuts

    Instructions

    For the pad thai sauce

    • Mix together tamarind paste, water, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Set aside with peanuts.

    For stir fry

    • Thaw shrimp by removing from package and placing in a bowl. place under running cold water until thawed. This will only take a few minutes. Peel, leaving tails on if desired. Pat dry with paper towel.
    • Clean and chop Bok Choy. Cut core off the bottom and cut in half lengthwise, then again into quarters. Rinse under cold water and dry. Chop into 1 inch pieces.
    • Core and cut cut red pepper into 1" pieces. Chop garlic and cut green onions into 1-2 inch pieces, using both white and green parts. Rinse cilantro and pick off leaves.
    • Heat oil, to medium high, in a large fry pan or wok. Add Bok Choy and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
    • Add shrimp and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add peppers, peas, green onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cook another 1 minute. Add sauce and peanuts and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes or until shrimp are pink and opaque and sauce has started to thicken slightly.
    • Serve immediately garnished with lime wedges, cilantro leaves, extra peanuts and hot pepper flakes.

    Notes

    Storage - Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 3 days. 
    If the sauce is too thin for your liking, dissolve 1-2 teaspoon of cornstarch in 2-3 tablespoon cold water and stir into sauce at the end and let boil for a few seconds to thicken. 
    Nutritional Facts do not include side dishes. They are an estimate only using an online calculator. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 415kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 802mg | Potassium: 440mg | Fiber: 3g
    Tried this recipe?Mention @MyPocketKitchen or tag #mypocketkitchen!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      3.89 from 18 votes (17 ratings without comment)

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    1. Corinne says

      March 26, 2024 at 7:55 pm

      5 stars
      OMG Andrea another DELICIOUS recipe! So fresh and flavourful! Loved it! Even my “meat and potatoes hubby” went back for more! This will definitely go on the roster! Thank you sooo much!

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      • Andrea says

        March 27, 2024 at 10:15 am

        I am so happy to hear that! Thanks so much for sharing.

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    2. Lara Bafaro says

      June 05, 2021 at 11:58 am

      Hi, Do you think it will work with broccoli and extra peppers instead of bok choy and snow peas? It's what I have on hand and I just grocery shopped, so I am not going back out there! Loved the veggie chili recipe!

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      • Andrea says

        June 07, 2021 at 3:55 pm

        Yes that absolutely works! 👌

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    3. Paulette Matchem says

      May 07, 2021 at 7:10 pm

      Hi Andrea,
      Can I use chopped raw cashews instead of peanuts? It's what I have on hand 🙂

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      • Andrea says

        May 08, 2021 at 9:42 am

        Absolutely! 👌

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        • Paulette says

          May 08, 2021 at 9:56 am

          Awesome thank you! And I have been boiling eggs wrong all these years! Thank you for your post in Gina's group, made 6 perfect eggs this morning, easy peasy peeling🙌❤ I've been asking myself the past 2 weeks, for many reasons, where have you guys been all my life! Lol 😍

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    4. Yvonne says

      May 04, 2021 at 12:01 pm

      when i am cooking the shrimp can i use butter and olive oil

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      • Andrea says

        May 05, 2021 at 5:14 pm

        Yes absolutely 👍

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    5. Bridget says

      April 29, 2021 at 8:35 pm

      Somehow this went wrong for us. I made the tamarind paste and followed both recipes as written. Our stirfry was extremely sour and we couldn't eat it. We had to add extra brown sugar to be able to eat it. Wondering where we went wrong??

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      • Andrea says

        May 03, 2021 at 4:02 pm

        Sorry that happened!
        It's hard to say what might have gone wrong as I haven't had anyone report that issue before. It's possible just normal human error with a mis measurement of ingredients is possible. Hope you try it again! Next time maybe leave out the tamarind and add in extra lime juice instead. 👌

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    6. Sheila says

      March 06, 2021 at 11:57 am

      The flavours of this dish were fabulous but I did not like the smell of the fish sauce. Could you leave it out or substitute? Your recipes are great and really helpful with this program.

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      • Andrea says

        March 11, 2021 at 11:05 am

        You can leave out the fish sauce and add some extra soy sauce. The fish sauce does give it the unique Thai flavour...if you can get past the smell...

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    7. Kelly says

      November 17, 2020 at 4:10 pm

      I have cooked, peeled shrimp in my freezer. Is this OK? Just add a little later?

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      • Andrea says

        November 17, 2020 at 4:25 pm

        Yes that totally works 👌

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      • Stephanie Gomes says

        February 13, 2021 at 6:56 pm

        Hi Andrea!

        I made this tonight but the veggies created a lot of liquid and I wasn’t sure if I should have strained it off ?
        Tasted amazing but I expected a thicker sauce mine was very liquid

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        • Andrea says

          February 18, 2021 at 3:38 pm

          The sauce isn't very thick but how coarse or fine the peanuts are chopped can affect the consistency. Also if the pan was really crowded then the vegetables can steam rather than quick fry. In the future you could also add a bit of cornstarch dissolved in a bit of water to thicken the sauce at the end. I'm happy to hear you still enjoyed it!

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    8. Sue says

      October 26, 2020 at 7:02 pm

      Wow! Just discovered tamarind 😁. I’ve never seen this before. Made my own paste (although mine is more like a thin soup)...yum! If I refrigerate it or freeze it, should it be on its own or is it ok to add in the other ingredients for the sauce beforehand? Thanks Andrea!

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      • Andrea says

        October 27, 2020 at 12:34 pm

        I'm so happy you tried making your own tamarind paste! If it's super thin just add less water if the recipe calls for it in addition. You can freeze it on it's own or as part of a sauce. It also keeps in the fridge for a very long time. 😃

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    9. Sue says

      October 25, 2020 at 9:01 pm

      Hi Andrea,
      Hoping to attempt this delish-sounding dish tomorrow with G and you. How long does the home made Pad Thai sauce last for in the fridge? Would it be best to make it immediately before use?
      Thanks!
      Sue

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      • Andrea says

        October 26, 2020 at 9:01 am

        Yes you can make it ahead no problem!

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    10. Eileen says

      March 08, 2020 at 10:00 pm

      Where do I buy tamarind paste? I can only find tamarind sauce in the grocery store.

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      • Andrea says

        March 09, 2020 at 6:48 am

        Hi Eileen,
        Specialty Asian and India shops will carry it and sometimes you can find it in higher end grocery stores. Otherwise I have gone back and included a link in the Shrimp Stir Fry post of one I recommend you can order online. Hope that helps!

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    Andrea from My Pocket Kitchen

    Hello and welcome to My Pocket Kitchen! I'm Andrea, a professionally trained Chef & Pastry Chef . Here you will find easy, step by step recipes that are packed with wholesome, nutrient rich ingredients. Hope you have fun! Read More…

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