I often come out and talk to my customers after they've finished eating. My favorite part is (and I won't be original here) the compliments, but the most valuable feedback is when they tell me what exactly tasted differently in my restaurant and what could have tasted better. To my surprise, Torontians often describe Pad Thai using words like: vinegary (yes, I know), too sweet and even mushy. Almost as if they described pad American, not pad Thai. Now, next time you're in a restaurant that claims to be Thai, take this cheat sheet below to evaluate your dish on the authenticity scale.
Sweetness
Maple syrup, honey and agave may be the boutique sweeteners here in Canada, but palm sugar is the king in Southeast Asia cuisine. The heart of Pad Thai sauce is palm sugar and tamarind. The thing about palm sugar is that it’s less sweet than cane sugar and it also has the unique aromatic odor. I give it a half of the taste in Pad Thai sauce.
Sourness
Sometimes when I buy tamarind sauce I notice some people getting sweet tamarind in boxes, probably they work on some kitchen. Yet, sweet tamarind (or makham wan) is not really what you need for a good Pad Thai. Sour tamarind is a quarter of Pad Thai's sour taste. I would describe it as the smooth sour, not sharp sour like the one you would get from lime.
No ketchup
Putting ketchup on a regular food is cheating, putting ketchup in Pad Thai is a crime. I've worked in the restaurant industry for the last 10 years and I've come across chefs who would tell me that ketchup in Pad Thai is their family tradition. In response, I would ask him where is his family from, certainly not from Thailand.
Saltiness
Salty and umami are from fish sauce. Fish sauce has it's own unique taste that is very different from salt. 20% of overall taste in Pad Thai sauce should come from that. What I've encountered here is that cooks substitute fish sauce for soy sauce. Soy sauce is also salty, it is vegetarian, thereby imparting a much milder though salty flavor. Now, don't get me wrong - you can substitute fish sauce for soy sauce or even salt but only if you don't mind altering the authenticity of the recipe. It might taste good, but it just won’t be true to that culture's original flavors.
The combination of the flavors i described above in a right proportion is the key to authentic taste. Of course, nobody has a taso-e-o-meter to determine if the sauce is exactly 20% salty, 50% sweet etc. so it's always up to chef's personal taste buds. I'm just lucky that at Sala all the kitchen saff's taste buds are perfectly synced.
I hope in the future you encounter only the real Pad Thai!
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