I warmed it on the stovetop (not microwave) and found it lacking, but acceptable.
After adding:
- tamarind paste,
- onions,
- bell peppers,
- a thai hot pepper,
and then topping with:
- cilantro,
- fresh lime, and
- some chopped up roasted peanuts,
… the additions (standard ingredients) made it much better.
Still, it was missing the contrast of bean sprouts. It isn;t the same without them and if I’d had bean sprouts, I would have added, but at that point I might have opted to just make my own pad thai – which would have tasted better for almost the same amount of cook/prep time.
We tried it and found it nothing like the pad Thai we’ve had. Couldn’t finish it unfortunately. At least I think it was that brand.
We were considering trying it. Since we’re fans of the snapdragon pho. Have you tried that as well?
I like the Snapdragon Pho, although I can’t stand the chili oil they put in it. Instead, I use a spoon of Chili Crisp and/or throw some kimchi in it after the noodles are cooked. It’s not really pho, but it is really good for how easy it is to prepare!
If you mean the dry-shelf instant noodle bowls, then yes. I think of those as an alternative to ramen noodles since they don’t need refrigeration and cook in a similar manner. In both cases, there’s no pretense of either having fresh ingredients or being anything like a complete dinner-style meal. I like instant ramen (especially with an egg and some greens in it) and I like the instant pho (also preferred with greens, but no egg).
While I expect dry instant noodles to be a minimal affair that one might opt to dress up, I thought the Pad Thai would be more of a complete meal – and it is, but it didn’t taste much like Pad Thai. I understand that bean sprouts are impossible to keep shelf-stable, but Snapdragon could have included little packets of peanuts and chill flakes to improve the meal.
I have this sitting in my fridge waiting to be cooked. I was looking forward to it, but now I’m not. My 8 year old really wants to try it, so hopefully it will at least be something a kid likes.
It is easy insta-food, so just look at it as a day without needing to plan or cook. That said, if you have roasted peanuts and/or cilantro to use as garnish, I think both will improve the meal.
I’ll have to pick up some cilantro the next time I go to the grocery store. I have lime juice I can add, and we’re peanut free at home, so I’m not going to add those.
My son is excited to try it because he has a peanut allergy and any pad Thai we’ve found anywhere always has peanuts, and this one doesn’t.
I should also look on the bright side, it will still be better than the nonexistent pad Thai near where I live.
I’ve tried it and it was at the low end of mediocre. Wouldn’t buy it again.
