Hot and Spicy Thai Pasta Recipe
The mere notion of a Thai pasta dish is likely to annoy some of the culinary purists out there. For those of you who don’t mind fusion food, you’ll be rewarded with a great use for leftover pasta that tastes bowl-lickingly scrummy. This is my Thai hot and spicy pasta recipe.
I first tried the dish that inspired this recipe in Chiang Mai. My Thai partner worked at a vegetarian restaurant serving Thai dishes. I went to eat there one day and decided to try the hot and spicy spaghetti dish that piqued my curiosity on the menu. I was blown away by the plate of food served to me.
Fiery hot from green peppercorns and krachai, this was a pasta dish like no other. The spaghetti absorbed the flavors pretty well. Slight salty notes from fish sauce and a little bit of sweetness from sugar and umami from soy sauce rounded off the flavor wonderfully.
My own adaptation of the dish is a slight tweak on the hot and spicy spaghetti I had in Chiang Mai. I’ve added holy basil to give a peppery note while taking out the fish sauce because the soy sauce provides enough saltiness on its own.
I personally use fusilli with this hot and spicy Thai pasta dish simply because I prefer it. I think fusilli absorbs the flavors better and I prefer its shape and texture to spaghetti. Either type of pasta from those two options work well, though. I’m sure penne would be fine but I haven’t tried it.
You want to make sure the pasta is thoroughly cooked through. I know Italians prefer a bit of bite to their pasta (al dente and all that jazz), but when exporting this staple over to mix with Thai flavors, you’ll want a bit more softness to your pasta than is normal for Italian recipes.
As far as protein goes, there isn’t actually any need to include any form of protein in this recipe. I personally quite like adding some cooked shrimp to the dish, but it tastes great without protein.
The particular mixture of sauces is a classic Thai combination of golden mountain seasoning sauce, oyster sauce, thin soy sauce, and a little dash of fish sauce to taste. You can leave the fish sauce out if you want.
The cooking process is very straightforward and it should only take 2-3 minutes to go from cooked pasta to plate. This is great for when you cook a batch of pasta and have some leftovers. Make sure you use a wok to create this dish (my recommended wok can be found here.)
Once again, the purists of either cuisine might want to skip this recipe. If you think combining pasta with anything other than Italian flavors is some sort of culinary crime, look away now! You’ve been warned, haha.
On the other hand, if you’re open to trying something new that provides a filling, flamboyant, fiery-hot way to use those endless packets of dried pasta lying around the store cupboard, give this hot and spicy Thai pasta recipe a whirl and let me know what you think.
Buon appetite! 😉
| Prep Time | 3 minutes |
| Cook Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings | people |
- 5 ounces dried pasta around 140 grams
- 2 inch krachai thinly sliced
- 2 whole garlic cloves
- 1-2 whole red chilis
- 200 grams cooked protein of choice tofu or shrimps work well (optional)
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon thin soy sauce
- 1 handful holy basil
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil sunflower, rapeseed, or any other neutral oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh green peppercorns don't worry if you can't find these, just omit them
- 1 tablespoon golden mountain seasoning sauce
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
Ingredients
| |
- Start by adding your dried pasta to some heavily salted boiling water. Cook for 15 minutes and then drain.
- In a pestle and mortar, lightly pound the garlic, krachai, and chili for 5-10 seconds. Meanwhile, wash the holy basil and tear it into small chunks
- Heat oil in the wok and stir-fry the garlic, krachai, and chilis for 30 seconds.
- Add the wet ingredients, the green peppercorns, and the sugar. Stir-fry for another 30 seconds.
- If you're using protein, add it at this stage (make sure you're using already cooked protein).
- Add the drained pasta along with the torn holy basil. Stir-fry for 40-60 seconds. Serve immediately.
I lived in Thailand for a few years during my 20s during which time I fell in love with Thai food. Along with my Thai partner, I cook and eat tasty Thai dishes 3 or 4 times per week. I’m here to bring you recipes, Thai food tips, and suggested cookware for making Thai food.