A real Thai classic is Pad Priew Wan or stir-fry sweet and sour. There are many variants available, such as sweet and sour chicken, sweet and sour beef, sweet and sour with pork, sweet and sour with shrimp or other seafood. Vegetarians can replace the meat with tofu or mushrooms. Jaap's favorite version is with chicken.
Pad Priew Wan, also known as Thai sweet and sour stir fry, is a dish that represents a rich history and a delicious blend of flavors. This culinary creation has its origins in Thailand, but is strongly influenced by Chinese cuisine. This influence can be traced back to the migration of Chinese immigrants to Thailand, who brought with them their cooking techniques and recipes.
The dish is an excellent example of the fusion between Thai and Chinese culinary traditions. In Pad Priew Wan, the Thai preference for fresh, spicy flavors is combined with the Chinese method of stir-frying. This leads to a dish that is not only visually appealing due to the variety of colors of the vegetables used, but also offers a complex taste experience.
In terms of flavor profile, Pad Priew Wan is characterized by a perfect balance between sweet and sour, with an optional addition of a little spice. The sweetness usually comes from sugar or honey, while the sour aspect is brought by ingredients such as tamarind or vinegar. Sometimes a little chili is also added to make the dish a bit spicier.
The preparation of Pad Priew Wan involves stir-frying a variety of ingredients, usually including meat such as chicken or pork, and a colorful mix of vegetables such as peppers, onions, and pineapple. The sauce used in the dish is a crucial element that brings all the flavors together and provides that signature sweet and sour taste.
It is a tasty and fresh dish that I also like to eat in Thailand. Although I do notice that it almost never tastes the same anywhere. It is on the menu in many Thai restaurants where foreign tourists come. Foreigners who do not like spicy food can order this dish with confidence.
The phonetic translation of “Pad Priew Wan” in Dutch would be “paht prie-oe wan”. “Pad” is pronounced like “paht”, with the 'd' at the end sounding more like a soft 't'. “Priew” sounds like “prie-oe” where the 'ie' sounds like the Dutch word 'bier' and the 'oe' sounds like 'boek'. And “Wan” is simply pronounced “wan”, similar to the Dutch word 'want'. This phonetic representation helps to imitate the Thai pronunciation of the dish as accurately as possible in Dutch.
Ingredients:
- Pieces of fresh pineapple plus some juice
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- chicken fillet, cut into thin strips
- sliced cucumber
- thinly sliced onion
- diced tomato
- 2 tablespoons of fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons of ketchup
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of vinegar
When we make it ourselves, we do add a chilli pepper because I prefer the spicy variant, but that is not really appropriate.
Preparation:
Heat the oil in a wok over a high heat. Add garlic, stir fry (half a minute). Add the chicken. Stir-fry until the chicken is lightly browned. Add cucumber, onion and tomato; stir-fry 1 minute. Add fish sauce, ketchup, sugar, vinegar and pineapple juice. Stir well. Finally, add the pineapple and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Serve with Jasmine rice.
Enjoy your meal.
Video Pad Priew Wan (Sweet and Sour)
In the video below you can see how to prepare the dish:
Another little tip: beat an egg, add a lot of cornstarch (possibly a dash of soy sauce and some pepper) and dip the chicken pieces in it before frying (place one at a time in the pan, otherwise they will all stick together) .
They then get that well-known 'jacket' as in the top photo and it is so much more tender.