Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Pad Thai {ผัดไทยกุ้งสด}

Published on September 14, 2017. Last updated August 14, 2021 · 32 Comments · As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs I earn from qualifying purchases; see all disclosures.

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This Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Pad Thai recipe with Chicken, Pork, Beef and Shrimp, is Top Shelf Restaurant Quality good.

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Pressure Cooker Pad Thai

There are two things I order at Thai Restaurants.

One is Green Curry with Tofu.

The other is Pad Thai. Chicken Pad Thai, Pork Pad Thai, Beef Pad Thai, Shrimp Pad Thai.

Most people probably order Chicken Pad Thai, but I like a variety.

This Pressure Cooker Pad Thai recipe is as good as any of the best Thai restaurants around.

Cast of Ingredients for Pressure Cooker Pad Thai

Talk about obsessing over a recipe.

To convert my Pad Thai recipe to the Pressure Cooker, took a lot of thinking and experimenting.

Oh, and a lot of eating Pressure Cooker Pad Thai.

Can I Cook Meat with Noodles in the Pressure Cooker?

Of course you can!
When cooking Meat and Noodles together in a Pressure Cooker, much thought has to go into the method.
The Meat needs to be properly cooked and not raw.
At the same time, assuring that the Noodles won’t turn to mush. This was a bit of a challenge.
I tried several different methods and came up with perfectly cooked Noodles and perfectly cooked Meat!

Do I have to Soak the Noodles?

Yes.
When Stir Frying Rice Noodles, you need to soak them for about 20 minutes.
Since this is a Pressure Cooker recipe, with small pieces of meat, the Noodles need to be soaked first.
Plus, Pad Thai is not a saucy recipe, so less liquid is used.
If large chunks of meat were being used with a longer cook time, then there would be no need to soak the Noodles.
The #10 Thai Rice Noodles are the perfect size for Pad Thai.
Soak them in hot water for 1-2 minutes, but no longer and then get them out of the water fast.

Whisk Together the Pad Thai Sauce

What is in Pad Thai Sauce?

Tamarind Paste
Palm Sugar or Brown Sugar or Panela
Fish Sauce
Lime Juice
Sambal Oelek Chili Paste
Tomato Paste – this is optional. I’ve had Pad Thai, with and without Tomato Paste.

Don’t be tempted to purchase “Pad Thai Sauce.” You won’t get the delicious and authentic flavor from the jarred sauce. It is so easy to make yourself!

Use a Measuring Cup and Whisk up the Pad Thai Sauce.

If you have purchased the Rösle Stainless Steel Flat Whisk, I suggest you check it out. It is my most used Kitchen Tool.

Palm Sugar is a bit milder than Brown Sugar. It comes in a big round disk. If using Palm Sugar, use a Cheese Grater and shave off what is needed.

Panela is a deeper taste than Brown Sugar. It is a staple in my house and my first choice. It also comes in a big round disk.

Taste the Sauce. It should be a bit more sour than sweet. Adjust to your taste, if necessary, but I think it is perfect, as is.

Add Peanut Oil, Grapeseed Oil or Vegetable Oil to a Hot Pot

Why do I have to heat the Pressure Cooker before adding oil?

Heating a stainless steel pot before adding Oil, will help to make the pot non-Stick.
Remember this sentence.
Hot Pot, cold oil.

Grapeseed Oil, Peanut Oil and Vegetable Oil, all work well in this recipe.

All three oils, do very well using high heat. I have several Dispensing Bottles bottles with different types of oil on hand.

Obviously, use what you like, but I am cautioning you about using strong oils like Olive Oil or Sesame Oil in this recipe, as they will negatively alter the flavor.

White Parts of Scallions and Tofu Strips

Separate the Green Leaves from the White and Whitish Green Roots of the Scallions.

Cut them on the diagonal, about an inch long. We grow our own Scallions, but I used store bought this time and they were tiny.

Extra Firm Tofu will hold up best to Stir Frying.

The Tofu kind of tastes like a firm egg in this recipe, so if you are thinking you hate Tofu, I hope you will give it a chance. You can always pick it out, if you don’t like it…..but I bet you will.

I think by now you all know how picky my husband. He is more than picky. He won’t even taste much of the food I cook. He ate the Tofu in this recipe and loved it.

And then ate it again and again, because I kept testing this recipe, until I got it perfect. So, for him to eat this several days in a row, was huge. Pressure Cooker Thai Triple Coconut Rice

Add in Chicken, Pork, Beef and Garlic

Chicken and Shrimp seem to be the most popular for Pad Thai.

Shown here is Pork. We usually like to do a Chicken, Pork and Shrimp combination Pressure Cooker Pad Thai. After making so many batches, we only had Pork left in the freezer.

I am not overly fond of Beef in many Thai and Chinese recipes, but I seem to love it in my Thai Pad See Ew recipe, which is fabuloso! Seriously, try it.

If you don’t eat Shrimp, just increase the amount of meat you are using and skip the last part of the recipe, where it talks about adding the Shrimp.

If you notice in the ingredients photo above, I used my FoodSaver Vacuum Sealing System to package up the Pork Strips.

Large Pork Shoulders, Chuck Roasts, etc. get cut up into Strips and Slices, weighed and frozen into individual packages. Chicken is packaged in whole pieces or slices.

In many cases, like my Pressure Cooker Chinese Take-Out Beef and Broccoli and Pressure Cooker Chicken and Rice recipes, the marinade is frozen with the package meat.

Crack in the Eggs – One or Two – Your Choice

I’ve always loved the eggs in Chinese and Thai recipes, so in my Asian recipes, that call for eggs, I add extra.

Check out my Pressure Cooker Chinese Fried Rice and Japanese Vegetable Beef Curry Fried Rice recipes.

So, it is no surprise that I use two eggs in this recipe too. 🙂

Meat and Tofu Swimming in Broth and Pad Thai Sauce

The Eggs will stick to the pot a bit, so make sure to deglaze the cooking pot with the Chicken Broth.

Better than Bouillon Chicken Base or your own Pressure Cooker Chicken Stock/Broth, both work well.

If using Pressure Cooker Chicken Stock/Broth, dilute it a little with Fresh Water, as Bone Broth is very thick and gelatinous. So maybe 1.25 cups of Broth, mixed with .25 cup Fresh Water.

Noodles will bend right into the Sauce

The 1.5 minute Soak time, will give the #10 Thai Rice Noodles, just the right amount of bendability without risking over cooked, mushed Noodles.

You will be able to get them into the Pressure Cooker and liquid.

Make sure that you do not soak them for longer than 2 minutes, or you will have mushy Noodles.

The short Pressure Cooking time, will result in perfectly cooked Pad Thai Noodles!

Mix in Raw Shrimp – leave the tails on!

After releasing the Pressure, place the Shrimp right on top of the Noodles.

There is enough residual heat to leave on the Tails of the Shrimp.

Place the Lid of the Pressure Cooker back on the pot, but do not lock it down.

Watch the Keep Warm time on the pot, to gauge when to remove the Lid.

Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Pad Thai

Mix in some shaved Carrots, Bean Sprouts, Scallions, Cilantro and squeeze of Fresh Lime.

Another delicious Thai Noodle dish to try is my Thai Pad See Ew (Stir Fried Noodles). For a delicious Thai Rice dish, try my Pressure Cooker Thai Triple Coconut Rice.

Kitchen Equipment and Essentials

PIN this Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Pad Thai!

Instant Pot Chicken & Pork Pad Thai Shrimp

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