Back to Recipes

Pad Priew Wan (Thai Sweet and Sour)

Thai sweet and sour is a completely different animal to the Chinese version. Nothing is battered, the sauce is thin and sharp rather than thick and sugary, and it is loaded with tomato, cucumber and pineapple that stay crunchy.

The balance comes from tamarind and fish sauce as much as sugar, which gives it a savoury edge that stops it tasting like a dessert.

Servings
4
Prep Time
20
mins
Cook Time
10
mins
Ingredients
15
Total Time
30
mins

Pantry bits

Fish Sauce
Fish Sauce
Tamarind
Tamarind
Palm Sugar
Palm Sugar
Jasmine Rice
Jasmine Rice

Ingredients

  • 400g chicken thigh or pork loin, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 brown onion, cut into wedges
  • 1 red capsicum, sliced
  • 1 tomato, cut into wedges
  • 150g pineapple, cut into chunks
  • ½ cucumber, halved and thickly sliced
  • 2 spring onions, cut into lengths
  • 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
  • 1½ tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp tamarind paste
  • 1 tbsp palm sugar
  • 2 tbsp water
  • Steamed jasmine rice, to serve

Instructions

  1. Mix the ketchup, fish sauce, tamarind, palm sugar and water in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves.
  2. Heat the oil in a wok over high heat. Add the garlic and stir-fry for 20 seconds.
  3. Add the meat and stir-fry for 3 minutes until just cooked.
  4. Add the onion and capsicum and stir-fry for 2 minutes — they should keep their shape and colour.
  5. Add the tomato, pineapple and cucumber and toss for 1 minute.
  6. Pour in the sauce and toss hard for another minute until everything is coated and glossy. Add the spring onion, toss once, and serve with jasmine rice.

‍

Notes:

‍

  • Cucumber in the wok sounds wrong and tastes right — it stays cool and crunchy against the sauce
  • Taste before serving and adjust with tamarind for sourness or palm sugar for sweetness
  • Everything should go in and come out fast. Overcooked vegetables turn this into a stew

Other recipes

Pla Rad Prik (Thai Crispy Fish with Chilli Sauce)
Pla Rad Prik (Thai Crispy Fish with Chilli Sauce)
Tung Tong (Thai Money Bags)
Tung Tong (Thai Money Bags)
Choo Chee Goong (Thai Choo Chee Curry with Prawns)
Choo Chee Goong (Thai Choo Chee Curry with Prawns)

Never miss a recipe

Join thousands of subscribers and get our best recipes delivered to direct to your inbox!

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.