5 quick Thai dinners you can actually make on a weeknight

Thai food has a reputation for long ingredient lists, but most of the everyday dishes are fast stir-fries and one-pan curries. The trick is keeping two or three Thai staples on hand — fish sauce, a jar of curry paste, and some rice noodles — and letting them do the work. Here are five that fit a weeknight.

1. Pad Krapow (Thai basil chicken)

The 15-minute Bangkok street classic: minced chicken stir-fried with garlic, chilli and basil, served over rice with a crispy fried egg. If you make one Thai dish, make this one. → Thai basil chicken (pad krapow gai)

2. Pad Thai

Sweet, sour and savoury rice noodles with chicken, egg and crushed peanuts. The shortcut is a quick sauce of tamarind, fish sauce and sugar — soak the noodles while you prep and it comes together fast. → Pad Thai with chicken

3. Pad See Ew

Smoky dark-soy flat noodles with chicken and greens. The whole dish hinges on a very hot pan and a good toss to get some char — 15 minutes, no special equipment. → Pad See Ew

4. Green curry

A jar of green curry paste plus coconut milk is the engine here; add whatever vegetables you have and simmer. Our version keeps it vegetable-forward and weeknight-quick. → Thai green curry with vegetables

5. Red curry

Same idea, deeper and warmer. Fry the paste first to wake it up, add chicken and coconut milk, and finish with Thai basil. → Thai red curry chicken

What to keep on hand

Three things unlock all of the above: fish sauce, a jar of curry paste (green or red — both keep for ages), and rice noodles. Add coconut milk when curry’s on the menu. For how each of these sauces behaves, see the 8 sauces worth stocking, and for any unfamiliar technique, the cooking glossary.

Hungry now? Tell OneToCook what’s in your fridge and it’ll point you at the Thai dish closest to what you’ve already got.