Stop Putting Ketchup in Your Pad Thai: Engineering Authentic Flavor with GenAI

My benchmark for Pad Thai was set during university in Victoria, BC. Between classes and part-time mall shifts, my survival depended on a specific local Thai stall. It wasn’t "gourmet," but it was a masterclass in technical balance: a sharp, puckering sourness from tamarind, a heavy hit of palm sugar, and enough heat to sweat a bit. And a lot of crushed peanuts!

It’s the only version I think about when I hear the words "Pad Thai." But for years, every time I tried to recreate it at home, the flavor was so... wrong. The dishes were nothing like the one of my past. I also kept ordering Pad Thai dishes to see if I could find one with the same flavor profile. Some were good but they weren't close. Disappointment always sinking in.

The Problem: Internet Recipe Gaslighting

If you’ve ever Googled "best Pad Thai recipe," you’ve likely been fed a series of failures disguised as "hacks." My search for a dupe of that Victoria stall yielded three consistent disappointments:

• The Ketchup Tragedy: A high-ranking "short-cut" involves using ketchup for color and acidity. It’s a hot take, but it’s objectively wrong. It lacks the fermented depth required for the dish to hold up.
• The Oyster Sauce Debate: Half the internet insists on oyster sauce; the other half ignores it. I needed to know if it was an essential structural component or just filler.
• The Scarcity Myth: Most blogs claim Tamarind concentrate is "hard to find" or an "exotic" expense, pushing you toward weak substitutes. Fact check: A 10-minute trip to a local Thai grocer yielded a massive jar of concentrate for $4. The barrier wasn't the ingredient; it was the lack of knowing where to find it.

The Pivot: Using GenAI as My Expert

I stopped scrolling through lifestyle blogs and treated the recipe like a technical audit. I didn't need a "story"—I needed the code. I pivoted to Gemini to act as a specialized consultant to strip away the highly Westernized options and audit the "essential" ingredients.

My 1st thought: I want to lead Gemini to think that it should provide an authentic recipe but want to describe that for context. I don't want it to assume I want a Westernized sauce.

My 1st Prompt: You are an expert in Thai food and cook it regularly from the streets of Thailand. You want to make Pad Thai for a friend when visiting Canada. What is the recipe you will use?

Gemini's Response: Gemini provided an extensive recipe with a lot of ingredients that was stated authentic street style Pad Thai.

My Next Thought: Gemini did not list oyster sauce but a lot of recipes have it. Time to ask: should Oyster sauce be in the recipe or not? Also, I love a slightly sweet Pad Thai and I need to confirm this recipe is aligned. 

My 2nd Prompt: Review this recipe. Is this on the sweeter side? They want that. The internet shows similar sauces but include oyster sauce. Why are you not using oyster sauce?

Gemini's response: Crucial insight was that authentic Pad Thai does not include oyster sauce, and the sauce is almost an even blend of fish sauce, palm sugar, and Tamarind concentrate.