A rapid wok stir-fry of mixed seasonal vegetables with garlic, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, and a small amount of fish sauce. Pad pak ruam is the simplest possible expression of Thai wok technique — no curry paste, no complex seasoning, just maximum wok heat and correctly timed additions of vegetables with different cooking times. Thompson covers it as a foundational technique preparation precisely because its simplicity makes the wok temperature and sequence critical: there is nothing else to hide behind.
**The fundamental rule of mixed vegetable stir-fry:** Each vegetable has a different cooking time at maximum wok heat. The stir-fry must sequence additions so that every vegetable reaches correct doneness simultaneously at service. This requires knowing the cooking time of each vegetable individually, then working backward from service to determine the addition sequence. **Approximate cooking times at maximum wok heat:** - Broccoli (blanched first): 2–3 minutes in wok. - Broccolini (gai lan): 2–3 minutes. - Cauliflower (blanched first): 2 minutes. - Cabbage: 1–2 minutes. - Mushroom: 2 minutes. - Baby corn: 2–3 minutes. - Bean sprouts: 30 seconds. - Spinach/water spinach: 30–45 seconds. - Long beans: 2 minutes. **The blanching pre-step for dense vegetables:** Broccoli and cauliflower require blanching before the wok (2 minutes in boiling salted water, shocked in cold water, drained) — their density means they cannot cook through in the 2–3 minutes that maximum wok heat allows. **The preparation:** 1. Wok at maximum heat. Oil. 2. Add sliced garlic. 10 seconds. 3. Add the densest vegetables first (baby corn, blanched broccoli). 4. Toss for 1 minute. 5. Add medium-density vegetables (mushrooms, long beans). 6. Toss 1 minute. 7. Add softest vegetables last (leafy greens, bean sprouts). 8. Oyster sauce, light soy, fish sauce. Toss 20 seconds. 9. Plate immediately. Decisive moment: The decision about when each vegetable is correctly done in the wok — before the next vegetable is added, the current one must be correctly cooked (bright, slightly softened, still retaining structural integrity). A single over-cooked vegetable element in a mixed stir-fry produces a dish of uneven textural quality.
David Thompson, *Thai Food* (2002); *Thai Street Food* (2010)