The first tip from esteemed chef Mike Morales, Culinary Director of Sunda New Asian, is simple: pick the vegetables you use with thoughtful intention. For example, although bok choy is a staple in many other Thai dishes, Morales advises against the crunchy leafy vegetable for one primary reason — it’s too watery. The same is true for many summer vegetables, like squash, zucchini, and spinach.

Typically, traditional pad Thai only uses a few vegetables and alliums, which help to increase the aromatic nature of the dish and provide additional texture. Among these are beansprouts, garlic chives, onions, and garlic. However, if you want to add more vibrancy to your dish, we recommend sticking to the stir-fry classics: julienned carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, green beans, baby corn, and sugar snap peas. These choices maintain their crispy texture even when stir-fried at high heat and look equally appealing to the eye.