$209 vs $18 Pad Thai: Pro Chef & Home Cook Swap Ingredients | Epicurious

Expert chef instructor King Phojanakong from the Institute of Culinary Education and home cook Onika are trading pad thai recipes and hitting the kitchen. We set Onika up with $209 worth of ingredients and King’s recipe while sending a modest $18 worth of goods back the other way. To assist Onika with King’s massive ingredient list, food scientist Rose dialed in to lend some expert advice. Which pad thai are you itching to try?
Keep up with Onika at @onikacomedy
Follow chef King on Instagram at @kumainn_uminom
Rose is on Instagram at @rosemarytrout_foodscience
Follow The Institute of Culinary Education at @iceculinary
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Editor - Alex Meyers
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Epicurious Video Team
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[@retonito92]

Onika gives me huge auntie vibes like she’ll be mad and then give you a cookie after.

[@bishnuchaudhary6149]

Xam8

[@jessalynjade837]

no literally 😂

[@youdeservethis]

That is just the kind of Auntie I am!🤣

[@TheVedge]

Chef King using the spice grinder to turn the noodles into flour is the kind of clever chefiness that I'm here for

[@tconlon251]

Frank : Designing and building a better spice grinder

[@Kamikazu08]

@@tconlon251 Frank: Mining and smithing....manufacturing the materials and parts needed to build his spice grinder.

[@chrizzygoesoriginal]

Onika is so funny, I laughed so much when she said the palm sugar was ”sitting there like 💁🏾‍♀️”

[@shidastyles5477]

Same!!

[@lildredre89]

We should all strive to have a relationship like King does with fish sauce

[@Crossovahh]

find someone that looks at you the way Chef King looks at fish sauce

[@emmereffing]

or the relationship King has with anything and anybody...

[@georgez234]

I thought I was going to hate fish sauce until I found out it was made with anchovies. I love anchovies! Pizza without anchovies is boring.

[@tundrolen]

@@georgez234 I like squid fish sauce Squid is the brand Anchovies are pretty good it tastes crunchy

[@sealoftoaster1969]

It wouldn't be Thai food if there is no fish sauce

[@mecube9148]

The best response I've heard..."how many people are we feeding?" PS Wok-a Wok-a Flame...lol 😂

[@cosmicallupus2201]

If I had to Guess it would've cost 180 Bucks 208 dollars "How many people are we feeding

[@austinhamilton4263]

B M

[@BlackWomenInComedyLaffFest]

Hilarious

[@TragoudistrosMPH]

Seriously, though! Lol

[@Timothee_Chalamet_CMBYN]

How was this any fair, they are cooking a traditional Thai dish in an Asian wok cooking style that others are not familiar with. the chef knows but how would the African American woman make it 🤣, she doesn’t even have any idea. That’s like putting a Mexican and a Russian and they both make the dish Pelmeni which is a Slavic dish, the Mexican wouldn’t know where to start 💀

[@Amber-ml6et]

Me making a grilled cheese at 3am: these are all ingredients you might find in your pantry or at a local grocery store, but with my chef skills I think i can make it better.

[@gu2323]

Proceeds to add extra slice of cheese.

[@somerandomperson467]

Hehe

[@somerandomperson467]

Bet it tastes like crap

[@adnan7698]

Don't forget the blueberries

[@maria4105]

@@somerandomperson467 well considering no one eats gourmet food every day i bet its a pretty good,easy to make meal

[@christopherchase4960]

"$209? How many people are we feeding?" - loved her response to the price!

[@Saint.questions]

Frfr!😂

[@babym7484]

King should read to everyone before bed. He has such a calming voice 😊

[@eacorpe88]

Came here to mention the calm. You got here first....so I am just gonna engage and like to elevate your comment.

[@babym7484]

@@eacorpe88 Thanks 😊

[@trevorpacelli8056]

He is the Bob Ross of cooking.

[@abbie5879]

Good thing I’m watching this video trying to sleep!

[@simonzaiter9142]

Ur right he has a good podcast voice too 👌

[@joshdaniels2363]

Tossing in a 12" cast iron skillet is a major flex, to be honest.

[@Ben-Carr]

Cast iron skillets are easy to buy.

[@Ben-Carr]

Old stainless steel copper core Emeril brand pans are the best.

[@johnhobson9165]

@@Ben-Carr I'm sticking with my Griswold number eight cast iron skillet. My mother bought it in the early 1950s.

[@michellebowen1194]

​@@Ben-Carr Easy to buy, not easy to lift and toss.

[@tarablethoughts]

Yeah it is

[@NN-zg5bz]

Onika cheat grinding her topping and screaming the Gypsy Woman hook with a deadpan expression is the chaotic kitchen energy I aim for this fall

[@ponyo3124]

Came to comments specifically for someone to mention her singing. I felt it in my soul

[@mon6745]

Right?,??

[@trevorpacelli8056]

Emily: Ketchup Stephen: Cheesecake Lorenzo: Laughter Frank: Making everything from scratch Penny: Alcohol Daniel: Blackberries King: Fish Sauce

[@amitaikatz5929]

Onika: Sarcasm

[@brantnerk2]

Saul: avocado

[@paulathais_]

Saul: cheese trick

[@robwilliams6753]

Rawlston: Smoke gun.

[@lancebeltran2002]

Beth: buttermilk

[@cha_wanya]

OMG Chef King tossed the cast iron pan like it has no weight.

[@clownsoftheearth]

Right?! I pretty much exclusively use cast iron pans now but I still have one nonstick for things that need tossing! I need to hit the gym i guess

[@legoguru3000]

Not named King for nuthin’

[@passiveagressive4983]

@@clownsoftheearth OMG me too, they are god awful heavy😂

[@euhouaisstv]

@@clownsoftheearth et o pdp pour pour la l'instant la on ooooo9

[@Celticshade]

dudes got that chef strength.

[@kunoichichica]

Onika arguing with her ingredients - "Get in there!" I NEED more of Onika

[@keanaragesdale6613]

I do that too! 🤣

[@letsmakeit110]

i lost it when she berated the one scallop for not being as golden brown as the others

[@ashliz_endz2227]

I have been saying this 😂😩

[@_Toxicity]

Props to King for turning the raw noodles into a crunchy coating! That's the kind of ingenuity we love to see with the pro chefs! (And so much better than them throwing in a bunch of other ingredients.)

[@frankiel2980]

Its really nice to see the pro chef use just the ingredients and chef has such great charisma

[@petenguyen1131]

he is surely better than Jamie Oliver :D

[@clarissakrigger4599]

Welcome back King. Missed him alot.

[@mz_beryl9693]

Onika and Emily are the funniest home cooks ever. They are actually my faves

[@arturoperez3826]

@@davidjobson7522 what you MEAN?!?

[@xavierxrc]

I originally watched for the cooking techniques then Emily was the reason why I kept watching these videos, then chef Frank and now Onika.

[@raychellchristopher3882]

YES, YES. 😄

[@raychellchristopher3882]

Home Cooks: Emily and Onika Professional Chefs: Chef Saul, HANDS DOWN.

[@Kuralai95]

Is Onika in more videos? She is so witty, I loved her. The chef is amazing too, he actually used the ingredients that were given

[@marcomenghini327]

I feel like this is the best combo so far - they are both so charming and funny and pure can’t wait to see more of them, especially together

[@chilibreath]

Onika: I used the spice grinder. King: I used the spice grinder, too! Onika: *surprised Pikachu face*

[@jigglypuffwags9406]

Onika, YOU WERE A DELIGHT TO WATCH, thank you for the beautiful personality and of course the smile and enjoyment you shared

[@youdeservethis]

Rose is so under appreciated in all these videos. She makes half of the meals happen! Plus she is so confident and warm. I want Rose in my corner!

[@neinneinnein2361]

Can we talk about how the chef literaly used only what he had and did not wave out 1000 different "pantry staples" he had lying around ?

[@tatongt]

Pad Thai in Thailand is different from these two dishes. We certainly don’t put sweet corn, fresh chili, or rice and some ingredients are strange. Tamarind sauce is the key so I’m glad to see that it’s one of the ingredients.

[@kpp28]

บ้านเราไม่เห็นมีคนกินจริงๆ เลย ผัดไทยอะ มีแต่ฝรั่ง 5555

[@AnaelG29]

ผัดไทย ที่ปรับปรุงให้คนต่างชาติกินไง 😂😂

[@vincevvn]

Believe it or not this wasn’t filmed in Thailand

[@fridadanke9076]

Yass, I thought like what is this? Not pad thai

[@st.eveyy.x6278]

This turned Vietnamese

[@pokerface1028]

As a Thai person, Onika and Chef King both nailed it! In terms of ingredients, chef King did a great job in finding all the authentic stuffs. It’s crazy see that all his ingredients cost $208 lol You could get all those stuffs he had in Thai markets for under $18!

[@dh.151]

He went with some ingredients that are kind of hard to find (blue shrimp, squid, scallion) but other than that I feel like you can still make some really authentic dishes cheaply with what u can find in US stores. Maybe not this seafood pad thai but you can easily make the version with her ingredients as King showed!

[@eivind261093]

So happy to see they're tasting each other's food again! That was always my favourite part of these :)

[@raisaaabdullah9044]

One of the most wholesome videos I have seen in a while. They both are such amazing people with well rounded personalities. I would definitely watch a cooking show hosted by Onika and chef King

[@itwasntmecc8954]

Onika is so beautiful to me and love her personality, so down to earth! King is just incredible all around! Nice match up.

[@beautytrapiverse]

Right Skin on fleek that blue looked so nice on her

[@humanperson1835]

@@beautytrapiverse right, and the matching blue nail polish looks so good

[@k3rsha11]

She’s gorgeous

[@SavageGreywolf]

Onika cheating at grinding her ingredients is the hero we need and deserve

[@thisisAB]

she didn't use a spice grinder or nothing! Well.. she used a spice grinder

[@outtaspace1566]

We have those mortar and pestle. Some people claimed your food would taste even better using it and my family is the other some lol

[@benaustin6361]

RIP King. What a great guy, great chef.

[@monzorella1]

Nooooooooooo when?

[@mon6745]

​@@monzorella1 January of this year - so incredibly sad 😢🙏🏾

[@adilets]

His voice and the way he carries himself is so smooth and cool

[@anusuabanerjee5434]

Onika's " It's a Pannyrammy a Panna..." *IT'S SOMETHING WITH A PAN* ✨ Cracked me up 😂😂

[@artemislunanettybecker8641]

King: It's a Pattypan Squash. Onika: Who named that?? XD

[@aw3855]

I love King! I’m so glad he’s back! And Onika is a breath of fresh air 🌻

[@kailey.hornsby]

Missed king! So happy to see a video with him, he’s one of my favorites to watch as a professional Chef.

[@kaylyndollar]

Chef King’s voice is the safe space of this channel 🥺😭

[@kimsteel366]

Ladies, if your man admires, honors and cherishes you like King does fish sauce, YOU'VE GOT IT MADE. That's true love, right there.. 🖤🖤🐟🐟😄😄

[@Hgeorgia]

Just had to come back and watch this video again. Chef King was such a calming, warm presence! I hope you’re enjoying all the fish sauce in a better place King ❤

[@Raffytaffy101]

Good to see King’s back :)

[@alexandercaro5227]

King looks like if Lorenzo did a line of MSG.

[@sentimenta1664]

OF MSG LMFAOAOAO

[@cassv9541]

I mean more like the opposite

[@chicken2jail545]

Frank's version cost $1,476,567 because you have to create your own Thailand.

[@nicholegoble6716]

Maybe comment about Frank when: 1. He’s actually in the video. 2. It’s a video on his own channel.

[@babiegorilla]

i love how chef king has such a really calming voice and relaxed me but when onika came out i just burst out laughing everytime its a rollercoaster

[@mz_beryl9693]

18:40 it is that facial expression for me 😂😂😂, she's like ain't you supposed to be a professional chef 🥴

[@kristinb5121]

My favorite part is seeing how chefs work with inexpensive ingredients. I can use these tips in my own cooking. The chef ingredients are mostly eye candy.

[@darkmare5318]

This is my opinion as a Thai(ไทย) while watching this video 0:59 What is pattypan squash and Swiss Chard? We don't have that in Thailand. Are they gonna cook "Pad Swiss"? 1:00 We don't put sweet corn in Pad Thai ! 1:08 Sweet Rice ? Are they gonna make the noodle from scratch? 1:16 Wait.. they already have noodle and what is Rice for ? 1:49 Cannot agree more. How many people they gonna feed? 4:21 Crispy Tofu? Is it for appetizer? 5:10 Bell pepper? We don't put that in Pad Thai. 6:03 Summer on a plate. I'm amazed that you don't have pineapple in it. 6:39 Yep this is a salad not a Pad Thai. 7:33 Yeah..It's about the sauce but That does't mean you can put funny things and it gonna work. 7:52 That's right Chef. 9:46 Pickles? we don't eat Pad Thai with pickles, we eat with fresh vegetable. 10:41 Here we go rice.Toasted rice. Is it for decoration? 11:05 What are you doing? blend with the dried shrimp. This is screw up. 13:49 Vegetable stir fried done. 15:10 Yuck! 15:57 You already had Pad Thai in Thailand. Do they add sweet corn ? If they do , I'm gonna burn that shop down. 17:00 Too much sodium, man! 17:14 Yes, I'm ready to go. This be Pad Thai 5/10. Bye.

[@psawaengkit]

Agreed, the chef’s recipe is wack.

[@pim_prae]

My thought exactly and i think the chef is thai too

[@_Toxicity]

I know we don't see Onika and King in the comments like we do Frank and Emily, but they're still both amazing people and I'm glad to see them again! And they were both so charismatic too!

[@fishnotbanana4361]

Onika is so funny! Would love to see more of her :D

[@i.see.blurry]

Onika gives vibe of that friend whom everyone loves hanging out with

[@rajashhree]

they just radiate positivity with their kind reviews for each other,i love this sm

[@baddie7159]

"A pattypan squash" "who named that?" Was one of my favourite lines in this episode

[@srini0912]

RIP King! Will miss your videos!

[@gerardacronin334]

I love how Onika talks to the food. She is so funny and relatable!

[@daniellewhite168]

Her style is unmatched. I love seeing what she has on in anytime she's in a video.

[@SusanDelRey]

I’m a Thai person who don’t like Pad Thai, but I’m still going to watch this because of Onika and King.

[@ginny9577]

i love this series, it's really awesome seeing both chefs working within (and sometimes beyond in the case of the home cooks) their skillsets

[@ttn5689]

The handshake or whatever that was 😂😂☠️

[@anastashiayap3571]

I'm loving the combination of this two chef, is funny and entertaining!

[@moptim]

Cracked instantly at "You better not have messed up my nails, mister squid man" Love both Onika and King! What a wholesome episode.

[@Godlynessinate]

I actually really enjoyed this. I've spent more time trying to make and perfect Pad Thai than any other dish and there's so much you can do with it, and tamarind is one of my favorite ingredients. Fun to see how King would make it fancy and how he'd do it without tamarind

[@georginashanti4605]

This one was so fun to watch! Loved it. 💛💛💛

[@Karmer]

Loving these vibes and now subscribed to Epicurious. They both did an incredible job 🙂 Thanks so much.

[@PandaBear62573]

I need more Onika in my life. She is awesome.

[@catc8927]

Onika is literally laugh out loud hilarious, all of her quips were golden. And she handled all of those new ingredients so well! Can’t wait to see her again!

[@ahhh4117]

Why does king's voice always just make me want to sleep, so soothing and calm. I'd trust this man with anything

[@landry37]

Easily one of the best ones you guys’ve ever done! A+

[@amaraw9893]

Omg please🤣 I love onika so much. She always seems so stressed inthe beginning but it always turns out amazing

[@Sunlovesflower]

This was so cute I loved it :) they’re personalities are perfect and light hearted

[@Sarahyz]

I own the same IKEA pestle and mortar! Yes, I thought that was worth sharing.

[@channiifannii]

when my dad came to my place for the first time he tried to hijack my £30 granite pestle and mortar off me lol told him to bugger off and buy his own lol

[@thisisAB]

It was cause now I know where to get one :)

[@katnip266]

Omg blue looks so good on Onika!!!! I just can't get over it 😭💕

[@abbyy6303]

King: pattypan squash Onikia: who named that 😭

[@lucaschang689]

I'd like to point out that both Chef King and Onika are left handed! Most knives are made for right handed people, so it's definitely interesting to watch them cut left handed!

[@boosterkidrg]

King has the voice and presentation style for a cooking show...Hell, when he explains things it feels like a cooking show...

[@aarontaing8795]

Both looked amazing!!!🤤

[@narlisesummers5733]

BEST ONE YET! Their commentary was hilarious 😂

[@Kaboomboo]

RIP Chef. Such a sad day.

[@FadeSao]

I love how real Onika is 🤣 I’d be so lost during that whole process. Her humor is everything.

[@lovestrong20]

When Onika was talking to the Palm Sugar, I died! 🤣💀

[@Omar-kt3xq]

kings new haircut makes him look like a true king

[@planetdidi]

YAY ONIKA’S BACK!!!!

[@sadtoaste]

Two of the sweetest chefs on this channel

[@khangngo5684]

"u better not have messed up my nails Mr. Squid-Man" LOL THIS GOT ME ROLLING

[@mz_beryl9693]

18:30 I'm a Ghanaian 🇬🇭🇬🇭 and that sound right there even killed me 😂😂😂 she did it like a true African💪🏽..

[@Cliff-M-]

Very enjoyable pairing, these two.

[@Wyxh3194.Hanime]

Onika's nails and lipstick are so fine 😍😍😍

[@kamilahdouglas1609]

King's back! He needs to be in more videos, and I always enjoy watching Onika.

[@coco__________]

Was having a really bad day then I got this notification 😭💖

[@everscott3915]

Just 2 minutes in and i am in love with the home chef. I think she is my new favorite chef. Her attitude is amazing❤

[@deesong6722]

When he said “fish sauce-we will be ok!” ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@kylieanderson9398]

I love that chef king doesn’t add extra ingredients. Shows how much you can really do with the ingredients you have

[@ThyAsianMan]

First time seeing them actually test each other’s food. So much better!

[@ThePandaWarrior]

I love them so much! This is a perfectly balanced episode with calm and cool Chef King, and fiery and funny Onika.

[@stellahorvath440]

"I have fish sauce, we are gonna be fine" Best start of a video ever

[@BlackWomenInComedyLaffFest]

I enjoyed the comedic banter from Onika and Chef King has the soothing voice to make any dish taste amazing. Great series. Onika is hilarious…I didn’t cheat…yes I did. Lol wholesome kitchen experience

[@tiaraios]

Onika is by far my favorite to watch. I love her personality!! :)

[@SharonLewisHere]

Love onika so much!!!

[@ashulee92]

Onika has to be my very favorite home cook. She is hilarious 🤣

[@zoranrussell3634]

It would be awesome to see King/the pro chefs to do a separate video where they create their expensive meals in their restaurants or culinary schools

[@yushy5816]

cool to see the chefs try each others!

[@paraplegicmom5318]

And I was amazed by Lorenzo's persona. Their chemistry is so cute. Another segment I loved.

[@malaikahaangala9746]

King reminds me of my high school drama teacher. The way that he’s so passionate about food

[@CokeZ455]

Come to Thailand and try 2$ pad Thai, no pad thai cost that much it's crazy

[@kavyas23]

y'all brought in two of my favourite chefs in the same video! 👉👈 p.s. Rose is the kinda the cheerleader I need in my life✨