Pad Thai and Pad Woon Sen are the two most popular Thai noodle dishes.

Although there are some similarities, these two dishes boast a lot of differences as well.

Read ahead!

Thai cuisine is worldwide renowned for its noodle dishes. Without a doubt, Pad Thai and Pad Woon Sen are the two most iconic ones among them, holding a special place in the hearts of almost every foodie out there. Both these dishes are delicious, and available in many different varieties (both veg and non-veg).

Pad Thai is more popular, having been a part of the popular culture for years. It's a preparation of stir-fried rice noodles loaded with tofu, lime, garlic, peanuts, kaffir, bean sprouts, and more.

Although not as popular as Pad Thai, Pad Woon Sen is also considered a signature dish of Thai cuisine. It's a preparation of stir-fried silky glass noodles loaded with carrots, cilantro, onion, sugar, bean sprouts, cabbage, chili peppers, sugar, etc.

First, let's understand the similarities between the two dishes

Pad Thai and Pad Woon Sen have several things in common. Both are easy-to-prepare and usually classified as street foods. Both the dishes consist of a variety of veggies, which are stir-fried together in prior. Also, they use similar ingredients (like coriander and bird's eye chili) for garnishing.

Now, what are the major differences?

As mentioned above, Pad Thai and Pad Woon Sen have lots of differences.

The key difference that sets the two dishes apart is the types of noodles used to cook them. Pad Thai is prepared using rice noodles. In contrast, Pad Woon Sen is prepared using cellophane noodles (or silky glass noodles) which are also known as mung bean noodles. These noodles need to be soaked in water for some time before you start cooking.

The textures are also quite different. Pad Thai is opaque, owing to the characteristic of rice noodles. Pad Woon Sen's texture is transparent (hence, it's sometimes called "glass noodles" as well).

The sauces used to cook them are also different from each other. Pad Thai sauce is sweet-and-sour and can be prepared easily at home. It has several versions, the most popular one consists of soy sauce, fish sauce, peanut butter, tamarind paste, white pepper, brown sugar, chili sauce, etc. On the other hand, Pad Woon Sen sauce is a bit savory, consisting of water, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, oyster sauce, ground white pepper, and more.

So, which one do you relish more?