Vegan Pad Thai from Jeeca Uy’s Vegan Asian
I absolutely love pad thai, and making this at home always leaves me reminiscing about trips to Thailand. I made my own vegan fish sauce to use for this recipe and coat the noodles in a deliciously sweet and savory sauce. I made this dish with tofu for protein, added crunch from bean sprouts and peanuts, tang from lime and an extra kick of spice from chili powder!
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Servings: 3 servings
Ingredients
- SAUCE
- ¼ cup 55 g coconut sugar or palm sugar
- ¼ cup 60 ml vegan fish sauce, plus more to taste (see notes)
- 1 to 2 tbsp 15 to 30 ml soy sauce, plus more to taste if needed (see notes)
- 1 tbsp 15 ml fresh lime juice
- 2 tbsp 32 g tamarind puree (see notes)
- NOODLES AND VEGETABLES
- 7 oz 200 g block extra-firm tofu
- 8 oz 225 g dried rice noodles, at least 1/8" (3 mm) thick
- 3 tbsp 45 ml neutral oil
- 1 small red or white onion - sliced
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 cups 150 g fresh bean sprouts, plus more for serving
- 1 scallion - sliced into 2" (5-cm) strips
- TO SERVE
- Fresh lime juice
- ½ to 1 tbsp 4 to 8 g chili powder or red pepper flakes (optional)
- Handful of sliced scallions or chives
- 2 tbsp 30 g chopped roasted peanuts
Instructions
- Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients. Feel free to adjust the ingredient amounts according to your desired taste. Set aside.
- Prepare the noodles and vegetables: Press the tofu for at least 10 minutes to drain any excess liquid (see page 11 for more details). Afterward, slice into 1⁄2-inch (1.3-cm) cubes.
- Place the rice noodles in a large, heatproof bowl. Pour in enough boiling hot water to completely soak the noodles. Leave the noodles to soak for 6 to 7 minutes, or until they are white (no longer translucent), pliable, and still very chewy. Drain the noodles and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the tofu cubes. Pan-fry them, flipping about every 2 minutes, until golden brown and crisp on all sides, about 10 minutes total.
- Move the tofu to the side of the pan and then add the onion and garlic. Sauté until cooked, about 1 minute. Add the rice noodles and then pour in the sauce.
- Mix well, then cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the noodles are cooked through but still a little chewy. Lower the heat to medium, then mix in the bean sprouts and strips of scallion. Taste the noodles and feel free to add more soy sauce or vegan fish sauce, as desired. Cook for another 2 minutes, then turn off the heat once the bean sprouts are tender.
- Serve the noodles in two bowls, each with a generous squeeze of lime juice, chili powder or red pepper flakes, scallions or chives, peanuts and bean sprouts, if desired. Mix and enjoy your pad thai while it’s still hot.
Notes
If you’re using store-bought vegan fish sauce, start with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) or use soy sauce, since store-bought vegan fish sauce can be much saltier! You can replace the tamarind puree with a mix of 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of fresh lime juice and 2 tablespoons (28 g) of coconut sugar or palm sugar.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!