Vegetarian Pad Thai

Source

The Effortless Kitchen by Debbie Brosnan

Ingredients

Display units in Metric

4	oz	rice noodles
1 ¹⁄₃	tablespoons	Thai fish sauce
1	tablespoons	sugar
1	tablespoons	bottled tamarind paste (see notes for options)
¹⁄₃	tablespoon	fresh lime juice
¹⁄₃	tablespoon	unseasoned rice wine vinegar
¹⁄₃	tablespoon	sweet paprika for color (optional)
1	teaspoons	chili sauce such as sambal oelek
¹⁄₃	tablespoon	soy sauce
¹⁄₂	teaspoons	sriracha
2-3	tbsp	vegetable or canola oil
¹⁄₂		yellow onion sliced
2		garlic cloves finely grated
2		eggs lightly whisked
1 ¹⁄₂	cups	beansprouts
¹⁄₂	cup	firm tofu cut into 1 1/4" batons
¹⁄₄	cup	scallions cut into 1 1/4" pieces
¹⁄₄	cup	finely chopped peanuts
		Lime wedges for serving
		Ground chili or sliced jalalpeno, or cayenne pepper, (optional)
		More beansprouts for serving

This dish comes together very quickly once everything is prepped and the noodles are cooked.

Mix sauce in small bowl (fish sauce through sriracha)

Boil water in a wide pot or deep high sided skillet. Lower heat to a simmer and add in noodles. Cook for 8-10 minutes stirring frequently so they don't stick, then drain in a colander and quickly rinse under cold water. Don't leave them sitting around for more than 5 - 10 minutes (or continue to run cold water over them until you are ready to mix into the pan).

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large non stick pan (or well seasoned skillet) over high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 30 seconds.

Push to one side of the pan, pour egg in on the other side. Scramble using a rubber spatula (add touch of extra oil if pan is too dry), then mix into garlic and onion mixture.

Add bean sprouts, tofu, noodles then sauce.

Toss gently for about 1 1/2 minutes until sauce is absorbed by the noodles.

Add scallions and half the peanuts. Toss through quickly then remove from heat. Squeeze lime juice over the pad thai.

Serve immediately, sprinkled with remaining peanuts and lime wedges on the side, with a sprinkle of cayenne or slices of jalapeño and a handful of extra beansprouts on the side if desired (this is the Thai way!). Squeeze over lime juice to taste before eating.

Notes:

Tamarind is the heart and soul of Pad Thai. The authentic version starts with tamarind pulp which needs to be soaked then strained. Puree is sold in a jar at supermarkets.

It can be labeled as Tamarind Puree, Concentrate or Paste. There's a few different ones on Amazon or Whole Foods -

KETCHUP SUBSTITUTE if you can't find tamarind. Use this for the Pad Thai Sauce instead of ingredients listed from fish sauce through soy sauce (for a serving for 2 people):

1 tbsp ketchup, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp soy sauce*, 2 tbsp rice vinegar (or 1 tbsp white vinegar) OR

try this but scale down to amount you need for just the tamarind in the recipe: 2 Tbsp water, 3 Tbsp lemon juice, ½ cup tomato paste, 3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 Tbsp brown sugar. Any paste you don’t use can be stored in the in the fridge for up to a week.

This dish comes together very quickly once everything is prepped and the noodles are cooked.
Mix sauce in small bowl (fish sauce through sriracha)
Boil water in a wide pot or deep high sided skillet. Lower heat to a simmer and add in noodles. Cook for 8-10 minutes stirring frequently so they don't stick, then drain in a colander and quickly rinse under cold water. Don't leave them sitting around for more than 5 - 10 minutes (or continue to run cold water over them until you are ready to mix into the pan).
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large non stick pan (or well seasoned skillet) over high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 30 seconds.
Push to one side of the pan, pour egg in on the other side. Scramble using a rubber spatula (add touch of extra oil if pan is too dry), then mix into garlic and onion mixture.
Add bean sprouts, tofu, noodles then sauce.
Toss gently for about 1 1/2 minutes until sauce is absorbed by the noodles.
Add scallions and half the peanuts. Toss through quickly then remove from heat. Squeeze lime juice over the pad thai.
Serve immediately, sprinkled with remaining peanuts and lime wedges on the side, with a sprinkle of cayenne or slices of jalapeño and a handful of extra beansprouts on the side if desired (this is the Thai way!). Squeeze over lime juice to taste before eating.
Notes:
Tamarind is the heart and soul of Pad Thai. The authentic version starts with tamarind pulp which needs to be soaked then strained. Puree is sold in a jar at supermarkets.
It can be labeled as Tamarind Puree, Concentrate or Paste. There's a few different ones on Amazon or Whole Foods -
KETCHUP SUBSTITUTE if you can't find tamarind. Use this for the Pad Thai Sauce instead of ingredients listed from fish sauce through soy sauce (for a serving for 2 people):
1 tbsp ketchup, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp soy sauce*, 2 tbsp rice vinegar (or 1 tbsp white vinegar) OR
try this but scale down to amount you need for just the tamarind in the recipe: 2 Tbsp water, 3 Tbsp lemon juice, ½ cup tomato paste, 3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 Tbsp brown sugar. Any paste you don’t use can be stored in the in the fridge for up to a week.

Comments & Personal Notes

Kitchen tools needed: cutting board, sharp knife, large frying pan with high sides or a wok pan, large bowl for noodles, small pot to boil water, collander, bowl for the eggs, bowl to mix sauce, 2 small bowls for peanuts and scallions, rubber spatula, tongs, citrus juicer (optional), microplane or garlic press, measuring spoons, measuring cup, tasting spoons and a small garbage bowl.

Comment from Debbie Brosnan — posted over 3 years ago

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