Vegan Tofu Pad Thai is a perfect idea for your rice noodle pack. This is an incredibly flavorful Thai dish with the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and citrus. Served with crunchy peanuts, crispy fried tofu, a fresh squeeze of lime, and you guessed it, a one-way ticket to flavor-town.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 150 grams rice noodles
- 130 grams bean sprouts
- 2 scallions, segmented
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (or cane sugar)
- 1 shallot, finely minced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 dried red chili peppers, deseeded & thinly sliced
- 100 grams fried tofu, cubed
- 2 tablespoons crushed roasted peanuts
SAUCE
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (low sodium)
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce (low sodium)
- 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
- 1 tablespoon light brown miso
- 2 tablespoons sriracha
- 1 teaspoon doubanjiang, or spicy broad bean paste
- 2 tablespoons water
DIRECTIONS
Soak the rice noodles in hot water for 4-5 minutes, or until the noodles are softened (but not completely cooked). Drain and set aside.
Make the Sauce. First, mix the miso with the water to loosen the paste. Then add all the rest of sauce ingredients. Mix and set aside.
Heat up peanut oil (or vegetable oil) in a non-stick pan on medium-high heat. Note: This may seem like a lot of oil but it is crucial if you don’t want the noodles to stick! First, fry the garlic, shallots, and dried chili peppers until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Then, add the brown sugar (or cane sugar) along with fried tofu cubes, and cook until the sugar caramelizes, around 1-2 minutes. Add in the prepared sauce, followed by rice noodles. Stir very well to combine, and make sure the rice noodles don’t stick together.
When the noodles are cooked to your desired done-ness, take the pan off the heat and add bean sprouts and scallion segments. Toss and use residual heat to heat the vegetables through. Top Pad Thai with crushed peanuts to finish. Serve warm.
This recipe inspired by George Lee (chez.jorge)