Pad Thai with Crispy Tofu

Embrace the enticing world of Pad Thai, a culinary masterpiece renowned for its captivating blend of tastes and textures. Our Pad Thai recipe offers a vegan-friendly twist, highlighting the everyday ingredients that bring this beloved Thai dish to life.

Rice Noodles: These wide, flat rice noodles are what make Pad Thai special! They soak up all the flavors in the dish and get this perfect chewy yet soft texture when cooked just right.

Proteins: Traditionally, Pad Thai includes stuff like shrimp, chicken, or tofu, each adding its own taste. But let me tell you, in the vegan version, crispy tofu steals the show with its awesome texture!

Tamarind Paste: This is that slightly tangy-sweet thing in Pad Thai sauce that makes it taste so good! It’s a big part of what makes Pad Thai, Pad Thai.

Soy Sauce and Nori Sheets: Usually, they use fish sauce for that savory taste, but in the veggie version, soy sauce or tamari does the trick. And hey, we toss in nori sheets here for that extra flavor kick!

Maple Syrup Sweetness: Normally, they use palm or brown sugar, but here we swap it with maple syrup. It blends just right with the tamarind paste, giving that perfect sweet and tangy vibe in the sauce.

Veggies: Loads of different veggies go into Pad Thai, like bean sprouts, garlic chives, red bell peppers, cabbage, carrots, snow peas, and sometimes baby corn. They bring in all these awesome textures and flavors! Today, I went for broccoli, carrots, and spring onions since that’s what I had in my fridge. It’s a great way to use up veggies and avoid wasting food while making the dish extra tasty!

Egg Skip: Normally, beaten eggs are mixed in for a rich feel. But in our vegan version, we skip the eggs altogether.

Finishing Touches: Lime wedges, cilantro, and crushed peanuts are like the cherry on top! They add a zing, freshness, and a nice nutty taste to the whole Pad Thai experience.

Pad Thai is this cool mix of sweet, sour, salty, and savory flavors, all perfectly mixed up. It’s the secret behind its totally addictive taste!

Preparation time 15 min
Cooking time 15 min
Serve this recipe fresh

Ingredients (2 servings)

Noodles

• 150 g Rice noodles, dry

Sauce

• 4 tbsp Soy sauce
• 3 tbsp Maple syrup
• 2 tbsp Peanut butter
• 3 tbsp Tamarind Paste
• 1/2 sheet Nori Sheets
• 3 tbsp Water

To Serve

• 1/4 cup Peanuts, roasted (crushed)
• 1/2 cup Coriander leaves, fresh (chopped)
• 1 fruit Lime, raw (cut into wedges)

Tofu

• 200 g Tofu (firm, pressed and cubed)
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 tbsp Cornstarch
• 1 tbsp Avocado oil

Vegetables

• 1 tbsp Avocado oil
• 100 g Broccoli, raw (cut into small florets)
• 1 large Carrots, raw (sliced into ribbons)
• 3 stalks Green onion (white part thinly sliced, green part cut into 2.5 cm pieces)
• 3 clove Garlic, raw (minced)

Don’t have cups, tablespoons, or teaspoons?
Plantiful has an automatic unit of measure converter for peace of mind.

Instructions

1. Coat the Tofu in Cornstarch
   In a medium bowl, toss the tofu cubes with cornstarch and salt until evenly coated.
2. Fry the Tofu
   Heat avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add tofu cubes and cook for 2 minutes per side until crispy. Remove from the pan and set aside. Wipe the pan if necessary.
3. Prepare the Sauce
   In a narrow vessel, use a vertical blender to combine soy sauce, maple syrup, peanut butter, tamarind paste, water, and optional nori sheets. Set aside.
4. Cook the Noodles
   Follow the package instructions to cook the rice noodles. Rinse with cold water, drain well, and set aside.
5. Prepare the Vegetables
   Cut broccoli into small florets, slice the carrot into ribbons, thinly slice the white part of the spring onions, and cut the green part into 2.5 cm pieces. Mince the garlic.
6. Stir Fry the Vegetables
   Return the large skillet to medium-high heat. Add avocado oil and let it shimmer. Add broccoli and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add carrot and continue stir-frying for another minute. Then, add spring onions and garlic, stirring for an additional minute.
7. Combine Everything
   Pour the prepared sauce into the skillet with the vegetables and turn off the heat. Add the cooked noodles and crispy tofu, giving everything a good toss together.
8. To Serve
   Garnish with crushed peanuts, chopped coriander, and lime wedges as desired.

Did you know there is an interactive step by step mode on Plantiful?

Nutrition

One serving contains 864 calories, 34 grams of protein, 35 grams of fat, and 111 grams of carbohydrates.

Convert measurement units, use step by step mode, add ingredients to shopping list, and check out the full nutrition facts label on Plantiful.