Vegan Tofu Pad Thai

Vegan Tofu Pad Thai Recipe - chock full of crunchy veggies, protein rich pan roasted tofu and al dente noodles in a lip smacking creamy, sweet and savory homemade Asian/Thai flavored sauce.

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(Step-wise recipe too below)

This easy, “ready under 30 minutes” Pad Thai was gone in a jiffy in our house!

If you love noodles, are a big fan of Asian flavors (and peanuts) like we are and also find Thai food irresistible, then this Vegan Pad Thai is definitely for you!

A total meal in itself!

Super easy, delicious, totally customizable and totally sumptuous and delightful.

Let’s make some shall we?

WHAT IS PAD THAI?

This popular street food from Thailand is a stir-fried rice noodle dish traditionally made with shrimp, chicken, eggs etc. in a peanut based sauce.

Here for a plant based and vegan version, I have used lots of veggies (carrots and bell peppers) along with protein rich and nutritious soy bean curd or tofu along with my favorite kind of dry noodles.

Just stir fry the veggies, tofu, cooked noodles with a peanut based sauce mixture which is filled with umami flavors (sweet, spicy, savory, tangy etc.) in a deep saucepan/wok, sprinkle more peanuts and enjoy!

Sounds and looks super delicious and super easy to make too doesn’t it?

My family keeps asking for this almost every week and their wish is my command.

INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE MY VERSION OF VEGAN TOFU PAD THAI:

Noodles: Traditionally, Thai cuisine uses flat noodles or sometimes rice noodles but you can use any dry noodles you have or love. Just make sure to cook it al dente or just cooked and still with a bite to it. It will continue to cook in the pan.

Sauce ingredients: The key to a delicious Pad Thai, you will need: Soy sauce, peanut butter (smooth or chunky variety; your preference and natural, unsweetened preferred), hot sauce (I love using hot Sriracha or as done here, Ching’s Secret Schezwan Chutney), some sweetener like coconut sugar, jaggery or if you can get, some palm sugar like they use in Thai cuisine along with some tamarind concentrate (make from fresh tamarind if possible) and/or lemon/lime juice.

Aromatics: Basics like onions and garlic.

Vegetables: I love using julienned carrots and bell peppers. But, feel free to add bean sprouts, chives, cabbage, mushroom, broccoli, celery etc. too.

Protein: Totally optional to add but my favorite in Asian cooking is tofu so used that here too! You can substitute with paneer if you cannot find tofu or even meat, shrimp or chicken if you are non vegetarian.

Peanuts: This is more for the crunch and texture. I love adding crushed peanuts in my noodles and later garnishing with more either crushed or halved as garnish too. That bite in every spoonful or chop stick full is heavenly! But if you are not a fan of getting bits of nuts in your noodles, do omit.

Rest is the usual salt and oil.

HOW TO MAKE “READY UNDER 30 MINUTES” VEGAN PAD THAI

1) Cook noodles according to package instructions; just enough that it still has a bite to it.

(DO NOT OVERCOOK as they will continue to cook along with veggies and sauce).

Drain thoroughly in a colander.

If making this ahead, then to avoid sticky noodles, sprinkle a few drops of oil and gently mix to coat the noodles thoroughly. This prevents cooked noodles from sticking to a big mass!

2)Whisk the Pad Thai sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

3)If using tofu, dab excess moisture from the tofu block using paper tissues and if needed, press on it using a heavy weight in a colander to drain excess moisture; and then cut into cubes.

Sauté tofu in hot oil until light brown or slightly crispy brown on both sides; remove and keep aside.

This is preferably done on medium high heat.

4)Sauté the aromatics (onions and garlic) until starting to brown and then add the veggies and stir fry a few minutes.

Again, do not overcook here; just to heat through.

Stir in stir fried tofu chunks and mix well.

Toss in the noodles along with the sauce; heat through.

By this time, the veggies would have cooked just right.

Stir in crushed peanuts and garnish with more peanuts; dig in!

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

Totally a one-bowl meal, you can enjoy this for lunch, brunch or dinner!

For more deliciousness, you can make some soup too if you feel like it, like this super easy, delicious and super quick Sweet Corn Soup!

EASY SWEET CORN SOUP

For more zing and texture, serve Pad Thai with a squeeze of lime or lemon and more peanuts on the side.

Best enjoyed fresh, it stays well for at least a day or two and is a wonderful lunch box or picnic option too!

Enjoy and Happy Cooking/Eating!

For more Asian food options, do check out these too:

• Korean Three Treasure Vegetables
• Korean Braised Tofu with Vegetables
• Malaysian Vegetarian Laksa Soup
•  Singaporean Curried Noodles

to name a few!

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Vegan Tofu Pad Thai Recipe

Chock full of crunchy veggies, protein rich pan roasted tofu and al dente noodles in a lip smacking creamy, sweet and savory homemade Asian sauce.

This easy, “ready under 30 minutes” Pad Thai was gone in a jiffy in our house!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Thai

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Author Vanitha Bhat

Ingredients

• 400 gm dry noodles Rice Noodles, flat noodles or your favorite noodles
• 200 gm extra firm tofu cut into cubes

FOR THE PAD THAI SAUCE:

• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2-3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter can use crunchy too
• 2-3 tablespoons Hot Sauce I used Ching’s Secret Schezwan Chutney; you can use Chili Garlic Sauce, Sriracha or any other hot sauce
• 2-3 tablespoons sweetener or as needed I used coconut sugar; you can use jaggery, brown sugar, palm sugar, date syrup, maple syrup etc.
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or you can go the traditional way and use 1 ½ tablespoon or so of tamarind extract or use combination of both

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 medium onion sliced or chopped (about 1 cup)
• 4-5 large cloves of garlic chopped fine or minced
• 1 large carrot peeled and julienned (1 cup)
• 1 green bell pepper cut into strips (about 1 cup or so)
• ¼ to 1/3 cup coarsely crushed roasted and salted peanuts
• Salt to taste

FOR SERVING:

• Lime/lemon wedges
• Crushed/whole peanuts
• Green onions/Scallions
• Roasted sesame seeds

Instructions

PREP INGREDIENTS:

1. Cook 400 gm noodles according to package instructions. DO NOT OVERCOOK! We need noodles that are just cooked and still have a bite to it. It will continue to cook in the stir fry.
2. Drain and set aside. If using a little bit later, drizzle a few drops of oil over it and mix to coat noodles. This step helps in keeping the noodles from sticking together.
3. Drain 8 ounce/200 gm tofu, press using paper towels to remove excess moisture and then cut into cubes.
4. Julienne peeled carrots (1), green bell peppers (1) and slice onions (1 medium sized).
5. Finely chop/mince garlic cloves (4-5 large cloves).

MAKE THE SAUCE:

1. In a bowl, add the sauce ingredients: 2-3 tbsp. peanut butter, ¼ cup soy sauce, 2-3 tbsp schezwan chutney or hot sauce, 2-3 tablespoon sweetener (coconut sugar, maple syrup, date syrup, honey, jaggery etc.), 2-3 tbsp lime juice and or 1 ½ tsp or so of tamarind extract/paste.
2. Do a taste test and adjust ingredients to make for a savory, spicy and mildly sweet sauce according to your preference.
3. Whisk well and set aside.

TO MAKE VEGAN PAD THAI:

1. Heat 2-3 tablespoons sesame oil in a deep wok like pan; tip in the cubed tofu.
2. Sauté on high heat until light golden brown (gently toss or flip using a silicone spatula or flat ladle in between, taking care not to break the cubes); remove using a drainer ladle and set aside.
3. In the remaining hot oil (add if needed), stir fry minced garlic (2-3 large cloves) and sauté on medium high heat until starting to brown.
4. Tip in sliced or chopped onions (1 cup), mix and fry again for a few minutes until starting to soften.
5. At that stage, add julienned carrots, bell pepper and mix well.
6. Stir fry for a couple of minutes on high just enough to make it crisp tender but with still a bite to it.
7. When veggies start to cook, add the fried tofu (if using), noodles and soy sauce mixture.
8. Mix well on medium high heat using tongs or a thick wooden spoon to coat the veggies and noodles with the sauce and until the dish is heated through.
9. Remove from heat.
10. Serve hot garnished with crushed peanuts, lime/lemon wedges, green onions, roasted sesame seeds etc.
11. Leftovers if any stay good for a couple of days.

Recipe Notes

• Adjust the amount of sauce ingredients according to your preference
• I sometimes mix the sauce in the cooked noodles thoroughly before adding to veggies in the pan; makes it easier and faster to cook.
• You can use any vegetable you like or have that goes well in an Asian stir fry like broccoli florets, sliced zucchini, shredded cabbage, sliced mushrooms etc.; amount is as per your choice but season with sauce accordingly.
• Adding tamarind is optional as the souring agent but preferable as it then gives an authentic Thai flavor! You can use the bottle concentrate or make your own by soaking some tamarind in hot water and squeezing out the juice.
• Do try and add lemon juice. You can either mix it in the sauce or add in the end before removing pan from stove.
• Use any type of noodle you like.
• Enjoy and Happy Cooking/Eating!

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