Vegetarian Pad Thai with Tofu
Pad Thai is hands down one of my go-to dishes at Thai restaurants. Did you know, it’s also a beloved street food staple in Thailand that only grew to popularity in the 1930s? What I love about this recipe is that it gives the traditional Pad Thai a healthier and lighter twist. The sauce is easy and comes together effortlessly, making the whole dish quick to prepare and assemble making it a great option for a weeknight dinner. It’s no wonder Pad Thai has earned its spot as a timeless favorite! Another thing I love about this recipe is how flexible it is. Peanut allergy? No worries, just skip it or try a different nut or seed butter. Can’t track down tamarind paste? Simply swap with rice vinegar. Feel free to toss in any other veggies you like. You truly get to put your personal touch on it. This pairs well with this delicious Asian salad. And if you’re looking for another classic Thai dish, you have to try this Vegetarian Pad See Ew!
Ingredients
Tamarind for Pad Thai Sauce
Step-by-Step Instructions
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Rice noodles – you will need flat dried “Thai Style” rice noodles. Tofu – firm or extra-firm tofu will work best Vegetables – red bell peppers, bean sprouts, green onions add great pop of color, texture, and nutrition Tamarind – this is a key ingredient for the sauce. If you aren’t able to find it, you can substitute with equal amount of rice vinegar. Low-sodium soy sauce – while traditional recipes often call for fish sauce, I opt for low-sodium soy sauce (or you can use coconut aminos) to reduce the sodium content as fish sauce is extremely high in sodium. But feel free to fish sauce, if you wish! Sweetener – you can use the traditional palm sugar, brown sugar, or maple syrup Peanut butter is optional, but I strongly suggest trying it as it adds a delightful creaminess and nuttiness to the dish.
For this recipe, you can use store-bought tamarind concentrate (be sure to use one from Thailand)… Or make it at home! here’s how – take about a golf ball size of tamarind pulp and put it in 1 cup of boiling water. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. Immediately it will start to expand. To extract the juice, use your fingers to mash the tamarind into the water until it is well dissolved. Strain the extracted water into another bowl and repeat the process until most of the juice has been isolated. The tamarind water will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Switch up noodles – instead of rice noodles, you can try soba noodles, egg noodles, glass noodles, or even shredded cabbage and zucchini noodles. Protein – Not a fan of tofu? Try with chicken, shrimp, or pork. Vegetables – just like vegetable stir-fry noodles, feel free to add whatever fresh veggies you’d like – carrots, broccoli, zucchini, etc. Peanut allergy? – You can either skip the peanut butter or experiment with a different nut or seed butter. Spice it up – Red pepper flakes or sriracha work great. Vegan-friendly – you can opt for a vegan fish sauce and skip the egg.
Keep in mind, that rice noodles are starchier than regular pasta so they will stick together once cooled. Therefore, when reheating, be sure to add a splash of water to separate the noodles and to prevent them from drying out. I don’t recommend freezing pad Thai.
