Vegetable Lime Pad Thai Recipe

Enjoying a healthy vegan lifestyle doesn't mean having to give up delicious dishes such as pad Thai. You just need to know how to prepare it in a vegan way. This famous recipe from Thailand is made with rice noodles and a variety of aromatic ingredients such as garlic, chili, lime juice, and more. Pad Thai dates back to the beginning of the 20th century and was made popular in Thailand during World War II. It has since become one of the most famous Thai recipes of all.
The key component in this dish is, of course, the rice noodles. Choose the thick ribbon variety and make sure you either soak or boil them until they are just tender. Soaking them too long or overcooking them will make them soggy so take care to get them to al dente and no softer.

You will also need either sesame oil or chili oil for stir-frying, plus extra-firm tofu that holds together much better than soft tofu or the silken variety. We are adding chili, sugar, shallot, turnip, and garlic to the dish, along with a jar of pad Thai sauce (check the label to make sure your brand is vegan-friendly). The finished dish is served with chives or cilantro, peanuts and lime juice, although you might prefer to serve lime wedges on the side so people can add their own lime juice.

The beansprouts in our vegan pad Thai noodles recipe are optional but we recommend adding them because they give a nice crunch to the dish as well as a contrasting fresh flavor. If you are unable to find vegan fish sauce, consider coconut aminos (a seasoning made with coconut sap and sea salt) or soy sauce if you don't mind a little extra saltiness in the dish. Some people like to add sliced green onions as an extra garnish while others might use pickled turnip or radish (from a jar) rather than fresh. Check you have all the necessary ingredients and head to an Asian food market if not.

It is best to make this dish in a large wok, so you have space to cook the tofu first and push it up the wok sides, then cook the other ingredients in there too, but if you have a smaller one, remove the cooked tofu to a plate and warm it back up just before serving the final product, so the pan is not too crowded. This recipe makes 4 small servings or 2 large ones. Some people might like to spice this up further, so perhaps offer hot sauce (Sriracha or similar) on the side.

COOK TIME

Prep time: 24 min

Cook time: 25 min

Ready in: 1 hour

Yields: 4 Servings

NOODLE RECIPE 

• 2 packages Thai rice noodles, Thick Ribbon Type
• 1 cup (Optional) Bean Sprouts, Rinsed and dried
• 1 1/2 cup Green Chives, cup finely chopped green chives
• 2 tablespoons Cooking Oil, I prefer Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoons Sesame Oil, Or Chili Oil
• 2 tablespoons Sugar, Granulated
• 1 whole Shallot, Minced shallots
• 1 tablespoons Turnip, tablespoon of finely minced turnip
• 1/3 cup Extra firm tofu, Finely chopped
• 1/2 Lime, Reserved
• 1/2 teaspoon Chili Pepper, Ground dried
• 3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 4 teaspoons Vegan Fish Sauce, How to below- or substitute with Soy Sauce
• 1 jar Pad Thai noodle sauce, Vegan Type
• For the Garnish: Top, With
• 2 teaspoons chopped lemongrass
• 2 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts
• 1 1/2 cups snipped green chives or cilantro
• 1/2 lime juice
• Hot Sauces of choice

Cooking Instructions

1. Add noodles in a bowl and add enough luke warm water to completely soak. Once noodles become soft, mix them gently with your hands to separate. If you're in a hurry you can boil the noodles for a few minutes instead of soaking them, but take extra care not to overcook them.
2. As noodles are soaking, drain the tofu and dry with paper towels, then chop it into very small cubes. Use half a tablespoon of sesame or chili oil in a wok and heat, then you can add the tofu and cook it until golden brown. Push the tofu up the sides of the wok. Drain softened noodles and put them in a fine-mesh sieve to drain.
3. Next we will add the olive oil in the wok along with the remaining sesame or chili oil, and heat it up the oil until warm. Next step add chili, sugar, turnip, garlic and minced shallot to the wok, and stir-fry quickly, keeping the ingredients moving all the time with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula so things do not sticks or burn. When everything is soft, you can add some beansprouts (these are optional but very good in pad Thai) Cook for around 2 minutes.
4. Now we add the drained Pad Thai noodles to the wok and stir well, then pour in the Pad Thai sauce and vegan fish sauce or soy sauce. Stir all ingredients well until everything is combined.  Sauce - may be reserved it depends on the amount of liquid you like in this dish, so use your judgment. Taste the dish to ensure the flavors (hot, sweet, sour and neutral) are well balanced. Add more sugar, vegan fish sauce or soy sauce, or chili if need be.
5. Now you can transfer the noodle mixture on to a warmed serving platter (or individual serving plates) then scatter the tofu on top. Now sprinkle over the lemongrass and peanuts, and the green chives or cilantro. Squeeze lime juice over everything, then serve your delicious vegan Pad Thai immediately, with hot sauce on the side.
6. Last but not least, pour a wonderful glass of wine and enjoy!