13 Sep '15

Vegan Pad Thai

By Sofia

Pad Thai is a stir-fried rice noodle dish commonly served as a street food and at casual local eateries in Thailand.

I’ve had the most amazing Pad Thais in Thailand and therefore it took me a few trials to cook a Vegan Pad Thai that I was happy with. I experimented with a few “authentic” recipes until I found the one which resembled the most with my favourite type of Pad Thai.

I promise this recipe isn’t as hard as it may seem – the actual steps are very simple and quick, it’s the preparation that requires a bit more time but it’s all worth it!

To mimic the egg I use a cashew cream/mix made with nutritional yeast – you should be able to find this in a health store (due to it’s cheesy/eggy flavour it’s a must have vegan ingredient in my cupboard, and it’s usually fortified with the B12 vitamin which is a good thing!).

You should be able to find all the ingredients in an Asian grocery or speciality foods shop. Feel free to ask me about replacement options (in the comments section at the bottom) although I can say now there’s no replacement for the tamarind paste really.

If you’re not a mushroom fan you can use other veg such us courgette ribbons, red pepper etc. Or just have some extra tofu and peanuts 🙂

Vegan Pad Thai

Print recipe
Serves 2
Prep time 45 minutes
Cook time 15 minutes
Total time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 200g Cooked rice noodles (cook or soak til al dente)
  • 3 tablespoons Vegetable oil
  • 2 Shallots (finely chopped)
  • 2 Garlic cloves (finely chopped)
  • 1 Cashew mix
  • 1 tablespoon Rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Chilli powder
  • 1 bunch Spring onions (chopped in 2cm lenghts)
  • 1 handful Soy bean sprouts (fresh)

Sauce

  • 4 tablespoons Soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Palm sugar (or replace with brown sugar)
  • 2 tablespoons Brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Tamarind paste
  • 2 tablespoons Water

Tofu & Mushrooms

  • 200g Extra firm tofu (diced in small subes)
  • 6 Mushrooms (crimini, closed cup, shiitake or oyster)
  • 1 pinch Salt
  • 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil

Garnish

  • 1 handful Soy bean sprouts (fresh)
  • sprinkle Chives (chopped in 5cm lenghts)
  • 1 Lime (cut into 4 wedges)
  • 4 tablespoons Salted roasted peanuts (grounded roughly)
  • sprinkle Chilli flakes
  • 1/4 Cucumber (sliced)

Cashew mix

  • 1/4 cup Raw cashews (soaked in water for at least 20min)
  • 1/2 tablespoon Nutritional yeast
  • pinch Salt
  • 1/4 cup Water

Directions

Preparation
Step 1
Whizz all the cashew mix ingredients until you get a smooth consistency (it doesn't have to be super smooth). Set aside.
Step 2
Pan fry the mushrooms and the tofu in a little bit of oil until they're a nice golden brown - about 5 minutes. Season with salt and set aside.
Step 3
In a wok simmer the sauce ingredients until dissolved and set aside.
Step 4
Prepare all the remaining ingredients, laying them within easy reach.
Stir-fry
Step 5
Heat the oil in the wok over a medium heat and fry the shallots for about 2 minutes then add the garlic for another minute.
Step 6
Add the cashew egg mix, turn heat low and keep stirring.
Step 7
Add the mushrooms, tofu, rice vinegar and then add the noodles. Turn up the heat and make sure the noodles are evenly coated. Mix in the prepared sauce and the chilli powder whilst string. Add the chinese chives and the bean sprouts. Put on a plate and serve with the garnishes.

 

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