Photos by Lindsey Johnson
If there were ever one quintessential Thai dish, it would have to be Pad Thai. I mean, the name even says "Thai."
Pad Thai was the first Thai dish I ever tried while dining out. For years after that I gobbled the stuff, eventually expanding my horizons to curries, stir-fries and all sorts of other Thai delights. It was a new vegetarian’s dream. I was in bliss, until one dark day when a helpful server noted that I had requested tofu Pad Thai (as opposed to the other option, which was probably shrimp), “...because I’m a vegetarian.” That was when I learned that Pad Thai is typically not vegetarian. Nor, sadly, were many of the curries and stir-fries I’d also been enjoying. The culprit: fish sauce.
Oh what a sad, sad day that was. Can there be anything worse than going home from a Thai restaurant hungry? It hurts to think about it.
I still go out for Thai. I’ve learned that lots of places will leave the fish sauce out if you request it, for a truly vegetarian Pad Thai. I’ve also learned that making your own Thai food at home isn’t that difficult. Happy day!
While I see lots of vegetarian Pad Thai recipes online and in cookbooks, I don’t see many that replicate classic Pad Thai. Peanut sauce over noodles is a popular vegetarian dish you’ll often see, and it’s usually delicious. However, my goal for this post was to replicate the dish I was painfully denied while dining out, all those years ago. That dish would be made with stir fried rice noodles in a tangy tamarind sauce, which is what you’d probably get in Thailand if you ordered this from a street vendor. (Yes, they sell this stuff to you right on the street in Thailand. Can you imagine?!)
You have the option of including tofu and eggs in my version. Tofu replaces the shrimp and adds some protein. The eggs add a touch of authenticity but are certainly not required, and leaving them out makes the dish totally vegan, for those who prefer to roll that way.
Ingredients
For the Pad Thai Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons tamarind paste
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ tablespoon Asian chili paste or to taste
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons vegetable broth
For the Pad Thai:
- 1 15-ounce package extra firm tofu, pressed for at least 15 minutes and cut into ½ inch strips (optional)
- ¼ cup cooking oil plus a little extra (see note)
- 8 oz. Pad Thai flat rice noodles
- 4 heads baby bok choy
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 eggs optional
- 4 scallions sliced into 2-inch pieces
- ¼ cup chopped peanuts
- 1 cup bean sprouts
Instructions
- Add the sauce ingredients to a small bowl and whisk together to combine. Set aside.
- If using tofu, heat a small amount of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the tofu strips into the skillet and cook 3-5 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and set aside.
- Fill a large saucepan or stock pot with water. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Add the noodles and allow them to soak until just a little firm -- think one step ahead of al dente. This normally takes about 8-10 minutes, but since different brands may vary, refer to your noodle package instructions. Once the noodles are done soaking, drain them in a colander and rinse with cold water.
- Separate the baby bok choy into individual leaves and slice each one lengthwise into 2 or 3 strips.
- Place oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and baby bok choy. Stir fry until the bok choy just starts to wilt and turns deep green, about a minute.
- Add the noodles and sauce to the wok. Stir fry until the sauce thickens and the noodles are tender, about 3 minutes.
- If you're using eggs, push the noodles to the side of the wok to create a little space. If the wok looks a bit dry at this point you can add another splash of oil. Add the eggs into the space you've created and break them up with a spatula; scramble for about a minute. Do your best to keep the eggs separated from the noodles until they're cooked.
- Add the scallions and tofu to the wok. Stir fry everything for another 30 seconds or so, just to get everything hot and the flavors blended. Remove from heat.
- Divide the noodles onto plates. Top with peanuts and bean sprouts.
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
This looks so amazing!
Alissa says
Thank you, Liz!
Ali | Gimme Some Oven says
LOVE pad thai! This looks so pretty! 🙂
Alissa says
I love it too! Thank you!!!
Tina Muir says
Yum! I was actually thinking last night on my flight home that i need to make something with tofu....well I may have just found my dish, especially as it is healthy after lots of eating out! Thanks 🙂
Alissa says
This will definitely satisfy your tofu cravings! I hope you enjoy it!!
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says
Looks delicious!
Alissa says
Thanks so much, Anele!
janet @ the taste space says
Tamarind is definitely key to the best pad thai. Glad to see it included. 🙂
Alissa says
I totally agree with you on that. The tamarind definitely gives it that distinctive Pad Thai flavor 🙂
Katie (The Muffin Myth) says
This Pad Thai looks great! That fish sauce (and oyster sauce) is so sneaky! I really struggled while traveling in Thailand and ended up just not asking if there was fish sauce in something because there was fish sauce in EVERYTHING! This version looks awesome, and I just happen to have some tamarind paste kicking around. Yum!
Alissa says
Thank you, Katie! I was so bummed when I found out that this dish usually includes fish sauce. Traveling through Thailand with all that amazing food having fish sauce sounds like it would be torture!!
Martina @ snapshotsandwhatnots says
Yes! I've been looking for recipe for Pad Thai Sauce (without the fish sauce) for ages!
Alissa says
Awesome! You found it 🙂
dishing up the dirt says
I'm drooling over this beautiful dish. Lovely!
Alissa says
Thank you so much!!
Jessica @ Jessiker Bakes says
This veggie pad thai is rocking my world! You seriously make me not afraid to try tofu!
Alissa says
If you're afraid to try tofu, this recipe is a great one to start with! Pan-frying gives it a nice crispy texture and the Pad Thai sauce coats in in deliciousness 🙂
Emma says
Looks great! You're right that a lot of peanut noodle recipes out there claim to be pad thai- delicious in their own right but no, not pad thai!
Love tamarind and have half a jar in the fridge to use so this is perfect.
Alissa says
Thanks Emma! Yeah, as much of a peanut sauce addict as I am, sometimes I just want some authentic Pad Thai.
Olivia - Primavera Kitchen says
Love pad Thai so much. This looks great and healthy!
Alissa says
Thanks so much Olivia!
Jackie says
I LOVE the vegan/vegetarian Thai recipes, however, can I challenge you to make a vegetarian or vegan Thai Drunken Noodle dish? I have tried many times at home to make it without the fish sauce and gluten free by substituting Bragg liquid Aminos for soy sauce, but it just doesn't taste the same.
Please and Thank you!
Alissa says
I love a challenge! I also love drunken noodles, though I've never actually had the dish with fish sauce, but I have plenty of taste testers who have. I'll certainly give it a shot!
Lori @ RecipeGirl says
This is my kind of dinner!
Alissa says
Thanks Lori! This was definitely my kind of dinner too 🙂
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner says
Yum! Already pinned for next week
Alissa says
Yay! Thank you for the pin - enjoy!!
celesta says
Dear Alissa,
Just a thank you for the best late breakfast on the planet. Your recipe is so clear that it makes it easy to improvise with whatever's in the larder. I've been keeping some ground rice around (a la Andrea Nguyen) for coating the tofu so did that. No tamarind so a little sauce with light soy, mirin, and that delicious umeboshi plum paste, diluted with water. Oh, and I soaked a piece of Kombu in the sauce to give it that ocean flavor. All-in-all, not really pad Thai, but something completely delicious that will serve me well all day.
Again, big thanks,
celesta
Alissa says
Haha! When I started reading this I was all "breakfast?" thinking you'd commented on the wrong post. That's fantastic though, and yeah, this recipe is totally customizable. Now that I've got the technique down I'll probably be messing with all kinds of variations. Glad yours worked out - thank you for sharing it 🙂
Joanne says
Oh happy day is right!! I have tried many a time to recreate pad thai at home and just haven't been able to do it. Which is just sad. So happy to have this recipe in my life!!
Erin Goss says
This did not turn out well for me at all. Overpowered by tamarind...sauce was way to thick. I didn't use the eggs, which may have been part of it.
Alissa says
I'm sorry to hear this didn't work out for you. The eggs are an optional ingredient and we tested the recipe with and without them, so that shouldn't be the problem. The tamarind paste I used was Laxmi brand. I know there are some other products like tamarind pulp - I haven't used this, but I'm thinking it could result in a stronger flavor if you used it. Otherwise, it might just be an matter of personal preference, in which case you could decrease the amount of tamarind paste or cut back on the sauce to get something a bit milder. I hope that helps! If not, feel free to throw some questions my way or let me know if there's anything I can do to help pin down the issue!
Kate @ Short & Sweets says
I agree with Erin. If we try it again, I'll cut the tamarind by a lot- at least half.
Alissa says
I appreciate the feedback. I'm sure I'll be making this again, so I'll take your suggestion and see how it works out with less tamarind. I may try a different brand as well, to see if the strength is different. Thanks Kate!
Addison says
I was really excited to try your recipe tonight and immediately knew once i mixed the sauce with the noodles the tamarind was WAY too much, I'm curious to try again with maybe 1/3 of what you posted, it's definitely not preference, maybe brand changes the concentration or something. I will look for what brand I used later.
Addison says
Neera's brand, bought from Whole Foods in Austin, TX.
Alissa says
Thanks for your input! I haven't tried that particular brand, but it does sound like there's some variation, so I'll have to try some others.
Nina at focusedonfit.com says
Once again, you've provided a delicious vegetarian option for a takeout favorite! I'm always crazing Thai food! Thanks for this recipe....always healthier to make your own takeout!
Alissa says
Thanks Nina! Thai take out dishes are some of my favorites to recreate at home. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Becca says
Hi there! Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I made this dish tonight, with a couple of variations. I used honey instead of sugar and chili powder rather than paste. It seemed to turn out well, but it didn't thicken once added to the noodles and veggies. I ended up cranking up the temperature to cook off the excess liquid, and then of course the noodles overcooked and became too soft. The amount of tamarind was also way too much for my taste. I would probably cut it in half. This was my first time making pad thai, so I expected it to be a learning process. But I'm grateful for that first push I needed to give it a try. (Btw, the tofu was incredible. I used coconut oil.)
Alissa says
Thanks Becca! Glad this recipe got you to give pad Thai a try. It's definitely customizable, though I'm not sure why it didn't thicken for you, other than maybe the fact that the honey adds some extra liquid. I love the pan fried tofu and use it in all kinds of recipes - happy to hear you liked it too. 🙂
Arshia Narkar says
This was a great recipe !
I'm 15 and it was my first time cooking this helped me a lot 🙂
Alissa says
Awesome! Glad it helped! Thanks so much Arshia!
Hannah Walsh says
Had a pad thai craving and found this recipe. I made it tonight - really delicious! I added the tamarind bit by bit and tasted it to check it was to my taste. Also added in a small teaspoon of peanut butter to the sauce, and a squeeze of lime at the end. For those that had trouble with the sauce thickening - you probably need your wok/pan hotter. I put it in the wok and got it bubbling before chucking the noodles in. I'll definitely make this again!
Alissa says
Hi Hannah! So glad you enjoyed it!! I love the idea of adding some peanut butter. Thank you so much for the tip on the sauce too! I didn't even think of that. 🙂