Quick break from baking (I have SO many of those coming up don't worry!). I ventured out for a quick trip to the grocery store, mask in hand, and was able to get some fresh produce! Ergo, tofu pad thai.
Dan was SO happy when I made this for him recently. "Restaurant quality fo sho" he said as he chowed down 🤣. Gotta love him!
Anyhoo, in my humble opinion, there are three secret ingredients to this Thai classic.
Firstly, tamarind paste. This can be tricky to find so if it's not in stock at your local store, substitute with some rice vinegar and you're set.
Secondly, fish sauce. This is a traditional go to in Thai cooking and is quite often how the taste of salt is added to a dish. If you're a vegetarian or a vegan and would still like to try this tofu pad thai recipe, I got you. Instead, just add some coarse salt as desired.
Thirdly, natural peanut butter with no added salt. Added sweetness in the sauce should come from the brown sugar, not the peanut butter!
That's pretty much it! The rest is gravy. Or peanut sauce to be precise. Tofu pad thai recipe below!
Tofu Pad Thai
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Classic noodle stir fry Thai dish with fresh veggies and a delicious peanut sauce. To make this dish vegetarian, just switch out the fish sauce with salt to taste!
Ingredients
For the Noodles
- 8 ounces flat rice noodles
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons ginger paste or 1 inch ginger root, minced
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 6 ounces extra firm tofu
- 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 cup carrots, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup green onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- ½ cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- Lime slices, sriracha as desired for garnish
For the Peanut Sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce (to make this a vegetarian dish, substitute with coarse salt to taste)
- 2 tablespoons tamarind paste or rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons natural, creamy peanut butter
- 1 ½ teaspoons chili garlic sauce
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients for the sauce together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Cook rice noodles to al dente according to box instructions, rinse with cold water, and drain.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat half of each oil in a large, non-stick skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add tofu and a pinch of salt if desired. Cook until tofu begins to brown, stirring frequently, about 6-8 minutes. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
- Add remaining oil to the skillet. Stir in carrots, bell pepper and bean sprouts. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until somewhat softened.
- Stir eggs into the veggies in the skillet. Stir frequently until scrambled, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, half of the cilantro, half of the green onion, and half of the peanuts into the pan. Cook for 1 minute, until garlic is fragrant. Reduce heat to low.
- Stir in noodles and sauce until coated and cook 1 more minute, letting the sauce reduce. Remove from heat.
- Top noodles with remaining peanuts, cilantro, and green onion. Serve immediately with lime slices and sriracha sauce as desired.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
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