Vegan Pad Thai

Vegan Pad Thai

This recipe is always a hit at family gatherings and potlucks and I've been asked many times to share my recipe, so here it is.

I love it because it's simple and pretty quick and very easy to make. And it's also really versatile, so you can change it to suit your own preferences.

Here's how I made the one for a recent potluck at work:

The Noodles

I guess you could use any noodles you like for this dish, like a linguine or fettuccine wheat noodle or especially any rice noodle but for best results, I stick with this type of rice noodle from a brand called A Taste of Thai. They're amazing and hold their texture so well.

A Taste of Thai Rice Noodles

How to Prepare
You don't need to boil water for these noodles. You actually just soak them in very hot tap water for 3 minutes, drain well and then add to a medium-hot skillet with sesame oil.

Vegan Pad Thai Recipe

• 1/2 cup veggie broth
• 3 onions, cut in half and slice each half
• 4 carrots, cut in half or quarters lengthwise, then chopped in 1" lengths
• 1 red pepper, cut into large chunks
• 1 lb asparagus, chopped in 1" lengths
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp black sesame seeds

Sauté the veggies and stir frequently until you can just begin to pierce the carrots with a fork (like when you know they will be done in 2 minutes) then add:

• 1 package of bean sprouts

Remove veggies from skillet once they're somewhat tender but not too soft. Then add:

• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 package of A Taste of Thai rice noodles (prepared as described above). Let cook for a minute then stir, turning noodles and let cook another minute or so, then repeat one or two more times.

Add:

• 1/2 cup tamari (or soy sauce; I use tamari because it's gluten-free)
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• pinch of red pepper flakes

Add the veggies back to skillet and stir everything together. Ready to eat! Serve with roasted peanuts and cilantro.

Pad Thai in Skillet

Versatility

You can use pretty much any vegetable in this dish. I nearly always make it with the above plus peas, green beans and spinach or kale, but you can use mushrooms, green peppers, broccoli or cauliflower too.

You can experiment with the sauce too; change the amounts to suit your taste and amount of sauce you like. Sometimes I use Sriracha sauce instead of hot pepper flakes. I have to be careful of the amount of heat I use because it causes rosacea flare-ups. Booo.

Sometimes I add 1 or 2 tbsp of peanut butter to the sauce.

You can serve it with roasted almonds or cashews instead of the peanuts.

If you want to make a healthier version, try using tahini instead of the sesame oil (and dry-fry your noodles) and use a low-sodium tamari or soy sauce. You can also skip the honey if you're avoiding adding sugars to you diet; I'm sure it would still be fantastic, and I'm sure I will find out soon enough. Or, if you just want to make it vegan, use coconut sugar or date sugar instead of the honey.