Vegan Pad Thai

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This vegan Pad Thai recipe, made with rice noodles, is also gluten-free. Soy sauce often contains gluten so I swapped it for tamari to keep the dish gluten-free. This is optional, however, and if you are fine with gluten then you can also use soy sauce. This dish calls for a tofu scramble, but if you are not vegan and prefer to use eggs instead of tofu, that also works well.

 

A note on the sauce
It is mostly the sauce that makes a Pad Thai healthy or unhealthy, namely the use of unhealthy processed fats and high-sodium soy sauce, as well as sugar, of course.
This recipe uses tamari and no-salt peanut butter to keep it healthy. I opted for brown sugar, instead of palm sugar and experimented with the amounts. You might find that you prefer it with a bit more sugar.

 

The vegetables
I used carrots and beansprouts in this recipe, but you can also add broccoli, kale, bok choy, baby sweetcorn or red bell peppers if you wish.

 

Ingredients
For the sauce

• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 tbs chilli sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 -3 tbs brown sugar
• 3 tbsp tamari
• 1-2 tbsp sesame oil

For the tofu

• Firm or extra-firm tofu
• Nutritional yeast
• Garlic powder
• Salt
• Pepper
• Turmeric

Vegetables

• Beansprouts
• Carrots
• Green onion
• Garlic

To garnish

• Chilli flakes
• Crushed peanuts
• Lime

Instructions
Cook your noodles according to the instructions on the package

How to scramble tofu
1. Heat the oil in a pan
2. You can use a potato masher, a fork, or your hands to crumble the tofu into the pan.
3. Scamble for a few minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt, pepper and turmeric.
5. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring.

 

Saute the vegetables
1. Chop your onion and cut your carrots into matchstick-size pieces. Wash and drain your beansprouts. Mince your garlic.
2. Heat some oil in a pan
3. Add your green onion, carrots and beansprouts and saute until the carrots have started to soften. Add your garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.

 

Make the sauce
Mix the peanut butter, tamari, sugar, lime juice, rice vinegar, sesame oil and chilli sauce.

Add, the noodles and the sauce to the pan of sauteed vegetables and combine well.
Add the scrambled tofu.
Pad Thai is traditionally served with a slice of lime, crushed peanuts and chillies to add as desired.

Enjoy!