I am generally good with eating variations of my comfort food: Indian. Or in the dead heat of the summer when it is really hot, I am content with a cold salad. But yesterday I was craving tofu and not the regular stir fry that I make all the time to get my protein in! And was also not in the mood to cook anything elaborate. Sit on the couch….think. dream of something. check reality. reorient…
The fridge is a strange but real inspiration for me :-). I opened it to find all sorts of veggies staring at me. Pulled them out: cauliflower, broccoli, snow peas…and…and …and…chopped lemon grass!! Put the tofu in between paper towels to dry and started to prep the others. How about noodles? Too much? Do I have them? I did not want pasta…wanted the chatpata kind….getting closer…yes. Looked in the pantry and there it was: Ching’s Pad Thai flat rice noodles! Bingo! Happy Dance. Have I told you before that after Indian, spicy spicy Thai is my most favorite cuisine? Done. Done. Done. Decided. Pad Thai it will be! Knowing these packaged spices, I knew it would leave me underwhelmed. Pulled out chili crisp, tamarind, dark soy sauce, galangal powder, kefir lime leaf 🙂 Yes! Onward I go! Within minutes, the vegan, vegetable-forward, protein rich Pad Thai was ready!
Let me tell you: the end result was perfect! Sat on the couch and ate my bowl of Pad Thai…
Trupt paet.Trupt aatma!
Cook and See I say! And thank me later.
VEGETARIAN PAD THAI
Ingredients
- 1 packet of Ching's flat rice noodles
- 3 tbsp Fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp Tamarind paste
- 2 tbsp Chili crisp
- 4 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Galangal powder
- 3 Dried Kaffir Lime leaves
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 tsp Red chili flakes
- 1 tsp Cumin powder
- 1 tsp crushed Black Pepper
- 4 Garlic cloves minced
- 1 medium Red Onion
- 1/2 cup Cauliflower florets
- 1/2 cup Broccoli florets
- 1/2 cup cubed extra firm Tofu
- 1/4 cup coarsely crushed shelled Peanuts
- 1/4 cup chopped Cilantro
- 1/4 Red Bell Pepper
Instructions
Unpack the tofu, drain the water and place it in between a kitchen towel or between paper towels to dry it out. Leave it alone for about 45 minutes and then take it out and cube it into 1" pieces.
If you have an airfryer (which, by the way I am a big fan of and has transformed my cooking!! But that is for another post), place the tofu and cook for 9 minutes. Keep aside. If you don't no worries, see below.
Heat 3 cups of water in a saucepan and bring it to a rolling boil, add a tbsp of oil and salt. Turn off the heat and add the flat rice noodles to it. Cover and let it rest for 25 minutes.
Prepare the sauce: In a bowl, add fresh lime juice, tamarind paste, dark soy sauce, chili crisp, red chili flakes, galangal powder, ground ginger, black pepper, and salt. Whisk well and set aside.
Prep all the vegetables: slice the onion and bell pepper, cut the cauliflower and broccoli into florets, and halve the snow peas at an angle.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok. Add 3 kaffir lime leaves and 4 finely minced garlic and saute lightly.
If you do not have an air fryer, add the tofu at this stage and allow it to brown on all sides (do not cover the pan!!). Then add the cauliflower florets and allow it to soften slightly.
Add the onions and snow peas and mix well and allow to soften very lightly.
Finally add the broccoli florets. Mix all the veggies well and cook for a minute or so.
Drain and add the cooked noodles and toss. Sprinkle a bit of salt.
Whisk the sauce once again quickly and pour it all over the noodles and vegetables. Toss it well and quickly to ensure that everything is coated well with the sauce.
Turn off the heat and add the chopped cilantro, leaving a little for garnish.
Transfer into serving bowls, garnish with coarsely crushed peanuts, garnish with cilantro and serve immediately with a lime wedge! Enjoy this immediately. Those who saunter to the table must eat alone!
Notes
* The sequence of the vegetables is pretty key. For best taste, it is vital to allow the veggies to retain a bite and nice crunch. I can't take mushy vegetables generally but especially in stir fry preparations, Pad Thai and Thai curry...mine is very al dente!
