Pad Thai is one of the most straight forward Thai dishes to adapt for vegetarians as the two original meat based ingredients (fish sauce and dried shrimp) can be easily and authentically substituted. In addition, the original dish contains tofu and mung bean sprouts, which contribute to the dish being nutritionally balanced for a vegetarian diet. The following recipe is for ovo-vegetarians, but the egg can be omitted for those who prefer a pure vegetarian or vegan diet.
Thai cooking
Thai cooking is characterised by the fact that most dishes require preparation time that is longer than the actual cooking time, which is essential in maintaining the fresh and crisp signature that typifies most Thai dishes. Many Thai food enthusiasts make the common mistake of overcooking Thai dishes, often because they haven't prepared all ingredients in advance and have overestimated the cooking time of individual ingredients as they are added to the wok.
Preparing Vegetarian Pad Thai Ingredients
Preparation of ingredients is all important in creating an authentic vegetarian Pad Thai. The cooking method is quick, with the wok maintaining a high temperature that requires throwing the ingredients in at the appropriate moment and then stirring and flipping to ensure your ingredients don’t stick or burn. It’s therefore vitally important to have all of the following ingredients prepared and within easy reach of the gas before heating the wok!
Vegetarian Pad Thai Ingredients and Preparation (two servings)
- 250 grams Pad Thai rice noodles
Pad Thai rice noodles take about 5-10 minutes to soak, so place the noodles in tepid water while you prepare the other ingredients. It’s important to not let the noodles soak for too long. If the noodles are too soft when you add them to the wok, the finished Pad Thai will be sloppy. When adding the noodles to the wok they should be slightly flexible and still a bit firm.
- 4 spring onions or Chinese chives
Chop two of the spring onions into pieces around 4cm long, these are for adding to the wok. Chop the ends and the tip off the other two spring onions and set aside to garnish the finished Vegetarian Pad Thai
- ¾ cup extra firm tofu
Dice the tofu into rectangular pieces measuring roughly 1.5 cm by 0.5 cm
- 1 lime
Cut the lime into 4 quarter wedges
- ½ teaspoon of ground pepper
- 1 egg
Break the egg into a small bowl and whisk with a fork, adding the ground black pepper
- 1 cup of bean sprouts
Wash and separate half the bean sprouts to add to the wok and half to add fresh to the finished Vegetarian Pad Thai.
- 2 tablespoons of peanuts (unsalted)
- 1 tablespoon of shredded preserved turnip
- 3 tablespoons of light soy sauce, mushroom soy sauce or vegetarian fish sauce
- ¼ cup of shredded carrot
- ½ cup banana flower (sometimes called banana blossom)
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground dried chilli pepper
- 2 tablespoons tamarind (fresh or paste)
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 1 flat teaspoon of sugar
Vegetarian Pad Thai Cooking Method
- Add the oil to the wok and heat at a high temperature.
- Add the unsalted peanuts and fry until golden. Remove the peanuts from the pan and set aside.
- Add the garlic, tofu and shallots. Stir and flip until the tofu is lightly golden.
- Add noodles to the wok.
- Add shredded carrot to the wok
- Stir noodles while adding preferred fish sauce substitute, sugar, tamarind, dried chilli pepper and preserved turnip.
- The high temperature of the wok should release a lot of steam at this point, evaporating the juice in the wok. Make sure you keep stirring the noodles so that they absorb the juice before it evaporates, but don’t let the wok get dry.
- Push all the content of the wok to one side and add the egg to the empty part. Make a mini omelette and then fold it into the other ingredients. (Omit for pure vegetarians or vegans)
- Add the final ingredients; bean sprouts and spring onion . Stir and flip three or four times and then empty the contents of the wok on to a serving dish.
Vegetarian Pad Thai Garnishing
For the authentic Vegetarian Pad Thai look and taste, place quarters of lime on the edge of the plate, along with a quarter of banana flower and one or two trimmed spring onions.
For further information on Thai vegetarian cooking, take a look at the following related Suite 101 articles:
- Thai Vegetarian Cooking - Contemporary and Historic Influences on Thai Vegetarian Cuisine
- Thai Vegetarian Food - Chinese Devotional Gastronomy Meets the Spice of Thai Cuisine
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