Tofu Pad Thai

A few years ago, I visited Thailand with my husband and took in all of the delicious, spicy, complex food that I could while we were there. Pad Thai was a favorite, because stir fried noodles and vegetables and protein in sauce is the stuff that dreams are made of. When we came back home, I set out to make tofu Pad Thai that celebrated what I loved about the original dish in Thailand – fresh, spicy, and a bit saucy – while making it my own.

I spent four years tweaking and revising my recipe until I landed on something that is my go-to version of homemade Pad Thai. It’s a bit sweet, a bit tangy, kind of spicy, and I can make it with ingredients I can get easily at a national grocery store chain.

In this Instructable, I’ll share my recipe for Tofu Pad Thai and some suggestions to customize it to make it everything that you love.

Tools:

• Cutting board
• Chef’s knife
• Vegetable peeler
• Half sheet pan
• Parchment paper
• Large mixing bowl
• Large plate
• Large wok or saute pan (3 quarts or larger)
• Sturdy spatula or other utensil safe for your wok or saute pan
• Jar with lid
• Dry and liquid measuring cups
• Large pot with lid (5 quarts or larger)
• Colander
• Small bowl
• Fork
• Tongs
• Oven preheated to 400 F

Ingredients:

• 14 oz. package firm or extra-firm tofu
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 red bell pepper
• 4 Italian long hot green peppers
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2 medium carrots
• 4 roma tomatoes
• 1 package bean sprouts
• 7 oz. rice noodles
• .25 cup sugar
• .25 cup sriracha
• 6 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp crushed red pepper
• .5 tbsp tomato paste
• .25 cup water
• 3 tbsp high-heat oil (I use sunflower)
• 2 eggs
• .5 cup chopped roasted peanuts
• 2 green onions
• 4 Thai chilis, if desired
• 1 lime, sliced

Drain the tofu into your sink and then move it onto a cutting board. Pat it dry with paper towels or clean kitchen towels.

Cut the tofu into large bite-size cubes, about 1” on each side.

Customize: If time allows, marinading your tofu would be great here. I recommend tossing the tofu cubes with 1 tablespoon each of soy sauce and sriracha, and letting it sit for 30 minutes before baking. The tofu is great in this recipe and absorbs the flavor of the dish either way.

Measure out parchment paper and cover your half baking sheet. Place tofu on the baking sheet, spacing it out.

Bake in your preheated 400 F oven for 30 minutes, removing when finished.

Fill your large pot with water and cover with a lid. Bring water to a boil.

Cook rice noodles according to package directions, being sure not to overcook them. The noodles that I used had instructions that said to boil for 4-6 minutes, and I found 5 minutes to be just right.

Drain noodles in a colander in the sink and rinse with cold water.

Wash the garlic, bell pepper, carrots, Italian long hot peppers, yellow onion, and Roma tomatoes.

Mince garlic, and add to large mixing bowl.

Slice bell pepper, Italian long hot green peppers, and yellow onion. Add them to large mixing bowl.

Peel carrots and slice them into rounds about .25” thick. Add to large mixing bowl.

Roughly chop Roma tomatoes and add to large mixing bowl.

Customize: The carrot, onion, and tomato are what really make this dish pop, but the other vegetables can be substituted out for what you prefer. I’ve made this successfully with zucchini, mushrooms, and even cabbage.  

Slice lime into wedges, and move to a separate plate.

Slice green onions, and move to the plate with the lime wedges.

Slice the Thai chilis if using and move to the plate with the lime wedges and green onions

To your jar with a lid, add the sugar, sriracha, low sodium soy sauce, lime juice, crushed red pepper, tomato paste, and water.

Customize: If you prefer your food to be less spicy, you can reduce the sriracha to 2 tbsp and the crushed red pepper to .5 tbsp; conversely, add more to make it spicier! If you like a sweeter dish, increase the tomato paste to 1 tbsp or even 1.5 tbsp.

Seal tightly with a lid and shake vigorously to incorporate all of the ingredients, making sure that no sugar has stuck to the bottom.

If you do not have a jar with a lid, you can also use a mixing bowl and whisk the ingredients together.

Crack two eggs into a small bowl. Mix vigorously with a fork until the yolks and whites are fully incorporated with one another, 15-20 seconds.

Preheat the wok on your stovetop over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of high-heat oil.

When the oil has come to temperature (water dropped in sizzles gently and disappears), gently add the egg mixture to the wok.

Allow it to cook gently, lifting the egg with your spatula as it sets.

Once the egg is no longer runny, use your spatula to break it into small pieces and remove from the pan to a clean plate or bowl.

By now, the tofu will be out of the oven and cooling. Make a line next to your cooking area of the items you will add to the wok in the following order:

Bowl of sliced and chopped vegetables

Tofu (if space allows)

Cooked rice noodles

Sauce

Bean sprouts

Peanuts

Cooked egg

Heat the wok over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil.

When the oil shimmers, or when a drop of water in the pan immediately sizzles and dissipates, add the contents of the bowl of vegetables to the pan. Use the spatula to mix it together to coat in oil and cook over medium-high heat for five minutes, stirring every minute or so.

Next, add the tofu to the wok. Mix everything together and cook over medium-high heat for three minutes, stirring every minute or so, until much of the liquid from the vegetables has evaporated and the tofu is well-incorporated.

Add the cooked rice noodles and sauce to the wok. Stir everything together carefully and cook over medium-high heat for another five minutes, stirring every minute or so, making sure that the bottom of the stir fry doesn’t stick.

Once most of the liquid has evaporated, add the bean sprouts and peanuts to the wok. Stir everything together carefully, switching to tongs if needed. Cook over medium-high heat for one minute, stirring constantly.

Add the cooked egg to the wok. Stir everything together so that the egg is well-incorporated.

Divide the Pad Thai into individual bowls using tongs.

Garnish each bowl with sliced green onion, wedges of lime, and sliced Thai chili if desired.

Customize: Other great garnishes for this dish include cilantro, basil, additional peanuts, or even extra soy sauce or sriracha, to your taste.

Enjoy hot! Leftovers keep for up to five days in the refrigerator.