Tofu Pad Thai Recipe

Pad Thai is a popular takeout order, but if you're a vegetarian, you can't always be sure that what you're getting is going to be made with the type of ingredients you'd approve of. This tofu-based pad Thai, however, is something recipe developer Miriam Hahn says "is so delicious and you can have so much fun changing up the veggies," plus you can make sure that everything in the sauce fit your dietary requirements. Although this recipe is not 100% plant-based as written, Hahn notes that "it is easy to make this completely vegan by just leaving out the fish sauce and the eggs" or by using plant-based substitutes.

What makes this pad Thai a little different than standard versions is the double dose of noodles, or rather the zoodle/noodle combo. As Hahn explains, "I love pairing [zucchini noodles] with the rice noodles because the combination gives you a great mix of textures." While zucchini noodles on their own have plenty of fiber and vitamins, she does admit that they "can get a little watery" without the starchier rice noodles to help adsorb the liquid from the sauce. As an additional note, the rice noodles themselves are a great gluten-free alternative to pasta, while zoodles bulk up the dish without adding much to the overall carb count.

There's a fairly long list of ingredients you'll need to make this pad Thai, although nothing too hard to source, and there are substitutions you can make if need be. The base of the dish is super firm tofu (the kind that doesn't need to be pressed), while the vegetables involved are zucchini (in spiral form), carrots, and scallions. Rice noodles round out the body of the dish, while other ingredients include avocado oil, peanut butter, soy sauce, fish sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, coconut sugar, garlic, cilantro, and peanuts.

As for the substitutions, Hahn says that olive or sesame would work in place of avocado oil, while regular sugar can be used in place of the coconut sugar (although she's a fan of the latter's flavor). She also tells us, "If there is a nut allergy, you can use sunflower seed butter in the sauce and top [the pad Thai] with sunflower seeds instead of peanuts."

Before you get started with the cooking, you'll need to prep a few ingredients. The carrots will need to be peeled and shredded, the scallions and cilantro chopped, and the lime juiced. You can also make your own "zoodles" if you happen to own a spiralizer (this recipe takes about 1 zucchini's worth), but if not, you can go with the pre-packaged kind.

You'll also need to chop the tofu into ½-inch cubes, but before you do so, you really should dry it off first. Tofu comes out of the package wet, so it's best to wrap it in paper towels to soak up some of the moisture before you start slicing and dicing.

Boil a pot of water, then add the rice noodles and cook them for 7 minutes. Drain them and let them cool.

Heat a tablespoon of oil over a stove burner set to medium, then add the tofu. Put a lid on the pan, then leave it alone for 10 minutes — no stirring needed. After 10 minutes, mix in the soy sauce, then put the lid back on the pan and let the tofu cook for 10 more minutes.

Once the tofu is done, take it out of the pan, swapping it for the rest of the oil. Add the carrots, scallions, and garlic, as well, and stir-fry them in the oil for 3 minutes. Add the zoodles and fry them for a minute.

Beat the eggs, cracking them first, of course. Push the vegetables to one side of the pan and pour in the eggs. Scramble them along with the vegetables.

Combine the peanut butter with the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and vinegar as well as the remaining soy sauce, then add this mixture to the pan along with the noodles. Cook everything for a minute more, stirring all the while, then add the tofu. Finish the dish off with the cilantro.

As this dish has plenty of vegetables, filling starch from the rice noodles, and protein from the tofu, Hahn tells is it's "pretty much complete as is." This means your entire dinner should be all set to go, so grab a fork or chopsticks and dig in.