Vegan Pad Thai
Pad Thai is one of my favorite dishes when I go out to eat, but ordering it without fish sauce has led to a couple times when I was served noodles with no sauce at all. That’s when I set out to create a vegan Pad Thai recipe that was just as flavorful as the original.
Bite-Sized History
In the 1940s, Thailand faced a rice shortage due to flood-damaged rice paddies. To tackle the issue, the government promoted noodles as a substitute, leading to the creation of Pad Thai—a blend of Thai flavors and Chinese-style stir-frying that is now the national dish of Thailand.
Ingredients
Categorized for easy shopping list creation:
| PRODUCE | |
|---|---|
| Shiitake Mushrooms | 5 oz |
| Garlic | 4 cloves |
| Red Onion | 1/4 cup |
| Mung Bean Sprouts | 1 cup |
| Green Onion | 1/4 cup |
| Lime (preferably dark green but still soft) | 1 |
| DRY GOODS | |
|---|---|
| Pad Thai Rice Noodles | 8 oz |
| Peanuts | 1/4 cup |
| Tamarind Concentrate (see notes) | 1 tbsp |
| Coconut Aminos | 6 tbsp |
| Grapeseed Oil (or any neutral high-heat oil) | 1 tbsp |
| Olive Oil |
| SPICES | |
|---|---|
| Sea Salt | 1 tsp |
| Dried Thai Red Chili Peppers or Cayenne Powder | 4 chilis or 1/2 tbsp cayenne powder |
| Sweet Paprika | 1/2 tsp |
Step by Step Instructions
Soak the Noodles
Soak the noodles in warm water from the tap for one hour.
Cook the Mushrooms
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a large baking sheet sprayed with olive oil, arrange mushrooms so they do not overlap. Bake for 15 minutes, flip, and cook for another 5-15 minutes, until mushrooms are crispy.
Prep Ingredients
This step is critical! Prep and measure all ingredients so they are ready to be quickly added to the wok. At this stage you’ll mix together all of the sauce ingredients together. Taste test for a balance of salty, sour, and sweet.
Cook in Wok
Heat wok over medium high heat with a bit of grapeseed oil (any high-heat oil will work). Add the onion and garlic and cook until fragrant. Then add the sauce and deglaze the wok. Taste test the sauce one more time-this is how your noodles will taste so make sure you like the flavor. Add the crispy mushrooms and drained noodles to the wok and stir fry until the sauce has been absorbed. You want the noodles slightly wet; if they are dry, add water a tablespoon at a time. Taste test a noodle to ensure its fully cooked, then turn off the heat and fold in the bean sprouts and green onions. Folding the noodles over the bean sprouts and green onions allows the vegetables to cook slightly. Let sit for a couple of minutes.
Serve
Serve with crushed peanuts, lime, and extra chili flakes if desired.
Cooking Tips
It’s very important not to overcook the noodles. I soak them in warm tap water for about an hour. Test the noodle between your fingers; you want it al dente before stir frying.
Tamarind concentrate is best made fresh. You’ll need a block of tamarind and water to make it. See the recipes notes for instructions.
When tasting the sauce, use these ingredients to find a nice balance of flavors:
Sweet – coconut aminos, sugar optional
Salty – sea salt, coconut aminos
Spicy – cayenne pepper powder, crushed dried Thai chilis
Sour – tamarind, juice from a dark green lime
Serve the Pad Thai with dark green, soft limes for a tangier flavor, as these are typically more sour than sweet.
Final Thoughts
You’re unlikely to find a block of tamarind of your local grocery store, so you’ll need to go to an Asian market or order it online. If you have the choice, choose a tamarind labeled as sour and made in Thailand.
It should look something like this:
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Vegan Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 8 ounce pad thai rice noodles
- 5 ounce shiitake mushrooms thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion finely chopped
- 1 cup mung bean sprouts rinsed well
- 1/4 cup green onion chop into 1 inch pieces, green tops only
- 1/4 cup peanuts crushed or chopped
- 1 lime cut into wedges, for serving
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
- Olive oil for mushrooms
- Sea salt for mushrooms
Spicy Pad Thai Sauce
- 1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate see notes on how to make tamarind concentrate
- 6 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1/2 tablespoon cayenne powder more or less depending on heat preference | substitute with 4 dried Thai red chili peppers (finely chopped)
- 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/2 cup water +more if noodles look dry
Instructions
Soak Noodles
- Soak the rice noodles in warm tap water for 1 hour, then drain. This method takes the longest, but I've found it produces the most consistent results. If you are short on time, you can boil the noodles according to the package directions, taking extra care not to overcook them. Just make sure you have the rest of the ingredients prepped first so the noodles don't sit out too long after they're cooked. The noodles will cook in the wok, so we only want to soak them until al dente.8 ounce pad thai rice noodles
Cook Mushrooms
- Heat oven to 400 F.
- Lightly wash shiitake mushrooms in a colander.
- Spray a large baking sheet with olive oil. Do not use parchment paper.Olive oil
- Thinly slice mushrooms, then spread on the baking sheet so they are not overlapping.5 ounce shiitake mushrooms
- Spray mushrooms with olive oil and season with sea salt.Sea salt, Olive oil
- Bake for 15 minutes. Then flip the mushrooms and bake for another 5-15 minutes until crispy. The time depends on how thinly sliced the mushrooms are.
- They will shrink significantly, but that's a good thing. We want the water evaporated so the mushrooms are slightly crunchy. Set the pan of mushrooms to the side until we are ready to add them to the Pad Thai.
Prep Ingredients
- Mix together tamarind concentrate, coconut aminos, spice of your choice (cayenne pepper powder or dried chilis), paprika, and water in a bowl.1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate, 6 tablespoon coconut aminos, 1/2 tablespoon cayenne powder, 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika, 1/2 cup water
- Chop red onion and garlic. Set aside together on a plate/bowl.1/4 cup red onion, 4 cloves garlic
- Wash and drain the mung beans. Chop the green onions. Set aside together on a plate/bowl.1 cup mung bean sprouts, 1/4 cup green onion
- Chop or crush 1/4 cup of peanuts. Set aside on a plate/bowl.1/4 cup peanuts
- Cut the lime into wedges. Set aside on a plate/bowl.1 lime
Cook in the Wok
- Wait for the noodles to finish soaking, then drain in a colander.
- Heat wok to medium high heat.
- Add about a tablespoon of oil to the wok.1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
- Add onion and garlic to the wok. Sautee until fragrant and lightly brown, 3-6 minutes.
- Deglaze the wok with the sauce. Taste the sauce and add ingredients if necessary to find a balance between sweet, spicy, salty, and sour. See notes on how to get these flavors.
- Add the crispy mushrooms to the wok.
- Add the noodles and stir fry until the noodles have absorbed the sauce. About 3-6 minutes. Taste test a noodle to ensure fully cooked. If the noodles look dry, add water a tablespoon at a time.
- When the noodles are cooked completely, turn off the heat and fold in the bean sprouts and green onions. Folding the noodles over the bean sprouts and green onions allows the vegetables to cook slightly. Let sit for a couple of minutes.
- Give it one last stir to incorporate all the ingredients and serve garnished with peanuts and lime!
Notes
Tamarind Paste from Pulp – Hot Thai Kitchen (hot-thai-kitchen.com)
I recommend you follow her canning instructions to save you time in the future. You’ve already bought a block of tamarind, so you might as well prep it now! *Choose between cayenne pepper powder OR dried Thai chilis. On a scale of mild-medium-hot-Thai hot, I would label this amount of spice as “hot”. *When tasting the sauce, use these ingredients to find a nice balance of flavors: Sweet-coconut aminos, sugar optional Salty-sea salt, coconut aminos Spicy-cayenne pepper powder, crushed dried Thai chilis Sour-tamarind, juice from a dark green lime
