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Tofu Pad Thai

Prep and cooking time: 35mins

Complex carb portions, per serving: 1

Ingredients

Serves: 2

200g firm tofu

50g thick brown rice noodles

2 tsp tamarind paste

1 ½ tsp fish sauce (or soy sauce)

1 tbsp oyster sauce or mushroom vegetarian stir fry sauce

2 tbsp peanut butter

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil

1 clove garlic, finely diced or minced

1 small red chilli, finely sliced

1 cm fresh ginger, minced

½ small brown onion, finely sliced

1 egg

2 carrots, grated

1 large courgette, spiralised (150g pre-packaged)

2 spring onions, finely sliced

80g beansprouts

1 largehandful fresh coriander, roughly chopped

1 lime, quartered

20g peanuts

Method

  1. Cut the tofu into 2-3 ‘steaks’ and place between a paper towel or tea towels. Then place a heavy object on top, to drain some of the water out of the tofu. Leave for 5-10mins while you prepare the other ingredients.

  2. To prepare the brown rice noodles, place them into a large bowl, pour over plenty of boiling water and soak for 5mins. Drain and quickly rinse the noodles under cold water to stop the cooking process. Don’t leave the noodles sitting in boiling water for more than 6mins, as they should be al dente.

  3. Mix the tamarind, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and peanut butter in a small bowl and set aside.

  4. Cut the tofu into 2cm cubes and set aside.

  5. Heat the oil in a large wok or non-stick frying pan, over medium heat.

  6. Fry the garlic, chilli, and ginger for 30-60secs, or until fragrant. Add the onion and fry for 1-2mins.

  7. Add the tofu and fry for 3-4mins, or until it begins to brown. Push the ingredients to one side of the pan and break the egg into the other side. Using a wooden spoon scramble the egg in the pan before mixing with the rest of the ingredients.

  8. Add the carrots and courgette and cook for 2mins.

  9. Add the noodles, sauce, spring onions, bean sprouts, and coriander leaves. Cook for 2mins, or until just heated through.

  10. Serve with lime wedges and crushed peanuts on top.

Second Nature special tip

We’ve included some vegetarian swaps in the ingredients, but to make this vegan, simply remove the egg. A traditional pad Thai will have some sugar added – we suggest trying without but if you feel it needs the sweetness to cut through the sour add 1⁄2 tsp of palm sugar, brown sugar, or honey.