Heart Healthy Vegan Pad Thai

One of my wife’s favorite dishes is Pad Thai. Sometimes we will order out from our local Thai restaurant but it can get expensive. So I tried making her favorite dish at home. It was a winner and she was very happy with the results.

There are many variations of Pad Thai. You can make with chicken, tofu, and other various twists. This is a vegan version of Pad Thai. Whatever version you choose, enjoy it to the fullest!

Ingredients:

• 200 g / 7 oz wide rice noodles
• 2 tbsp peanut oil (or other high smoke point oil)
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 1 hot red chili, finely sliced
• 2 carrots, shaved into ribbons with a speed peeler
• A large handful of green beans, cut diagonally
• ½ small broccoli, divided into florets
• 1 red pepper, finely sliced
• ¼ cup roasted & unsalted peanuts pounded in a pestle & mortar
• ½ cup mung bean sprouts
• fresh coriander, to garnish

For The Sauce:

• 5 tbsp tamarind sauce
• 1 tbsp tamari/soy sauce
• 2 tbsp vegan fish sauce or more tamari/soy sauce
• 2-3 tbsp maple syrup, adjust to taste

Directions:

1-Prepare rice noodles according to the instructions on the packet, but do not cook them fully as you’ll give them another minute or two in the wok after. After you immerse them in soaking water, lift the lid and give the noodles a good stir to prevent them from clumping together and sticking to the bottom of the pot. Give them another good stir halfway through the soaking time.

2-Once the time is up, drain the noodles and set aside. You may want to stir a little bit of oil through them to prevent them from sticking together but I do not find this necessary.

3-Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. If you are using a shop-bought tamarind puree/paste, go easy on it at first as it is apparently more concentrated (and therefore sourer) than if you make your paste from a tamarind block (see notes) yourself.

4-Heat up a wok or a large frying pan. Pour 1 tbsp of oil and heat it up until almost smoking. Add spring onions, garlic, and chili.

5-Stir-fry (stirring constantly) until spring onions soften and garlic becomes fragrant. Transfer to a separate plate, leaving as much oil in the wok as you can.

6-Heat up another tablespoon of oil in the same wok – no need to wash it. Start adding prepared veggies in the following order (leaving a minute or two between each addition): broccoli, peas, red pepper, and carrot ribbons. Stir-fry until cooked yet still crunchy.

7-Transfer all vegetables to a big plate and pour the sauce to the bottom of the wok. Add in noodles – they may have clumped together a little, but the sauce and heat of the work will separate them again.

8-Add spring onions, chili, garlic, and stir-fried veg back to the wok. Mix everything well and let it warm up, stirring the whole time, for a minute or two.

9-Divide between two plates sprinkle with sprouts and crushed peanuts. Serve with lime wedges on the side.

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