Vegetarian padthai

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. (SERVES 2) Pad Thai rice noodles (thin, flat linguini-like noodles)
• 2 eggs (vegans can substitute 1/2 cup soft tofu – see instructions below*)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 shallot (OR 1/4 cup purple onion), finely chopped
• 3-4 “heads” of baby bok choy, or other Chinese cabbage, roughly chopped
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/3 cup fresh coriander/cilantro
• 1/4 cup ground (or well-chopped) peanuts (OR substitute cashews or slivered almonds)
• PAD THAI SAUCE:
• 3/4 Tbsp. tamarind paste
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 3 Tbsp. vegetarian fish sauce (available at Vietnamese stores) OR 3+1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce (or gluten-free soy sauce)
• 1/2 to 2 tsp. chili sauce (to taste)
• 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
• OTHER:
• 3-4 Tbsp. oil for stir-frying
• 2-3 Tbsp. vegetable or faux chicken stock
• lime wedges for serving

Preparation:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and remove from heat. Soak noodles in the hot water for 6-10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Tip: Noodles are ready to drain when they are soft enough to eat, but still firm and a little bit “crunchy”. The noodles will finish cooking when they are fried.
2. Dissolve the tamarind paste in the hot water. Add the other pad thai sauce ingredients and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Add as much or as little chili sauce as you prefer, but don’t skimp on the sugar (you need it to balance the sourness of the tarmaind). Reserve.
3. Place your wok (or large frying pan) over medium-high heat. Add 1-2 Tbsp. oil plus the garlic and shallot. Stir-fry 1 minute to release the fragrance.
4. Add the bok choy plus the stock. Stir-fry 2 minutes, or until bok choy is bright green and slightly softened.
5. Push ingredients aside and add 1/2 Tbsp. more oil to the center of the wok/pan. Add the eggs (if using) and stir-fry briefly to scramble them.
6. Push eggs aside and add a little more oil to the middle of the wok/pan. Now add the drained noodles and 1/3 of the sauce. Stir-fry everything together for 1 minute using 2 utensils and a tossing motion (like tossing a salad).
7. Add a little more sauce and continue stir-frying in the same way for 1-2 more minutes, or until the noodles begin to soften and become sticky. Reduce heat to medium if noodles begin to stick and burn.
8. Add the bean sprouts plus the remaining sauce. Stir-fry to incorporate everything together for 1-3 more minutes, or until noodles are done. Noodles are cooked to perfection when they are soft but still deliciously chewy and a little bit sticky.
9. Remove from heat and taste-test, adding more vegetarian fish sauce or soy sauce if desired for more salt/flavor.
10. To serve, scoop noodles onto a serving platter. Sprinkle with the green onion, coriander/cilantro, and ground nuts. Add wedges of fresh-cut lime on the side. Serve immediately and ENJOY!. (Thai chili sauce can also be served on the side for those who likes their noodles extra spicy).

If using soft tofu: add it when you add the noodles. It will break up into small bits and be distributed throughout the dish, just as the egg would.

Source: about.com