Skip the lines, not the flavour! Tofu pad thai brings smoky bites and silky noodles in a sweet-savoury sauce. A crave-worthy vegetarian stir-fry in under 30 minutes.
Pad Thai is the dish I order each and every time I go out to a Thai restaurant. But, with the cost of living at the moment and the cost of takeaway, it's becoming more important to perfect this home cooked version. And, I think I have done it - and I want you to try it too!
As I often make all of my meals to have more than once (I live by the saying, cook once, eat twice… or three or four times), I like to add in extra veggies to ensure my body is receiving the nutrients it needs. This approach saves me time, energy and makes food a lot more affordable, nutritious and delicious. I've included meal prep and leftover options in the post below
If you're after other Fakeaway recipes, then check out my Best Asian Fakeaway Recipes.
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Pad See Ew vs Pad Thai
These two dishes are my go-to orders at Thai takeaway. But they do have distinct flavours. I'll run you through a few key differences between Pad See Ew and Pad Thai.
Noodles. Pad Thai normally has thin, flat rice noodles while Pad See Ew has wider, flat rice noodles.
Sauce. Pad Thai sauce ingredients include tamarind, fish sauce, and sugar. Pad see ew sauce ingredients include soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar.
Vegetables and Protein. Pad Thai typically has bean sprouts with prawns or tofu while Pad see ew typically includes broccoli and asian greens, pork or beef.
Taste. Pad Thai has a sweet and sour taste, and a softer texture due to the thinner noodles. Pad see ew is typically more savoury and salty.
Try my Pad See Ew Dish.
Pad Thai with tofu ingredients
Tamarind. The heart and soul of this beloved Thai dish giving it the sour flavour that you search for when it comes to Pad Thai. You can find tamarind puree in most Australia supermarkets in the international section, but sometimes this can be missing as they only stock a handful at a time. You can also find it at Asian stores.
Noodles. Unlike Pad See Ew which requires rather thick flat rice noodles that aren't easily accessible, Pad Thai uses Pad Thai noodles (convenient isn't it?). When it comes to dried noodles, the more expensive versions are usually the way to go I've found. They're less prone to breaking. Check the packet you pick up and you want the one with the least amount of broken pieces.
Tofu. A staple in this tofu Pad Thai dish. Usually restaurants will opt for a firm tofu which holds up well on the outside but is bouncy and soft in the centre, and a lot of recipes will tell you to purchase the extra firm tofu. I've had a lot of success using something slightly softer (usually called slightly firm tofu).
It breaks up a lot easier and soaks up the flavour beautifully, and you're not left with the big fat tofu pieces that a lot of people find appetising. I've served this version to my partner who is not the biggest tofu fan and he couldn't even tell it was in there!
Vegetables. As you may have noticed with a lot of my recipes, I like to sneak in a lot of extra veggies. You can mix-and-match to suit your preferences and what you have in your fridge. But I've listed my go-to vegetables in the recipe card below.
Please check the recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantity. See below for substitutions and variations.
How to make tofu pad thai
- Prepare ingredients
Once you begin cooking, everything is tossed into the wok very quickly so it's important to be organised and have everything prepared right from the beginning.
I like to julienne my carrot and zucchini as it slices them really thin. You can use a julienne peeler for this, or cut them up yourself.
If using slightly firm tofu, you don't need to do anything to prepare it as it will break up easily once added to the pan. If using another type of tofu or protein, prepare this ready to be placed into the wok now.
If adding egg, scramble it in this step - or you can do it in the pan later with a spatula (it just won't be perfect). I'm lazy and don't like to dirty more dishes than I have to so I often leave the scrambling until it's added to the pan. - Soak noodles
Follow the packet instructions when it comes to soaking the noodles. My usual approach is placing the noodles in a large bowl (large enough that you can cover them with an extra ½ inch of water). Then fill it with boiling water and leaving for 5 minutes.
Once hydrated, drain the water and carefully separate the noodles with a fork. - Mix sauce
Mix together sauce ingredients in a small bowl, allowing the brown sugar to dissolve. This is what helps give the noodles the caramelisation.
- Cook vegetables
In the wok, heat up your oil and begin by browning off the onions and cooking the carrots. Once aromatic, add zucchini and mushrooms and cook until they soften.
If using firm or extra-firm tofu, add it in now as well. - Add egg
Push the contents of the pan to one side, exposing a clean part of the wok. Add pre-whisked egg (or not if you're a bit lazy like me) to this part, allow it to cook a little bit and then scramble using your spatula or wooden spoon until cooked through. Mix in with the rest of the veggies.
- Add tofu
Add tofu to the pan and break up with the wooden spoon or spatula until it's the size you want. Remember, if you're using the slightly firm tofu it will break up a little more when you continue to mix in the rest of the ingredients.
- Add everything else
Add in the bean sprouts, noodles, sauce and peanuts. Toss VERY gently for a couple of minutes or until the noodles have absorbed the sauce and caramelised slightly.
Remove from the pan and garnish as you wish.
Substitutions and variations
Vegan. If vegan, substitute the fish sauce and oyster sauce with vegan alternatives (either a vegan oyster sauce or you can just use soy sauce). Omit the egg.
Protein. You can mix-and-match your protein and either ADD to the tofu, or replace the tofu. For example, shrimp/prawns, chicken, pork, beef. Why not try my Chicken Pad Thai?
Tamarind. There's tamarind puree and tamarind paste. Both can be found in the supermarkets, although, I've had more success finding tamarind puree. The paste is more potent in flavour so if you have this, I would recommend halving the amount listed in the recipe card. If you can't find tamarind, use tomato paste instead. It'll change the flavour profile slightly, but it's not hugely significant.
Spicy? Try my Spicy Pad Thai recipe. Or you can add in a bit of chilli oil or chilli flakes to this one.
Meal prep and leftovers
Veggie Pad Thai is a fantastic recipe for meal prepping and leftovers. I mean, have you ever had leftover Thai food? I swear it tastes better the day after than it does fresh.
And there's actually a good reason for this.
Given some time, the flavours in the noodles and the Pad Thai sauce sink in and have time to be absorbed and mature in flavour - making it extra tasty!
Storing
You can store pad thai in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the fridge.
Reheating
To reheat, sprinkle a bit of water over the noodles before placing it in the microwave and then heat on 1 minute intervals. Don't stir before reheating otherwise the noodles will likely break.
Very carefully begin to stir after the first minute, but don't force it. The dish will be ready to eat once the noodles move around easily (I find it takes about 3 minutes).
Freezing
I would recommend that traditional Pad Thai with noodle recipes not be frozen as it makes the noodles prone to breaking.
If you want to freeze the recipe, I recommend leaving out the noodles and freezing the protein, vegetables and sauce - then adding the noodles after you heat the meal up (most of the time the noodles are cooked with boiling water and could be done at the same time as microwaving).
If you want to freeze a complete Pad Thai meal, I recommend making Pad Thai with rice. Rice reacts much better to freezing than noodles and allows the sauce to soak into the grain.
If you want more meal prep information, check out my Meal Prep for Beginners post and my Meal Prep Basics E-Book.
FAQs
I have used both extra firm and slightly firm tofu when cooking my Pad Thai recipe and each have slightly different outcomes.
Extra Firm Tofu
The benefits of Extra firm tofu is that it retains its shape well when stir-fried and has a similar texture to chicken or prawns, making it a good choice for people who are looking for a meaty texture in their Pad Thai.
Slightly Firm Tofu
Slightly firm tofu is not as firm as extra firm tofu, but still firm enough to hold its shape when cooked. This is my favourite tofu to use for Pad Thai because it breaks up easily and absorbs the sauce similar to a tofu scramble.
Soft or silken Tofu
I would not recommend using soft or silken tofu in Pad Thai as they end up too mushy when cooked.
You can, but it won't be an authentic or traditional Pad Thai without the tamarind. You can experiment with tomato paste or ketchup and mix in with a little more sugar to create a version that suits your taste. But, be aware that it might stray significantly from the classic flavour profile of pad Thai.
More Thai inspired dishes
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Recipe
Homemade Asian Tofu Pad Thai (Vegetarian Stir Fry Noodles)
Ingredients
- 200 g Pad Thai noodles see Note 1
- 200 g (1 large) carrot sliced
- 200 g (1 medium) medium zucchini sliced
- 100 g (½ medium) brown onion sliced
- 200 g (approx. 10) button mushrooms sliced
- 300 g semi-firm tofu See Note 2
- 4 eggs lightly whisked (omit if vegan)
- 250 g (1 cup) bean sprouts
- 20 ml (1 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil
- 70 g (¼ cup) crushed peanuts
Sauce
- 50 g (3 tbsp) tamarind puree
- 50 g (3 tbsp) brown sugar
- 40 ml (2 tbsp) fish sauce
- 20 ml (1 tbsp) oyster sauce
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 5 ml (1 tbsp) sesame oil
Garnish
- Crushed peanuts
- Spring onion
- Bean sprouts
- Lime wedge
- Chilli flakes optional
Instructions
- Place noodles in a large bowl and pour boiling water until covered. Soak for approx. 5 minutes (or whatever the packet says). Then drain and rinse under cold water to stop them sticking together.
- Mix together sauce ingredients.
- Heat oil in a large pan, skillet or wok over high heat. Add onion and carrot, cook for 1 minute.
- Add zucchini and mushrooms, cook for another minute.
- Push the contents to one side of the pan and pour the egg on the other side. Scramble using a spatula or wooden spoon then mix in with the rest veggies.
- Break up tofu and add to the pan with the bean sprouts. Then add noodles and sauce. Toss gently for 2 minutes or until sauce is absorbed. Add ¼ cup peanuts.
- Remove from the pan and serve immediately with your choice of garnishes. Meal prep and leftovers tips are in the post.
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