Tofu Pad Thai
AuthorZjefCategoryMain dishDifficultyBeginnerNothing better than a good pad thai. Unfortunately I've also tasted some disappointing versions at different restaurants. A shame, because this classic dish doesn't even have to be that difficult. Two things are essential in a good pad thai: the rice noodles and the pad thai sauce. The rice noodles should not be sticky and should still have some bite. And the pad thai sauce should have four different flavour components: sour, sweet, salty and umami. Traditionally, the sour flavour comes from tamarind, not to be confused with tamari (gluten-free soy sauce). Tamarind is a fruit that resembles a large bean pod with a sticky pulp around the seeds, a bit like dates. They use this ingredient to make soft drinks, but also tamarind paste to cook with. You can find tamarind paste in Asian or Indian supermarkets, but sometimes also at larger supermarkets such as Albert Heijn. The sweet flavour traditionally comes from palm sugar, but regular brown sugar works perfectly as well. The salty and umami flavours come from soy sauce. If the basis of your pad thai is right, there's actually not much that can go wrong.
You can find many different recipes for pad thai, but the vegetables that they use most often are thinly chopped carrots, bean sprouts and spring onions. It doesn't need much more than that, but red and yellow bell peppers can also be a nice and colourful addition. With some marinated tofu, this becomes a delicious and wholesome dish. Finish with your favourite toppings, such as fresh cilantro, chili flakes and coarsely chopped roasted peanuts. Are you a fan of peanuts just like me? Try adding some extra peanut butter to the pad thai sauce. Feel free to experiment even more with different ingredients and toppings that you have at home. As long as the basic recipe is right, you will understand what I mean: nothing better than a good pad thai!
Ingredients
Directions
Drain the tofu. Wrap it in a clean kitchen towel and put a heavy weight on it (for example a thick book or a cast iron skillet). If you often cook with tofu just like me, you may want to consider buying a tofu press.
Cut the tofu into cubes and marinate in soy sauce, garlic and grated ginger. Do you like it a little sweeter? Then add some brown sugar or maple syrup. Or you can also replace the grated ginger with ginger syrup. That way, the tofu will caramelise a bit more. Set aside and let marinate for 15 minutes or longer. You can also do this step the night before so that the flavours can absorb really well.
Unlike wheat noodles, you don't need to cook rice noodles. When you cook rice noodles, they quickly become sticky. It's enough to simply soak them in plenty of hot water until they become soft, but not completely cooked. They will cook a bit more while stir-frying.
So put the rice noodles in a large heatproof bowl and add hot (but not boiling) water from the kettle. After 15 to 20 minutes of soaking, the noodles are ready for stir-frying.
Meanwhile, make the pad thai sauce by mixing the tamarind paste, soy sauce and brown sugar in a small bowl. Less traditional but also nice is to add some peanut butter (optional).
Cut the carrot into long pieces ('julienne') and cut the spring onions into small rings. Keep the fresh green rings aside as a topping for serving.
Finely chop a red chili pepper (optional). If you don't want to make it too spicy, you can remove the seeds from the chili pepper, or just don't use chili pepper at all.
Heat some oil in a large and deep (wok) pan over medium heat. Fry the tofu until golden brown on all sides and set aside.
Add some more oil to the empty pan, turn the heat up slightly and add the carrot. Let it cook for a minute or two.
Then add the pressed cloves of garlic, the spring onions and the chili pepper and stir-fry for a while.
Meanwhile rinse the rice noodles briefly with cold, clean water to remove the outer starch layer. This way the noodles won't get sticky that easily while stir-frying. Add the noodles to the wok, followed by the pad thai sauce and the bean sprouts. Continue to stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until everything is well coated in a layer of pad thai sauce.
Serve as desired with the fried tofu, coarsely chopped roasted peanuts, fresh cilantro, lime wedges and/or chili flakes. White and black sesame seeds also go very well with this and immediately bring some extra contrast to your plate. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
Drain the tofu. Wrap it in a clean kitchen towel and put a heavy weight on it (for example a thick book or a cast iron skillet). If you often cook with tofu just like me, you may want to consider buying a tofu press.
Cut the tofu into cubes and marinate in soy sauce, garlic and grated ginger. Do you like it a little sweeter? Then add some brown sugar or maple syrup. Or you can also replace the grated ginger with ginger syrup. That way, the tofu will caramelise a bit more. Set aside and let marinate for 15 minutes or longer. You can also do this step the night before so that the flavours can absorb really well.
Unlike wheat noodles, you don't need to cook rice noodles. When you cook rice noodles, they quickly become sticky. It's enough to simply soak them in plenty of hot water until they become soft, but not completely cooked. They will cook a bit more while stir-frying.
So put the rice noodles in a large heatproof bowl and add hot (but not boiling) water from the kettle. After 15 to 20 minutes of soaking, the noodles are ready for stir-frying.
Meanwhile, make the pad thai sauce by mixing the tamarind paste, soy sauce and brown sugar in a small bowl. Less traditional but also nice is to add some peanut butter (optional).
Cut the carrot into long pieces ('julienne') and cut the spring onions into small rings. Keep the fresh green rings aside as a topping for serving.
Finely chop a red chili pepper (optional). If you don't want to make it too spicy, you can remove the seeds from the chili pepper, or just don't use chili pepper at all.
Heat some oil in a large and deep (wok) pan over medium heat. Fry the tofu until golden brown on all sides and set aside.
Add some more oil to the empty pan, turn the heat up slightly and add the carrot. Let it cook for a minute or two.
Then add the pressed cloves of garlic, the spring onions and the chili pepper and stir-fry for a while.
Meanwhile rinse the rice noodles briefly with cold, clean water to remove the outer starch layer. This way the noodles won't get sticky that easily while stir-frying. Add the noodles to the wok, followed by the pad thai sauce and the bean sprouts. Continue to stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until everything is well coated in a layer of pad thai sauce.
Serve as desired with the fried tofu, coarsely chopped roasted peanuts, fresh cilantro, lime wedges and/or chili flakes. White and black sesame seeds also go very well with this and immediately bring some extra contrast to your plate. Enjoy!