Pad Thai with tofu
I wrote this recipe after a trip to a tofu factory just outside Leeds – it’s based on a pad Thai I filmed years ago in Bangkok at a stall by the Ghost Gate. This recipe is aromatic, with that perfect sweet-sour-salty-spicy blend of flavours.
Ingredients
- 175g/6oz Thai folded rice noodles
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil, plus 1 tsp to coat the noodles
- 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
- 2 tbsp tamarind water
- ½ tsp chilli flakes, plus extra to serve
- 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
- 1 tbsp palm sugar or brown soft sugar
- 200g/7oz firm tofu, cut into 1½cm cubes
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped or grated
- 2 free-range eggs, beaten
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú beansprouts
- 1 tbsp dried shrimp (optional)
- 4 spring onions, trimmed, halved and shredded lengthways
- small handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped, plus extra leaves to serve
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
- lime wedges, to serve
Method
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, drop in the noodles and cook for about 3 minutes or until just tender. Drain them well, refresh with cold water, then drain again and toss in a teaspoon oil to prevent them clumping together. Set aside.
Combine the fish sauce, tamarind water, chilli flakes, chilli sauce and sugar in a small bowl, then set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok and fry the tofu in batches until golden-brown all over. Remove the tofu and keep warm.
Add the remaining oil to the wok. Stir-fry the garlic for 10 seconds, then add the drained noodles and stir-fry for 1 minute. Push the noodles to one side, add the eggs and scramble them in the base of the wok.
Add the bowl of sauce and combine it with the noodles, then add the beansprouts, dried shrimp, if using, the fried tofu, spring onions, coriander and peanuts. Mix well and let everything warm through.
Divide between warmed bowls and garnish with more chilli flakes, lime wedges and some coriander leaves.
Recipe Tips
If you want to make this recipe fully vegetarian, you'll need to swap out the fish sauce for a vegetarian version and, of course, omit the dried shrimp.