Many years ago I tried to make Pad Thai at home. I found some recipe that used totally authentic Thai ingredients like ketchup—not so delicious. I finally decided that it was just something that couldn’t be made at home. And then I stumbled upon a recipe on PETA’s web site—did you know that they have tons of recipes on their web site? Yep, they do, and they’re pretty yummy!
So I’ve tinkered around with this a little bit and have come up with a version that we like a lot! One of the secret ingredients is tahini. When I first saw this listed I thought it was crazy—isn’t tahini a middle eastern ingredient? But as I thought about it I realized it was just sesame seeds, and sesame oil is so common in Asian cooking. Why not tahini?
Hope you love this delicious—and quick and easy—homemade Pad Thai. It’s become a new staple in our house! It pairs well with tofu, veggie nuggets (we love Gardien Mandarin Orange nuggets), and is delicious on its own too! Best of all, you can rest assured knowing that your Pad Thai doesn’t have any fish sauce lurking around!
Pad Thai
1 lb. rice pad thai noodles (I like Annie Chun’s)
¼ c soy sauce
¼ c lime juice (the juice of one juicy lime)
2 T peanut butter
1 T tahini
½ tsp sriracha (or more to make this a 5 star dish!)
¼ c liquid sweetener (maple syrup, agave, etc.)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
1 T canola oil for frying
your choice of vegetables to stir fry with (we like red cabbage, onions, carrots, and peas—you could use so many different vegetables)
Chopped peanuts and cilantro to garnish
This is a really easy dish to make, but it moves quickly, and if you do the steps out of order you may end up with some consistency issues like soggy noodles! Just follow along and it will turn out great!
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
While water is coming up to a boil, wash and chop veggies. Set aside. Add all sauce ingredients (soy sauce through ginger) to your blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
Once water has come to a boil, and you have all of your other ingredients prepped, remove the water from heat and place rice noodles in the pot. Allow to soak for 5-6 minutes, watching carefully. They soften very quickly (faster than most packages indicate). If they get too soft they turn in to mush, so you are better to err on the side of al dente.
While noodles are soaking, place oil in a wok and begin to stir fry vegetables, starting with onions, and adding more delicate ones as you go. Remove noodles from water when they are done soaking and drain, giving them a quick rinse under cold water. Add the noodles to your wok and toss gently with vegetables. Pour sauce over top and toss one more time, mixing well to coat. Let cook for a minute or two, adding any more delicate vegetables in like cilantro, carrot shreds, or scallions, and serve! Garnish with more cilantro and peanuts. Enjoy!
