Plant Based Pad Thai

A super simple recipe that explodes with flavour and satisfies all your carb cravings.

Is there anything better than a big old bowl of noodles filled full of veggies? This is home comforts at it's best.

During isolation, we all need to pack our meals full of veggies to protect and support our immune systems. So why not make this delicious immune boosting recipe that uses all your left over veggies? This is one recipe you don't want to miss out on.

How to make Plant Based Pad Thai...

Prep time: 25 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes Serves 5

Ingredients:

225g flat rice noodles

1 onion

1 fresh chilli (or 1or 2tsp of chilli powder)

Small piece of ginger

5 cloves of garlic

5 florets of broccoli

Any left over veggies you have i.e cabbage, beans sprouts, carrots ( should equal around 320g when chopped)

280g of tofu- (I used Tofoo tofu, a Yorkshire based company)

1 lemon or lime for serving

For the sauce:

4 tbsp of soy sauce

2 tbsp of rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp of peanut butter

1 tbsp of maple syrup

1 lime

Salt and pepper

Make sure you check the instructions of your noodles to know when to cook them in relation to the recipe.

TIP: This recipe is great for using any left over veggies, anything goes as long as its chopped finely. I used a left over pack of stir fry veggie mix that I found in the fridge.

1.Begin by preparing your veggies, chop the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, broccoli, pepper, Tofu and any left over veggies into small stripes or pieces.

Drizzle a little olive oil over the tofu, and then sprinkle over a little salt and pepper, this helps make the tofu crispier.

2. Place the tofu into a wok or frying pan that has a generous pour of olive oil in and has been heating up over a medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add your tofu to the wok, cook it until it's brown and crispy. Set the tofu aside in a dish.

3. Place your wok or pan back on the heat, and pour in your chopped onions, garlic, chilli and ginger. Stir and cook until softened. Next add in your broccoli, peppers and any veggies that need a little longer cooking i.e carrots, corn, mangetout etc. These should take around 10 minutes to soften.

TIP: If you veggies are sticking, add a tbsp or two of veggie stock or water instead of olive oil as a healthier option.

4. Once your veggies have softened, add in your next round of veggies to the wok, such as cabbage or beansprouts and add back in the tofu. Cook this for around 5 minutes.

5. In the meantime, prepare your sauce.

In a bowl, add your 4 tbsps of soy sauce, 2 tbsps of rice wine vinegar, 1 tbsp of peanut butter, 1 tbsp of maple syrup and the juice of 1 lime.

TIP: Roll the lime around first on a surface to release the lime juice, this makes sure you get every drop of goodness.

Mix all your ingredients together, don't worry if the peanut butter doesn't completely mix in, this just adds a little extra nutty taste to the dish and will mix in when added to the wok.

When everything is combined, pour all of the delicious sauce into the veggies. You may have a little extra liquid left in the pan that hasn't coated the veggies, this is perfect.

6. Next place your noodles into the wok, when combining all your ingredients together, the noodles will soak up that excess sauce. Once you are happy with your Pad Thai, serve up with a fresh slice of lime on the side, for an extra squeeze of zing.

There you have it, Plant Based Pad Thai, perfect for any occasion. This dish serves 5 hungry mouths, and if there is any left over- it can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days.

This recipe was inspired by left over ingredients and sauces that we had already in the house. During isolation, using all the goodies left in our house is a great way of staying home and having a little fun creating in the kitchen.

Be flexible and have fun with this dish. Hope it spices up your isolation with a zing of fresh ingredients.

G x