Sunday, September 25, 2011

Vegetarian pad thai

I've recently became a tofu eating freak. Don't get me wrong, thre's nothing wrong with eating tofu, or with being a freak for that matter. The wierd thing about my tofu eating habit is that I have loathed tofu for so long, I was actually famous for campaining against "that cardboard-like crap". I would tell to everyone that listened to me that never would I dream of ruining a perfectly good dish by putting tofu in it. And so on.

The problem, if you are wondering what my problem was, is that the only way I had ever had tofu was in miso soup and, let's be honest, when you eat it like that it doen't taste like much. And I find that the broth makes it kind of slimey too, which is not my favorite consistency in the world.

I had to go to a Japanese restaurant in Milano to change my mind. There, because of a mistake, they brought me a noodle dish with tofu instead of chicken. What a revelation. Because it was sauteed in spices and condiments, it was actually yummy. There and then I decided that tofu would become part of my diet. I bought it shortly afterward and tried my first tofu recipe at home, adapting a Cooking Light pad thai recipe. Success!

VEGETARIAN PAD THAI

Sauce:


  • 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons apple vinegar
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons hot sauce
  • 1 tablespoon honey


  • Noodles:


  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 5 ounces)
  • 1 cup matchstick cut zucchini 
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 8 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 cup light coconut milk  
  • 1 cup (1-inch) sliced green onion tops
  • 1 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 1/3 cup dry-roasted peanuts
  • 8 ounces uncooked wide rice stick noodles (Banh Pho), cooked and drained
  • 5 lime wedges


  • To prepare sauce, combine first 4 ingredients, stirring with a whisk.

    To prepare noodles, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, zucchini, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add sauce and tofu; cook 1 minute. Stir in coconut milk; cook 2 minutes. Stir in green onions and next 3 ingredients (lettuce through noodles); cook 1 minute.

    Serve with lime wedges.
    

    5 comments:

    1. I can relate as I have never been a fan of tofu; this dish however sounds really good and I would make it in a heartbeat~

      ReplyDelete
    2. That vegetarian Pad Thai looks amazing and ever so scrumptious!

      Cheers,

      Rosa

      ReplyDelete
    3. I never get tired of reading recipes of Pad Thai...everyone has a new special detail...Thanks!

      ReplyDelete
    4. My first time eating tofu was in pad thai and I've been a lover ever since. This looks excellent!

      ReplyDelete
    5. Beautiful blog!
      I love your recipes and presentation of dishes.
      I'm  your followers in google friends connect now!!!!
      If you want, come and visit me, you're welcome
      www.lamagicazucca.blogspot.com

      ReplyDelete

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