Veggie Pad Thai
Pad Thai is one of Thailand’s most famous noodle dishes - normally made with seafood but this veggie version works really well. Treat it like a stir-fry and get all your ingredients prepared beforehand. The actual cooking only takes a few minutes.
Serves 4
Vegetarian, Vegan
Time: 5 minutes + 10 minutes preparation
Cost: about £1-£2 a head depending how many ingredients you've got already
200g medium rice noodles
3 tbsp sunflower oil or other light cooking oil
Half a bunch of spring onions, peeled and finely sliced
A small (300g) pack stir-fry vegetables with beansprouts
150g pack golden marinated tofu
2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
Juice of 1 lime + 1 whole lime
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
75g unsalted roast peanuts*, roughly chopped
2-3 tsp of sesame oil
3 heaped tbsp chopped fresh coriander + a few extra coriander leaves for decoration
Drop the noodles into a large pan of boiling water with a little oil added, bring back to the boil, boil for a minute then drain and rinse under cold running water. Heat a wok or large frying pan add the oil then tip in the spring onions and stir-fry vegetables and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the tofu and cook for a further minute then add the crushed garlic, lime juice, soy sauce and chilli sauce. Stir then turn the heat right down and tip in the noodles. Using a serving spoon and fork toss them with the rest of the ingredients till they are thoroughly mixed together. Add the chopped peanuts, sesame oil and coriander and toss again then serve in warm bowls with a few extra coriander leaves sprinkled on top. Serve with a lime wedge on the side and put out the soy sauce, sesame oil and sweet chilli sauce so everyone can add more if they wish.
WARNING: Do not give this dish to anyone without checking whether they are allergic to peanuts
TOP TIPS
* To prepare the peanuts put them in a small pan without any oil and heat gently shaking the pan occasionally until they start to brown. Remove from the heat, cool then tip them onto a clean teatowel and rub off and discard the papery skins. Chop them roughly
* Ingredients such as soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce and sesame oil are much cheaper in an Asian supermarket. Remember sesame oil goes off quite quickly so only buy it in small quantities