Pad Thai

Phat Thai

Thailand's national dish is Pad Thai.

Serves

Total

35 min

Difficulty

Medium

Diet

Plant-based

No. 037

A plate of vegan pad thai topped with crushed peanuts and a lime wedge

You know Pad Thai — it's the dish everyone thinks of when they think of Thailand. But do you really know Pad Thai?

There's plenty the world gets wrong about it — too sweet, no tamarind, not enough of that subtle but delicious sour edge. For most, fish sauce and dried shrimp do a lot of the flavour profile's heavy lifting.

Which is the fun of making it vegan: you have to rebuild that funk from nothing. Get the tamarind, salt and umami right and nobody misses the egg.

By The Cardinal Atlas deskEvergreen entry · reviewed for accuracy

The recipe

Prep

25m

Cook

10m

Difficulty

medium

Serves2

200 gFlat rice noodles (soaked, not boiled)
3 tbspTamarind paste — wet seedless block, not concentrate
2 tbspPalm sugar
2 tbspLight soy + 1 tsp dark miso (replaces the fish sauce funk)
150 gFirm tofu (pressed, cubed)
100 gBeansprouts
a handfulGarlic chives
40 gRoasted peanuts (crushed)

Method

1Soak noodles in warm water 25 min until pliable but firm. Drain.
2Melt tamarind, palm sugar and the soy-miso into a glossy sauce. Taste: sour-led, then sweet, then salt.
3Fry tofu hard in a hot wok until edged and golden. Push aside.
4Add noodles and sauce; toss constantly so they drink it in without clumping.
5Throw in beansprouts and chives for the last 30 seconds — they should stay crunchy.
6Plate, smother in peanuts, lime cheek on the side. Done.

The swaps

Original	Plant-based	Why it works
Fish sauce	Light soy + a little dark miso	Rebuilds the salty fermented depth without the fish.
Egg	Hard-fried tofu	Carries the same chewy-soft contrast against the noodle.
Dried shrimp	Extra toasted peanuts	Keeps the savoury crunch the shrimp was there for.

Tips

Sauce should taste a touch too strong cold — the noodles dilute it.
Cook in single portions; a crowded wok steams.

Make it

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Good to know

What is Thailand's food?