Asparagus and Tofu Vegan Pad Thai

This asparagus and tofu vegan pad thai is packed full of flavour, without the usual egg and fish sauce that a pad thai demands. Give it a go – the texture of the tofu works incredibly well!

Pad thai is a delicious, comforting noodle dish. If you haven’t tried it yet, then you need to because it is really tasty and makes the perfect dinner (it’s ready in just 20 minutes).

I see it as a lazy night dinner. The rewards you get for a really short cooking time are much higher than the effort that goes into making it. There really is nothing better than a warm bowl of juicy noodles after a long day.

This particular vegan pad thai uses tamarind paste for a sour note – it balances the rest of the ingredients incredibly well and gives that traditional pad thai flavour.

The Ingredients

• Fresh rice noodles – fresh makes the cooking time really quick here. You could use dried – just precook according to the packet instructions.
• Firm tofu – you need firm to get the right texture for this recipe.
• Lime – adds that bright, citrus zing.
• Tamarind paste – as mentioned above, brings a moreish sour note.
• Sweet chilli sauce – the better your sweet chilli sauce, the better your pad thai will be! I use this one.
• Soy sauce – dark brings the best flavour, but you can use light too.
• Asparagus spears – asparagus is delicious in this recipe. You could use other green vegetables, like peas or mange tout.
• Beansprouts – the ‘crunch’ from the beansprouts is incredible here. Use fresh, not tinned.
• Garlic – absolutely necessary for flavour. You can use more, if you want to.
• Coriander and peanuts – traditional pad thai toppings. Yum!

Cooking the Pad Thai

This is a straightforward dish to make, but here are my tips to make it work:

• Get all of your ingredients prepared before you start cooking. You’ll need to add things to the wok in quite quick succession so it helps to have everything ready to go.
• You’ll need a large wok to cook this in. If you don’t have one, you can use large saucepan but the cooking will take longer.

Asparagus and Tofu Pad Thai

Harriet Young

March 17, 2024

All the flavour of a traditional pad thai, but vegan!

5

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Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Thai

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 300 g fresh rice noodles
• 349 g pack of firm tofu
• 1 lime
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 10 asparagus spears cut into 1 inch pieces
• 6 spring onions sliced thinly
• 300 g bag beansprouts
• 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
• handful each coriander leaves and salted peanuts to serve

Instructions

 

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a wok. Cut the tofu into small cubes and fry for about 10 minutes, until golden brown. Tip onto a piece of kitchen roll to drain.
• Add the remaining oil to the wok and add the garlic, asparagus, spring onions and beansprouts. Stir fry for about 5 minutes until the beansprouts have wilted and the asparagus has started to soften.
• Tip in the noodles and str fry until heated through.
• Juice the lime, and mix the juice with the tamarind paste, soy sauce and chilli sauce. Tip into the wok with the tofu and stir well.
• Serve topped with the coriander and peanuts. Delicious!

Keyword asparagus, noodles, tofu, vegan

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More Thai style recipes to enjoy:

• Thai Coconut Mussels
• Vegetarian Pad Thai
• Thai Fish Curry
• Thai Noodle Soup
• Super Easy Pad Thai
• Quick and Easy Tom Kha Soup
• 15 Minute Beef Penang Curry
• Pan Fried Salmon with Coconut Noodle Broth
• Easy Thai Red Chicken Curry
• Pan Fried Tilapia with Massaman Sauce and Potatoes
• Thai Green Noodle Soup with Pan Fried Sea Bass