Vegetable Pad Thai – the perfect at-home “take out” dish, bursting with flavor, freshness, and spice!
Do you remember me saying I was trying to be a little bit healthier in 2016? Or at least leading a more balanced life when it comes to indulging?
I gave myself a 3 week challenge of working out and eating healthier (which pretty much just meant less wine and sugar – ha, did I have a problem before?). I’m so proud to say that I did in fact work out EVERY DAY for three weeks. And guess what – I’m ending week four now. Yep, week four. Takes 21 days to make or break a habit my friends, and I’m happy to say that I’m feeling stronger, healthier, and ready to celebrate with a glass of wine and noodles.
Noodles in the form of Pad Thai that is. Yep, I’m celebrating my newly redefined “balanced life” with a big bowl of Vegetable Pad Thai. The beauty in it is that I think it’s actually pretty healthy? I’m no dietitian or health nut, but stir fry some rice noodles with a bunch of veggies, a little bit of sauce, and lotsa spices, and I’d say you’re on the right track. So that’s exactly what I did.
This Pad Thai recipe – rather, a variation of it – has been in my family for many, many years now (dang, I’m getting old). Anyway, my family has perfected this recipe time and time again, always tweaking, revising, and adding a little bit more of something each time.
I literally have scraps, scraps of paper (one is the back of an old grocery list) with this recipe fragments of instructions written all over. Lucky for me I was able to decipher it through all of these years – without ever rewriting it in a legible way (until now!), because that’d be too easy, right?
I love that the sauce for this recipe is so customizable, too. Depending on your tastes, you can adjust the spice or sweetness level without losing any of the flavor. If meat’s your thing, you can sear some shrimp or slice up some chicken pieces to throw in (I always do shrimp if I’m going to add a protein). And of course, you can add or subtract veggies that you enjoy!
Be sure you top off the Pad Thai with cilantro, peanuts, and the juice of a lime wedge!
Get the Recipe Vegetable Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 16 ounces rice noodles, prepared as directed on package (see notes)
FOR THE SAUCE:
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon fish or oyster sauce
- 1 Tablespoon sriracha or chili garlic sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger, freshly grated or paste
- 1/2 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 2 teaspoons coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
PAD THAI:
- 3-4 Tablespoons canola oil
- 4 carrots, ribboned or thinly sliced
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 cups snap peas
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1/2 cup peanuts, chopped
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 2 limes, wedged
- Cilantro, to garnish
Instructions
- Prepare rice noodles as directed on package (see notes).
- Whisk together the following to create the sauce: soy sauce, fish or oyster sauce, sriracha or chili garlic paste, ginger, sesame oil, turmeric, coriander, cumin, and brown sugar. Adjust to taste and set aside.
- Scramble eggs and set aside in small bowl.
- Heat oil in large skillet (or wok if you have one). Add onion and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic, snap peas, and carrots. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- When your noodles are ready, add to vegetable mix. Add in sauce and stir-fry until thoroughly mixed and the vegetables/noodles have finished cooking (approximately 2-3 additional minutes). Add in sprouts and cook for 1 minute.
- Top with chopped peanuts, green onions, cilantro, and the juice of a lime.
Notes
The noodles I have available in my grocery store are: A Taste of Thai Rice Noodles
; I have used other brands before, just make sure they are the flat rice noodles and/or say Pad Thai (sometimes stir-fry) noodles. Also, this is the chili garlic sauce
I use, but sriracha works just as well if you have it.
