Kick off your Veganuary with Lucy Watson’s vegan pad Thai

“Another Asian dish that is a particular favourite of mine. However, I discovered only recently that a lot of places make pad Thai with a fish sauce, so even vegetable pad Thai could be off the table for vegans and vegetarians! The good news is that fish sauce is actually quite easy to recreate by infusing tamarind paste and soy sauce. I’ve added in lots of different veggies so this dish with all its colours and textures looks incredible – and tastes even better!” – Lucy Watson

Vegan pad thai
Serves 1

Ingredients

• 100g dried flat rice noodles
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 tbsp light muscovado sugar
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2.5cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into thin strips
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 100g firm tofu, crumbled
• 120g prepared stir-fry vegetable mix (such as carrots, beansprouts, Asian greens, etc)
• 1 tbsp chopped peanuts and chopped coriander leaves, to garnish
• 2 lime wedges, to serve

Method

1. Soak the noodles in cold water for 10 minutes or until soft.
2. Put the soy sauce, tamarind and sugar in a bowl and mix together, then leave to one side.
3. Put a non-stick wok over a high heat. When hot, add the oil, garlic and ginger, and cook for 30 seconds.
4. Add the onion, turmeric and tofu, and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes or until the tofu becomes crispy.
5. Add the vegetable mix and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
6. Lift the noodles out of the water and put directly into the wok. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add the tamarind sauce mix and 2 tbsp water. Stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes or until the noodles are soft and coated in the thickened liquid, then garnish with peanuts and coriander.
7. Serve with lime wedges.

Extracted from Feed Me Vegan: Comforting Vegan Recipes for All Your Favourite Meals by Lucy Watson (Sphere).