Phad Thai
250g flat rice noodles
2-3 shallots
4 spring onions
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon chili paste
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon peanut butter
2 tablespoons vegetarian oyster sauce
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 bunch baby Asian greens or baby spinach
200g bean sprouts
a handful of roughly chopped fresh coriander leaves
a handful of roughly chopped dry roasted peanuts
about 300g firm tofu, drained & pressed (optional)
Whisk together the chili paste, soy sauce, lime juice, peanut butter, veg-oyster sauce and sugar in a bowl. If using tofu, slice it into cubes or triangles and marinade in the sauce for at least half an hour.
Soak the rice noodles in a bowl of warm water for about half an hour, then drain thoroughly. Meanwhile, peel and thinly slice the shallots and garlic, and diagonally slice the spring onions into 1cm pieces.
Heat a wok over medium-high heat and add the oil. If using the tofu, lift it out of the sauce with a slotted spoon, stir fry until golden brown and set aside. Put the vegetables in the wok and stir-fry for two minutes. Then add the rice noodles and sauce. Stir-fry for a few minutes, mixing well, until the noodles are nearly cooked.
Add the bean sprouts and greens, and mix well. Once the noodles are cooked, stir in the coriander and peanuts, and serve at once with tofu pieces on top.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
i actually found vegetarian oyster sauce at a vegetarian health food store in chinatown
but to those that were wondering, i found a wonderful recipe using fermented soybeans. i did not come up with this recipe, but it works well!
2 Tbsp Chinese fermented black soybeans
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp sherry
1-2 Tbsp miso
Combine soy sauce and sherry in a small bowl. Optionally rinse off
salt from the beans. If you have a garlic press, press beans directly
into soy sauce mixture otherwise just put beans in the sauce. Let
this sit for at least 10 minutes so that beans get all soft. Mash
together and add miso. When ready to use, strain out solids. I'm not
sure if letting the mixture sit longer deepens the flavor but it
probably does.
what can i use to sub for the veg oyster sauce? i haven't been able to find it anywhere except online
Sorry, I don't know a lot about Asian condiments so I couldn't recommend a substitute... ???
Lee Kum Kee's vegetarian stir-fry sauce is amazing - made with shiitake mushrooms. Unfortunately I couldn't find a consumer-sized bottle available on the web. Hopefully most Asian food stores will carry it, or be able to get it in for you.
Are you in the USA? You may be able to find a local retailer using this link: http://usa.lkk.com/common/Locator/locator.aspx
what can i use to sub for the veg oyster sauce? i haven't been able to find it anywhere except online
White miso diluted to the right consistency with water is often used as a substitute for fish/oyster sauce...
what can i use to sub for the veg oyster sauce? i haven't been able to find it anywhere except online