Tofu Pad Thai (Recipe #126)

I love food with an Asian influence. Well, I love all types of food! I have really begun to enjoy using rice noodles. This recipe for tofu pad thai was a simple recipe that highlighted a few delicious ingredients. Using rice noodles, a beautiful sauce, bean sprouts, and crispy tofu, this bowl came together perfectly! It said that it served four, but it only fed Jacob and I for dinner one night--yes, it was that good!

I started by preparing the noodles, the tofu, and the sauce. I put the rice noodles in a large bowl with very hot tap water and let them sit for about 20 minutes. At the same time, I diced my tofu and let that drain for 20 minutes. In the meantime, I prepared the sauce by combining concentrated tamarind, boiling water, fish sauce substitute, sugar, rice vinegar, oil, and cayenne pepper. The recipe does call for tamarind paste, but I could only find concentrated tamarind. I used the same amount of concentrated tamarind as what was required, but I did not go through the step of straining it--the concentrated tamarind does not need to be strained in my opinion. I coated the drained tofu in cornstarch and sauteed that in a pan with oil until it became crispy. I set those on a paper towel lined plate until I was ready to use them.

Then, I started to prepare the rest of the vegetables. I sliced a few scallions, chopped peanuts, and cut limes into wedges. I also minced a shallot and garlic cloves. I started to saute the shallot and garlic in a pan with oil. Once the shallot was soft and began to brown, I added in the sauce I made earlier and the noodles. I also mixed in the tofu and let it stay on the heat for a couple minutes. I removed the pan from the heat, portioned it into bowls, and added the toppings.

This bowl came together quickly and it was amazing! The flavor was just incredible. It was slightly sweet, but also savory. The garnishes helped add flavor, color, and texture. I really enjoyed this pad thai and I would love to make it again!

Taste: 10/10!

Level of difficulty: 1/5

Notes for next time: This was amazing!