I’ve been eating oodles of noodles lately – five kinds within the past week, to be exact. On Friday, a friend prepared jajangmyeon for the two of us (using my favorite store-bought products). And in the evening, we feasted on pho and garlic noodles at Sup Noodle Bar in Cerritos.
Then, after surviving Anjunabeach SoCal and enjoying a big home-cooked breakfast the following morning, I chowed down on Singapore-style stir-fried vermicelli (among many other things) at Vegas Seafood Buffet in Glendale.
Apparently, I didn’t get my fill because I decided to whip up this pad thai with tofu upon returning home from Los Angeles. The dish is easy to assemble and packs a flavor punch.
If you’re craving sweet and sour food, make a batch of pad thai with tofu. And be sure to double the recipe when feeding more than a few hungry people.
Recipe adapted from Taste.
- 8 ounces rice noodles (see notes)
- 1 8-oz. package extra firm tofu
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil, divided
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups mung bean sprouts
- 4 green onions, cut into 1½" pieces
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons roasted chili powder or shichimi togarashi
- lime wedges
- Soak rice noodles in warm water until pliable, about 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Remove tofu from package and place on a double layer of paper towels. Place two more paper towels on top of tofu and gently press with a fry pan (or another weight) to remove excess liquid. Let stand for about 15 minutes. Cut tofu into small cubes (about ¾ inch) and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil in a fry pan over medium heat. Arrange tofu in the pan in a single layer and cook, turning occasionally, until browned all over. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, white vinegar and sugar.
- In the same fry pan used to cook the tofu, heat remaining tablespoon avocado oil over medium heat. Add drained rice noodles and fish sauce mixture and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed.
- Push rice noodles to one side of the pan. Add eggs to the other side of the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost set. Fold in the rice noodles.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in mung bean sprouts, green onions and prepared tofu. Garnish with peanuts, roasted chili powder or shichimi togarashi, and lime wedges.
