Pad Thai with Brown Rice Noodles, Carrot, Broccoli, Bok Choy, Red Cabbage, Mung Bean Sprouts, and Cilantro
Pad Thai
Here’s a frequent quick supper at our house:
16 oz. brown rice noodles, preferably flat pad Thai noodles
Sauce:
2 T. tamarind paste or sauce
¼ c. hot water
2 T. low sodium tamari
1 – 2 T. chili paste
4 t. sugar
2 small limes, juiced
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
Vegetables:
4 shallots or 1 red onion and/or 8 scallions
4 large bok choy
¼ red or green cabbage
2 heads broccoli
1 c. mung sprouts
4 carrots
1 c. cilantro
Additions (optional):
7 – 16 oz. tofu, extra firm or baked
¼ c. chopped roasted peanuts
Prepare tamarind, if necessary, following the instructions for dried tamarind in the link. Or you may use a bottled tamarind sauce or a jar of prepared tamarind paste.
Cook noodles. Drain and set aside.
Dissolve tamarind paste in water, if necessary. Add the rest of the ingredients for the sauce and mix well or heat to dissolve sugar.
Slice or chop vegetables and grate carrots. Sauté shallots or onions, if using, bok choy, cabbage, and broccoli, about 5 minutes. Add carrots, mung sprouts, and scallions and tofu, if using, and heat briefly, about 2 minutes.
Mix noodles and sauce and add vegetables.
Sprinkle with chopped cilantro, and optional tofu and/or peanuts.
Mung sprouts do not keep well. Use within a day of purchase or freeze, unwashed. When you are ready to cook, wash the frozen sprouts and add them to the dish in time to thaw them, but they do not need to be cooked, just heated. I like mung sprouts chopped, so they are bite sized, but they are traditionally left whole.
Use any chili paste you can find without added oil. I like Thai Kitchen red curry paste.