I have literally been sitting on this pad Thai recipe since before Satya was born… and I’m only sharing it now… GASP!
I am so sorry that I have deprived the world of this whole foods deliciousness for this long.
I accept whatever punishment you see fit.
Now.. one of the reasons I was so keen to develop a pad Thai recipe is for two reasons:
- Pad Thai is freakin’ delicious
- It also has tons of not so health building ingredients
Most restaurant Pad Thai ‘s contain:
- Corn starch
- Refined white sugar
- Vegetable/corn/soybean oil
- Non-organic tofu which has TONS of pesticides and herbicides and is one of the most genetically modified products out there
- Very little veggies
Ingredients like the aforementioned ones are hard on the digestive system, are generally modified, processed and promote inflammation in the body, as well as create ama or toxic build up.
So… I hate being “that person” and I’m not suggesting that you start fearing restraints Pad
Because when we know better, we’ll do better.
I think restaurant food is a great treat once in a while but it can get expensive, is often not as health building, and doesn’t contain the same love and prana as when we make it at home.
IF you wanna hear more about my thoughts on why we should make our food at home and how this cultivates deeper nourishment, check out Episode 5 of the Yogi Fuel Podcast!
Ok…
On to the Pad Thai..
If you know me well, you know I’m all about the veggies, and I’m all about creating the most nutrient dense meals possible! When we up our veggie game, we uplevel out micronutrient levels and this supports all the tissues of our body, improves our energy, supercharges our body’s ability to heal, and so much more.
So for me, I load up on the veggies
You also know, I’m all about educating how you can modify recipes for you Dosha!
This bad boy can be made a few different ways to accommodate each of the Dosha’s, and it doesn’t take much. Just a few simple tweaks.
If you don’t know your Dosha, check out my Dosha quiz here!
Pad Thai is definitely Pacifying for
It is hot, sweet, spicy, heavy, and thick – which means it is perfect for a vata, but not so much for kapha.
Here’s how you could modify this recipe based on your Dosha!
For Vatas, keep this recipe as is! Add a little spice, and don’t be afraid to load up on the PB and Maple syrup to really help you ground. You could also switch out the noodles for sweet potato if you’re into it.
To make this more suitable to pitta, reduce the spice, or omit it all together.
To make this more suitable for kapha, up the spice, and maybe decrease the peanut butter in this recipe. Also, add TONS of veggies and perhaps substitute white rice noodles for sweet potato or zucchini noodles.
Now this recipe is one of my faves – in
It also features my super simple, 5-ingredient Sweet Chilli Sauce that will leave you
Alright, try this recipe out and let me know how it goes! Tag me on Instagram @melissasinghyogifuel or send me a DM if you try it. I’d love to see how it turns out!
Servings |
people
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- 1 head broccoli plus stems chopped finely
- 1 red pepper
- 2 carrots sliced finely
- 1/2 cup red cabbage
- 2 stalks bok choy slickly finely
- 1/2 package rice noodle medium sized
- 1 block Extra Firm Tofu
- 1/4 cup Peanutbutter
- 1/4 cup tamari
- 1 tbsp maple syrup more to taste
- 2 tsp tamarind
- 1/4 cup chili garlic sauce see notes for sub
- 1 pinch ginger powder or 1/4 tsp grated ginger
- 1 lime juiced + more to taste
Ingredients
Pad Thai
Sauce
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- Slice your veggies to desired shape - I like to keep mine thin and long - but you can chop them however you'd like!
- Saute in a pan with 1 tbsp avocado or other neutral tasting oil.
- While this is happening, boil a large pot of water for your noodles - I recommend following the instructions on your package to ensure you make them properly as some differ. See notes if you want to use sweet potato noodles instead!
- Chope your tofu into even cubes and saute in a seperate pan with refined coconut oil or avocado oil. You want to use these oils as they have a higher smoke point, meaning you can fry things in them without oxidation. You can use up to 1/4 cup of oil if you want that authentic "Pad Thai" taste. If not, a saute will do just fine, OR if you're feeling lazy, just toss em in with the veggies.
- Ok, once everything is cooked, add your noodles, veggies and tofu together.. and stir.
- Ok... here is the most important part of this recipe... ADD IN THE SAUCE AT THE VERY END, ONCE THE PAD THAI IS OFF THE HEAT. In my experience if you add the sauce too soon, it thickens up and isn't as saucy. It's kinda chunky... we don't want this! So remove your veggies and noodles from the heat before adding in the sauce!
- Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix together. BAM!
- If you don't have the sweet chili sauce, you can do as follows, OR follow this link to make your own: http://www.melissasingh.com/recipe/easy-peasy-5-ingredient-sweet-chili-garlic-sauce/ (it's actually really easy).
- Add 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar, 2 chopped cloves of garlic, an additional 1-2 tbsp mapl syrup (to taste) and 1 tsp red chillies to the sauce.
- Place 1 tsp of tapioca starch with a tiny bit of water, stir until dissolved, and place in the sauce. You can add a little bit of water to thin out the sauce a little if you'd like.
To make your own Chili Garlic Sauce follow this link
Sweet Potato Noodles: This is ideal if you have a spiralizer. If you don't, it's a bit of a mission to try and make sweet potato noodles. If you DO have a spiralizer, I would so 1-2 sweet potatoes on whatever setting your heart desires - though I like the medium thick noodle-y one.
All you will do to "cook" the noodles, is lightly saute in a bit of oil, and cover for maaaaybe 5 minutes. It doesn't take too long and you wanna keep your eye on the noodles so they don't get too soft.
Then just follow the instructions the same way.
For Zucchini noodles, I wouldn't even saute them. I just add them to the mixture, and the heat from the veggies and sauce will cook them up slightly. I find overly cooking the zucchini noodles makes them toomushy. Though, you could lightly saute them for 1-2 minutes.