Vegan Spicy Thai Drunken Noodles with Seared Tofu
Savory, sweet, and spicy, drunken noodles are a simple, few ingredient recipe for making oil-free Thai food at home. Add some seared tofu some favorite veggies, or eat these savory noodles alone.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 416kcal
Ingredients
- 1 Package Wide Rice Noodle
- 14 ounces extra firm tofu pressed with a Tofu Press and cut into 1 inch cubes
Tofu Marinade
Drunken Noodle Sauce
- 4 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
- ¼ cup Organic Vegetable Broth
- ¼ cup Tamari Liquid Aminos, or Soy Sauce
- 4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar or substitute maple syrup
- 1 Thai Red Chili, diced more if you like it extra hot
- 2 Tablespoons Sriracha
Vegetables
- 1 Yellow Onion diced
- 6 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 cup fresh, chopped Thai Basil
Instructions
Tofu
- Press tofu ( using a tofu press) thoroughly BEFORE cutting into cubes
- Cut tofu into small cubes.
- Marinate by covering with the specified tofu marinate indicated above.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour
Preparing the Noodles
- Rice noodles are much more delicate and fragile than typical spaghetti noodle.
- Place all your rice noodles in a wide mixing bowl.
- Bring 4 cups of water to boil.
- Pour the boiling water over the rice noodles until they are completely submerged.
- Stir to loosen the noodles every few minutes, so they don't stick together.
- When they are completely limp, give them a taste to see if they're cooked through.
- The flat rice noodles might take upwards of ten minutes, depending on thickness.
- Pay attention and test the noodles frequently because they'll become mushy if they overcook.
- The noodles are being stir-fried for the drunken noodles, so you want to under-cook them.
- They will absorb more moisture and cook the rest once in the stir fry. If your noodles are perfectly cooked to start, they will turn to mush in the stir fry.
- Once the noodles are tender, drain them and run them under COLD water to stop the cooking.
Drunen Noodle Sauce
- Whisk Drunken Noodle sauce ingredients together.
- When noodles are drained and rinsed in COLD water, pour the sauce over the noodles before cooking.
- Stir sauce into the noodles and let sit while you cook the tofu.
Cooking
- Heat wok to medium-high.
- Add onion and garlic, and cook until translucent.
- Add red Thai chili pepper.
- Add tofu and sauce, and sear tofu.
- Let it cook before tossing it around in the wok.
- Add rice noodles and sauce to tofu.
Serving
- Add ¾ cup basil, reserving ¼ cup for garnish.
- Add noodles mixture to a bowl.
- Sprinkle with extra basil.
- Serve with a wedge of lime.
- Serve with a side of red pepper flakes for those who want to add more heat.
- I also serve Sriracha on the side because I like it hot.
Notes
- I suggest marinating the tofu overnight for the best results.
- Extra firm, extra-extra firm, or spouted tofu is the best for marinating and cooking tofu.
- If grilling the tofu, do not cut it into cubes first. Wait until after grilling.
- When working with any spicy ingredients, add them slowly and taste them to get the correct flavor for individual taste preferences.
- Serve with wedges of lime and cilantro for additional flavor.
- I prefer thick wide noodles, but any rice noodle works well with this dish.
- To reheat this vegan drunken noodle recipe, reheat noodles gently over medium-low heat in a large skillet until warmed through, adding a splash of water or oil as needed.
- Vegan drunken noodles will stay freshly refrigerated for 3-4 days.
- Rice noodles do not freeze well.
Nutrition
Serving: 4g | Calories: 416kcal | Carbohydrates: 89g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 483mg | Potassium: 520mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 413IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 3mg