Vegan Pad Kra Pao
This tofu dish is inspired by a Thai dish called ‘Pad kra pao’ which translates to ‘holy basil stir fry’ however there is no basil in this so it is purely inspired by rather than an authentic recipe.
Tofu replicates the traditionally used mince meat in this dish and makes for a lean protein filled main and a healthy but tasty mid-week dinner. Many tofu dishes require marinating or baking the tofu which is fairly time consuming however this recipe calls for the tofu to just be crumbled straight into the pan and is done from start to finish in 15 minutes.
This super simple Thai inspired recipe is quick and easy high protein recipe for when you want something flavourful and nourishing. It’s perfect for batch cooking as it reheats perfectly. Serve with some fluffy rice and your favourite stir fried veg.
Ingredients and substitutes-
- Tofu- The Thai dish that inspired me for this dish uses mince chicken or pork but tofu replicates these really well when crumbled up into a mince like texture. Tofu keeps its structure when food processed and cooked this way and also absorbs the seasoning perfectly. I used extra firm tofu for this but you could use medium to firm just not silken tofu.
- Fresh chilli- Using fresh chilli works perfectly in this dish by making it into a paste so there are no lumps of chilli. I use a pestle and mortar to crush the chilli and garlic cloves into a sticky paste. You could also use a premade chilli paste.
- Sweet soy sauce- using sweet soy sauce gives a sweet sticky finish to the dish. If you can’t find this feel free to add half a teaspoon of brown sugar.
FAQ-
- Do I have to use all 3 soy sauces?- I personally find that the 3 work well together. Dark soy sauce is for that rich flavour and deep colour, light soy sauce adds more volume to the sauce without watering it down too much and sweet soy sauce gives that caramelised sticky finish that when paired with plain rice really works so well.
- Does this microwave well?- yes I recommend having this for lunch the next day as the flavours intensify. Make sure when reheating you keep the container covered to ensure it doesn’t dry out and as always with rice make sure it is heated all the way through to ensure it is safe to eat.
Thai Style Spicy Stir Fried Tofu
This spicy tofu dish is the perfect healthy high protein mid week meal that is sweet and savoury and full of aromatic flavours. Serve up with some fluffy rice and your favourite stir fried vegetables.
Ingredients
- 280 g Block firm tofu
- 1 Red chilli
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 1/2 Onion
- 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Sweet soy sauce
Instructions
- Deseed the chilli and cut into smaller pieces. Cut up the onion and peel the garlic. Put all of these into a pestle and mortar or high speed blender until a paste is created, you may need to scrape down the sides often and have some patience until it becomes a paste.
- Add a tablespoon of neutral oil to a pan and once heated add in the paste. Fry the paste stirring often to ensure it doesn’t stick or burn.
- Crumble up or food process the tofu block making sure all the pieces are similar size. Stir this into the aromatic paste.
- Mix together really well making sure all of the tofu pieces are coated in the aromatic paste.
- Mix together all 3 soy sauces and turn the pan down to a low heat. Add the soy sauce into the tofu mixture and cook until the tofu is browned and slightly sticky. at this point feel free to taste and add more soy sauce if you would prefer.
- I tend to serve this with jasmine or sticky rice as the tofu is very flavourful it goes perfectly with a plain rice.
- Add your favourite stir fried veg and top with chopped spring onions.
- Enjoy and don’t forget to save some for lunch the next day!
Notes
Chilli and garlic paste - If you have a lot of chilli and garlic you can make a bigger batch of the paste and store in the fridge for a few days, add to noodles, rice or any other protein.
Making the paste - As there is few and small quantities of ingredients for the paste I would recommend to use a small food processer or a pestle and mortar as a big food processor will struggle to make this into a paste and rather a chunkier mix.
If you love this recipe you should check out some of my other recipes!
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