Constructing an Eco-Pad Thai

It’s week two of EnviroMom’s Meatless Supper Club, where for eight weeks, ten eco-bloggers are cooking and sharing family-friendly recipes without meat. 

Continuing my theme of distracting the family carnivores, I’m creating build-a-meals. Hopefully the process of construction at the table will be entertaining enough so that the boys (old and young) will not mind that their usual form of protein is missing. 

Tonight I made Tofu Pad Thai. This way, I could make the main rice noodle dish in the kitchen then bring the rest of the ingredients to the table to build on our plates.

The materials:

Pad Thai sauce:
3 tbsp tamarind paste
1/4 cup hot water
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp fish sauce
1-3 tsp. chilli sauce (to taste)

8 oz Thai rice noodles
4 oz firm tofu

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp chopped garlic
3 eggs
4 stems green onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
Fresh coriander leaves
Wedges of lime
1 cup bean sprouts
6 tbsp roasted salted peanuts, chopped

The construction:

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil, then remove from heat. Dunk in the rice noodles. Soak (do not boil) the noodles until soft enough to eat, but still firm and a little "crunchy". Drain and rinse the noodles thoroughly with cold water. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl or cup, dissolve the tamarind paste in the hot water. Then add the other sauce ingredients, stirring well. (Add as much or as little chili sauce as you prefer, but don't skimp on the sugar - it is needed to balance out the sourness of the tamarind.) Set aside.

3. Heat a wok over medium-high heat. Add 2 Tbsp. oil, then add 2 stems of chopped shallots and garlic. Stir-fry 1 minute.

4. Add the tofu and toss until browned.

5. Push the tofu and shallots up the sides of the wok and break eggs into the centre. Stir until whites and yolks are combined and cook, like an omelette. When cooked, remove the egg and slice.  Reserve.

6. Add the drained noodles and pad thai sauce and combine. Keep tossing, maintaining the heat between medium and medium-high – the pan must be hot enough to finish cooking the noodles but not burn them.  Stir-fry until noodles are cooked but firm.

7. Bring the noodles to the table with bowls of chopped peanuts, coriander, egg, bean sprouts, limes and the rest of the chopped shallots.

8. Start building!

The verdict:

The cooking was easy and the construction was fun. Even though everything in the bowls was technically 'optional', I found everything did go on the plate.  I'm sure if I put it all together in the kitchen I would have had a: "What is this?" (accompanied by wrinkled nose). So veg pad thai is a keeper.

You can find the rest of week two's Meatless Supper Club recipes here.