Drunken noodles are one of my favorite Thai noodle dishes, and I used to always think there was some type of alcohol in the recipe, even though I couldn’t taste it. I mean, how else did they get drunk? Turns out I was wrong! Drunken noodles (traditionally known as pad kee mao) got their name from the fact that the dish is super spicy and therefore likely to induce one to drink a lot. Enough to get drunk, I suppose! The nice thing about this vegan drunken noodles recipe is that you can tailor the level of spiciness to suit your palate. Don’t feel like getting drunk tonight? Ease up on the peppers and chili paste! Or just drink water. That’s what I do. Either way, the dish will have plenty of flavor, thanks to ingredients like garlic, ginger, dark mushroom soy sauce, and fresh basil.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Wide rice noodles. Look for fettuccine style rice noodles. Thinner rice noodles like pad Thai noodles are fine if you can’t find them.Peanut oil. Just about any high-heat oil can be substituted, such as corn oil, canola oil, or coconut oil.Tofu. The recipe calls for super firm tofu, which is really easy to work with. You could substitute firm or extra firm tofu if you’d like, but you’ll need to press it before cooking.Soy sauce. Tamari or liquid aminos can be substituted if needed.Dark mushroom soy sauce. This ingredient might require a trip to the Asian market. If you want to stick with what’s available at your usual grocery store, you can substitute with more regular soy sauce (or tamari or liquid aminos), though the sauce won’t turn out quite as dark and intense. Vegetarian oyster sauce or regular dark soy sauce can also be used as substitutes.Brown sugar. Use organic brown sugar to keep the recipe vegan. Coconut sugar can be substituted if that’s what you have on hand.Cornstarch.Sambal oelek. This Asian chili paste is available in the international aisle at most supermarkets, and it’s where most of the heat in these vegan drunken noodles comes from. Use less for a milder dish, more for extra spice.Shallot. ½ cup of red onion can be substituted if needed.Garlic.Ginger. Use Thai ginger (galangal) if you can find it. Otherwise, regular ginger is fine.Scallions. Also known as green onions!Red bell pepper.Jalapeño pepper. This will also add some heat to the dish, so leave it out if you’d prefer it mild.Basil. Drunken noodles are traditionally made with holy basil, which is a spicy variety that can be hard to find. Lots of restaurants also use Thai basil as a substitute, which has an anise-like flavor. Either is great in this dish, but Italian basil will work just fine if that’s all you can get. My hack for when I have to use Italian basil is to add a pinch of five spice powder — it helps mimic the flavor of Thai basil!Lime wedges. Serve your vegan drunken noodles with these on the side, then squeeze as much juice onto your noodles as you like.
How They’re Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
Cook your noodles first. Refer to the package directions and just cook them until they’re al dente. Depending on the brand, they may need to be boiled or simply soaked in hot water. In any event, you’ll want to rinse them with cold water and drain them in a colander when they’re done.Do your prep work while the noodles cook. Cut your veggies, mince the garlic, grate the ginger, and mix your sauce up.
Pan-fry your tofu. Heat some oil in a nonstick skillet, then add diced tofu.Cook the tofu for a few minutes, flipping the pieces once or twice, until they’re browned on multiple sides.Remove the tofu from the skillet and transfer it to a plate when it’s finished cooking.
Add some more oil to the skillet, along with finely chopped shallot. Sweat the shallot for a few minutes, until it starts to soften, then add minced garlic, grated ginger, and just the white parts of the scallions. Cook everything a minute or two more.Crank up the heat and add your bell peppers and jalapeños. Stir-fry them for a few minutes, until they brighten in color and become tender-crisp.
Add your cooked noodles to the skillet, along with the tofu and sauce. Quickly mix everything up so the sauce coats the noodles.Cook the mixture briefly, until the sauce thickens up, which should take less than a minute.
Tip: Tongs or a fork work great for quickly mixing up the noodles and sauce in your skillet.
Take the skillet off of the burner and add fresh basil and the green parts of your scallions. Stir everything up so that the hot noodles and veggies cause the basil to wilt.
Serve your vegan drunken noodles with some lime wedges on the side, and enjoy!
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover vegan drunken noodles will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 days.
More Vegan Noodle Recipes
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