Tofu Pad See Ew

I am a sucker for Thai food. Even more specifically, I am a sucker for Thai noodle dishes. The appetizers, curries, and salads are all delicious and I could happily enjoy them consistently, but when it comes to the noodles, I simply cannot get enough. And my very favorite? Pad see ew. The dark, slightly sweet sauce and thick rice noodles are amazing. When you add in some vegetables and crispy tofu, it's simply delightful. Unfortunately, it also comes with quite a lot of salt and racks up the calories rather quickly. Getting take out from my favorite thai restaurant means carefully considering calories all day and keeping my portion in check at dinner time. Luckily, it doesn't have to be that way!

This at-home pad see ew keeps the sauce but downplays the salt. Meanwhile, I use brown rice noodles to bulk up the fiber in place of processed grains and pile on the vegetables. The best part? You can customize. I used brocoletti, which is often used in pad see ew, but I also added in king oyster mushrooms en masse. Mushrooms are not a typical vegetable for pad see ew, but I love them and will add them to any and everything as often as possible. Feel free to customize to your favorites.

And, you'll also note the noodles are thin. Unfortunately, I cannot find thick wide rice noodles near me, but that would be more authentic. Luckily, the taste stays the same regardless!

Time: 30 min

(Note: this is using one pan for all the stir frying.. it simplifies clean-up but lengthens time. If you use multiple pans to stir fry everything at once, the time could easily drop to 20 min.)

Tofu Pad See Ew

Ingredients:

8 oz brown rice noodles

4 tsp sesame oil

16 oz king oyster mushrooms (I told you I love them)

16 oz brocoletti

13 oz frozen tofu, thawed* (or double for a lot of leftovers), cut into 1/2" cubes

1/2 c egg white

2 tbsp dark soy sauce (note: this IS different from regular soy sauce)

2 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce**

2 tsp low sodium soy sauce

2 tsp white vinegar

2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp water

*I love frozen tofu, like this one at Wegmans. However, not all groceries offer this. If you don't have the option, go with extra firm but make sure you drain it well for a long time. The frozen tofu is not in water so crisps up immediately in the pan.

**While you can use regular oyster sauce, the vegetarian oyster sauce offers a lot less salt content, usually, compared to the regular oyster sauce. It also makes this meal entirely vegetarian if you are serving to those who are keeping track!

Follow the instructions to get your brown rice noodles cooking. If there are options, do the fully cooked option.

While the noodles are cooking, get a pan heating over medium to medium high heat. Add 1 tsp sesame oil, swirling to coat. Saute the king oyster mushrooms for 8-10 minutes or until browned on both sides. Remove and set in a bowl.

As the mushrooms are sauteing, steam the brocoletti for six minutes. I use a bamboo steamer on a wok to do this. If you don't have that, you can actually add the brocoletti to a microwave-safe dish, add about 1/2 c of water, and microwave for around five minutes - then drain well. This is actually healthier than boiling which leaches vitamins into the water (which is then discarded!)

Add another tsp sesame oil, swirling to coat. Turn the heat down to medium. Add the tofu and saute for 6-8 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove and add to the same bowl holding the mushrooms.

While the tofu is cooking, make the pad see ew sauce. Mix together the dark soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, soy sauce, white vinegar, sugar, and water. Whisk well until sugar is dissolved. Set aside for now.

Add one more tsp of sesame oil, again swirling to coat. Pour in the egg white and scramble. This will cook in just 1-2 minutes so stir constantly and keep a close eye to keep it from burning. Add the egg white to the bowl with the tofu and mushrooms.

Finally, add the last tsp of sesame oil to the pan, swirling to coat. Turn the heat back to medium high. Add the drained and cooked rice noodles and the pad see ew sauce. Mix well and then let the noodles sit on the hot pan for a couple minutes. The goal is to get them slightly caramelized which lends to the rich, sweet flavor. Stir occasionally but not constantly, cooking for around five minutes.

Add the reserved mushrooms, tofu, brocoletti, and egg white to the noodles. Toss well to combine. Enjoy!