Soy-Free Pad Thai
Soy-Free Pad Thai
You may be avoiding soy due to allergies, sensitivities, or personal dietary choices. By switching coconut aminos for soy sauce, I made a delicious alternative to traditional Pad Thai! The trick to making this recipe is to not overcook the noodles and to taste test the sauce to find the right balance of flavors.Vegan, Gluten-fee, Soy-free
Ingredients
- 8 oz Pad Thai rice noodles soaked
- 5 oz shiitake mushrooms thinly sliced, stems removed
- 8 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1/2 cup red onion chopped
- 1 tbsp sugar of choice raw cane, light brown, palm, or coconut
- 1 cup mung bean sprouts rinsed well, more or less to taste
- 1/4 cup green onion chopped, green tops only
- 1/4 cup peanuts crushed/chopped
- 1 lime cut into wedges, for serving
- cilantro optional, for garnish
- 1 tbsp grapeseed oil
- olive oil for mushrooms
- sea salt for mushrooms
Spicy Pad Thai Sauce
- 6 tbsp tamarind concentrate* see notes on how to make tamarind concentrate
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos
- 4 dried Thai red chili peppers OR 1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper powder* finely chopped or grinded, more or less depending on heat preference. If you're unsure, start with less. This amount of chili pepper is spicy!
- 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
Instructions
Soak Noodles
- Soak the rice noodles in warm tap water for 1 hour, then drain. This method takes the longest, but I've found it produces the most consistent results. If you are short on time, you can boil the noodles according to the package directions, taking extra care not to overcook them. Just make sure you have the rest of the ingredients prepped first so the noodles don't sit out too long after they're cooked. The noodles will cook in the wok, so we only want to soak them until al dente.
Cook Mushrooms
- Heat oven to 375 F.
- Lightly wash shiitake mushrooms in a colander.
- Spray a large baking sheet with olive oil. We will not be using parchment paper.
- Spread mushrooms on the baking sheet so they are not overlapping.
- Spray mushrooms with olive oil and season with sea salt.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Then flip the mushrooms and bake for another 5-15 minutes until crispy. The time depends on how thinly sliced the mushrooms are.
- They will shrink significantly, but that's a good thing. We want the water evaporated so the mushrooms are crunchy. Set the pan of mushrooms to the side until we are ready to add them to the pad thai.
Prep Ingredients
- Mix together tamarind concentrate, coconut aminos, spice of your choice (cayenne pepper powder or dried chilis), and paprika in a bowl.
- Chop red onion and garlic. Set aside together on a plate/bowl.
- Measure sugar.
- Wash and drain the mung beans. Chop the green onions. Set aside together on a plate/bowl.
- Chop or crush 1/4 cup of peanuts. Set aside on a plate/bowl.
- Cut the lime into wedges. Chop cilantro (if using). Set aside on a plate/bowl.
Cook in the Wok
- Wait for the noodles to finish soaking, then drain in a colander.
- Heat wok to medium high heat.
- Add about a tablespoon of oil to the wok.
- Add onion, garlic, and sugar to the wok. Sautee until the sugar begins to caramelize and the onions/garlic start to stick to the pan a bit.
- Deglaze the wok with the sauce. Taste the sauce and add ingredients if necessary to find a balance between sweet, spicy, salty, and sour. See notes on how to get these flavors.
- Add the noodles and stir fry until the noodles have absorbed the sauce. About 3-6 minutes. Taste test a noodle to ensure fully cooked.
- When the noodles are cooked completely, turn off the heat and fold in the bean sprouts, green onions, and crispy mushrooms. Folding the noodles over the bean sprouts and green onions allows the vegetables to cook slightly. Let sit for a couple of minutes.
- Give it one last stir to incorporate all the ingredients and serve garnished with peanuts, cilantro, and lime!
Notes
*To make the tamarind concentrate, follow the instructions from Hot Thai Kitchen:Â
Tamarind Paste from Pulp – Hot Thai Kitchen (hot-thai-kitchen.com)Â
If you don’t want to have extra concentrate, divide her recipe by 4. That should be enough for this recipe. However, I do encourage you to follow her canning instructions to save you time in the future. You’ve already bought a block of tamarind, so you might as well prep it now! *Choose between cayenne pepper powder OR dried Thai chilis. I have both listed as options, but I am not suggesting you use both (unless you LOVE spicy food!). On a scale of mild-medium-hot-Thai hot, I would label this amount of spice as “hot”. *When tasting the sauce, use these ingredients to find a nice balance of flavors:   Sweet-sugar, coconut aminos   Salty-sea salt, coconut aminos   Spicy-cayenne pepper powder, crushed dried Thai chilis   Sour-tamarind, juice from a dark green lime
Tamarind Paste from Pulp – Hot Thai Kitchen (hot-thai-kitchen.com)Â
If you don’t want to have extra concentrate, divide her recipe by 4. That should be enough for this recipe. However, I do encourage you to follow her canning instructions to save you time in the future. You’ve already bought a block of tamarind, so you might as well prep it now! *Choose between cayenne pepper powder OR dried Thai chilis. I have both listed as options, but I am not suggesting you use both (unless you LOVE spicy food!). On a scale of mild-medium-hot-Thai hot, I would label this amount of spice as “hot”. *When tasting the sauce, use these ingredients to find a nice balance of flavors:   Sweet-sugar, coconut aminos   Salty-sea salt, coconut aminos   Spicy-cayenne pepper powder, crushed dried Thai chilis   Sour-tamarind, juice from a dark green lime
