Thai Style Vegan Drunken Noodles
These Thai vegan drunken noodles (Pad Kee Mao, ผัดขี้เมา) are spicy, juicy and extremely tasty, which make them the perfect comfort food to enjoy anytime.
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Whether you are familiar with this classic dish from Thailand or you just visited to discover it, you MUST try this cruelty-free version!
Drunken noodles are so full of flavour and they carry a good spicy kick that will make those that enjoy hot dishes fall in love with.
Are drunken noodles vegan?
Unfortunately, as many other Thai dishes, these noodles are not generally suitable for vegans as they contain fish sauce.
Also, they traditionally are served with chicken, and there are as well variations with seafood, like prawns.
For our vegan version we are going to substitute traditional fish sauce with a homemade vegan "fish" sauce or a store bought one.
Many shops nowadays do sell a vegan alternative to this very common Thai condiment, but even if you cannot find it easily you'll see how easy and straightforward is to make a version at home completely from scratch in this post.
Another little take on this recipe is using a form of tofu (bean curd) that I probably like the most: tofu puffs or deep fried tofu (or the Japanese version known as Abura-age).
Tofu puffs are fluffy and pillow-y bean curd cubes (or triangles) very light in weight slightly crispy on the outside with a sponge-like texture.
Due to their spongy nature, they tend to absorb the sauce they are cooked into resulting in a fluffy bite that bursts with flavour. Here you can find how to make them at home.
I also talked about this ingredient in a few previous posts like for these Tofu Puffs in Asian Mushroom Sauce, these Chinese Style Deep Fried Tofu Puffs, and in this Marinated Tofu Puff Skewers and in this post I actually explain how to make them at home.
Why are they called Drunken Noodles
There are a few theories about the origin of the name.
One is that they seem to be made the first time when a man who had so much to drink was seeking for food. So he put together a bunch of ingredients he had at hand and stir-fried them with noodles. Turned out the dish was so good that when he shared the recipe with friends he referred to them as Pad Kee Mao, which literally translates to "drunken noodles".
Another one is that they are so spicy that people would start drinking alcohol trying to quench their thirst.
And lastly, the most common one: these noodles are just a perfect after (party) night snack as a preventive hangover cure.
What do we need to make these Vegan Drunken Noodles
The three main components of this dish are: noodles, sauce and vegetables/protein.
The Noodles
Preferably wide rice noodles, both fresh or in their dry version.
The Sauce
The sauce is added after the stir-fry and it's made of: soy sauce (light and dark), vegan "fish" sauce and mushroom sauce. If you do not have mushroom sauce (or vegan oyster sauce) you can use fish sauce instead.
The Vegetables/Protein
The ingredients that are needed in order to produce an authentic Pad Kee Mao are: Garlic, Thai Basil and Thai Chillies (bird's eye).
You can use Thai Holy Basil (if you are lucky enough to find it) or even regular Basil.
This is a hot dish, so chillies must not be omitted. You can, of course, lower the amount to your personal taste. This is a medium spicy recipe in which I will be using only two Thai Chillies.
I would recommend to use up to 4 chillies for a very spicy version, and only one (or half) for a medium low to low heat version.
The other veggies that I used in this version are: Pak Choi (or bok choi) and Spring Onions (green onions or scallions).
These are completely up to you: they can be substituted with any other vegetables of your choice.
As mentioned before I picked puffed tofu as protein for this dish. You can substitute it with regular firm tofu or vegan chicken pieces or omit it.
You can also use some vegan prawns for a cruelty-free seafood version.
How to make Vegan Drunken Noodles Thai Style
Cook the noodles following the directions on package to prepare. Normally they can be boiled in hot water for around 5 minutes or soaked in hot tap water for about 15-20 minutes. Then drain and set aside.
Mix the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl or glass.
In a wok or large pan heat the oil with finely chopped garlic and chillies.
PLEASE TRY NOT TO INHALE THE FUMES if you don't want to end up coughing for a few minutes.
Combine the chopped pak choi (only stalks) and stir fry for 3-5 minutes.
Next tofu goes in for another minute or so.
Finally add noodles, spring onions (chopped in 1 inch/2 cm pieces), cabbage tips and sauce.
Remove from heat, then stir in the Thai basil and serve immediately.
Thai Style Vegan Drunken Noodles Recipe
Ingredients:
...for the stir fry...
200 g Wide Rice Noodles (dry or fresh)
200 g Pak Choi
200 g Tofu Puffs
4 Spring Onions
3 Garlic Cloves
2 Thai Chillies
10 g Thai Basil (or regular basil)
2.5 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
...for the sauce...
3 tablespoon Homemade Vegan "Fish" Sauce
2.5 tablespoon Soy Sauce (light)
2 tablespoon Tamarind Sauce (or Ketchup)
1 tablespoon Mushroom Sauce (vegan oyster sauce)
1 tablespoon Homemade Chilli Oil
1 tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce (or Light Soy Sauce)
Method:
1. Cook the noodles according to the package and set aside.
2. Mix the ingredients for the sauce and put aside.
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large pan.
4. Add the garlic and Thai chillies (be careful to avoid inhaling the fumes as they will make you cough).
5. Chop the pak choi and add the stalks (the white part) to the pan and stir fry for 3-5 minutes.
6. Add tofu puffs and cook for another minute or so.
7. Combine noodles and stir fry for a minute or so, then spring onions (chopped in 1 inch/2 cm pieces), pak choi leaves and sauce.
8. Remove from heat, then stir in the Thai basil leaves and enjoy straight away.
For other Thai-inspired recipes check these:
- Vegan Pad Thai with Cashews
- Thai Green Curry with Crispy Sesame Tofu
For other Thai or Asian inspired vegan recipes check out the following list:
– Thai Green Curry with Crispy Sesame Tofu
– Tofu Puffs in Asian Vegan Mushroom Sauce
– Korean Tteokbokki with Peppers
- Easy Chinese Style Take Away Noodles
– Vegan Chinese Dumplings (Jiaozi)
– Vegan Paneer Makhani
– Sweet and Sour Pineapple Tofu with Veggies
– Cauliflower and Leek Curry
– Green Split Lentil Dahl
If you like spicy food do not miss:
- Korean Tteokbokki with Peppers
- Vegan Cauliflower Hot Wings
- Kung Pao Cauliflower
- Tofu "Ribs" with Spicy BBQ sauce
- Instant Pot Chickpea Biryani
Badi J.
yum! I like your recipes 🙂
Adriana Z.
Thank you so much for you kindness Badi.
Have a lovely day 🙂