Vegetable Pad Thai

Pad Thai is one of my favorites in thai food. Who knew that Pad Thai or Phat Thai was one of Thailand's national dishes and is considered as a street food??? This dish is prepared using rice noodles, eggs/meat/tofu, tamarind paste, fish sauce (traditional recipe), red chilli pepper, and lime juice to name a few ingredients. Being a vegetarian, whenever I go to a thai restaurant, my standard dialogue to the waiter - "only vegetables, no egg, no fish sauce" and as usual I get a nod but behind my mind, I keep thinking, who am I kidding!! Most restaurants use fish sauce, very rare that they substitute. So, I started making Pad Thai at home. This is purely vegetarian which makes it all the more comforting. atleast for me :)

The Pad Thai sauce is a fairly easy recipe and it can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer, if you have any left.

Ingredients:

For Pad Thai Sauce:

1 tbsp tamarind paste
1/4 cup hot water
3 1/2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 tsp red chill paste (adjust spice to your taste, you can use sriracha as well)
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp vinegar
3/4 tbsp oil

For the noodles:

8 oz dry flat rice noodles
8 oz firm tofu, washed & cut into cubes
1/2 onion, cut lengthwise
1 small broccoli, cut into florets
2 carrots, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup baby corn
1 spring onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup mung bean sprouts
1/2 cup crushed peanuts
1-2 tbsp soy sauce
5 tbsp of pad thai sauce
1 tsp garlic, minced
4-5 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp salt

Method:

For Pad Thai Sauce: 

In a pan, heat oil and red chilli paste and fry for a minute. Add tamarind paste, hot water, soy sauce, brown sugar and allow it to boil for 3-4 minutes. Add vinegar and mix well with the paste. Slowly the sauce starts to thicken. Turn stove off and set aside.

For the noodles:

                                                
Most rice noodles have their instructions on how to cook them. I buy the Trader Joe's rice noodles which requires it to be cooked for 6-8 mins. Use a little oil when boiling, so they don't stick to each other. Drain it.

In a wok, heat 1 tbsp oil and add the cubed tofu (make sure you pat it dry) and fry till it turns golden brown. Place it on a tissue to drain the excess oil.

To the same wok, add 1-2 tbsp oil, minced garlic and onions. Saute well.

Now, add the broccoli, carrots, baby corn, 2tbsp of the pad thai sauce to coat the vegetables and mix well. Cook the vegetables until they are 3/4th done.

Add the rice noodles, 3 tbsp pad thai sauce, soy sauce, salt and toss well. Add some oil, if you feel the rice noodles drying out. This will blend it well with the sauce. I like to add little bean sprouts with the noodles, so you can add some, if you wish.

Before serving, garnish the pad thai with spring onions and place some bean sprouts and crushed peanuts along with the noodles. Enjoy!!

Makes 4 servings

Banana Nut Bread

Whenever I have too many bananas, I end up making oat bran muffins. I wasn't in the mood for a muffin, so, I was browsing through several recipes and decided to make banana nut bread. This recipe is purely vegan and very moist. Trust me, you can't stop with 1 slice.

                                    
Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder
3/4 cup sugar (tastes good with brown sugar too)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 tsp ground flax seed
4 medium bananas
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil (I use Canola)

Method:

In a bowl, combine the sifted whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt,
sugar, nutmeg powder, ginger powder, cinnamon powder, ground flax seed and the walnuts. Mix well and set aside.

Use another bowl for the wet ingredients. Mash the bananas to a fine puree and add the
vanilla extract and mix it.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well. Now, add the oil and stir till
all the ingredients blend well.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a medium loaf pan with cooking spray and pour the bread mix into the loaf pan and even the top layer. Bake for 50-55 mins. Insert a toothpick to make sure its cooked through.

Allow it to cool for 20 mins and then cut into slices.

Makes 10-12 slices.

Bisi Bela Bhath

Bisi Bela Bhath is a kannada phrase which literally translates to hot lentil rice. The traditional recipe involves a lot of spices, lentils, and vegetables. A variety of spices contribute to the unique flavor of this dish. The spices used in this dish are available either as paste or powder, but I like to prepare my own. There are several versions to this recipe but this one is my mom's recipe.

Ingredients:

For the powder:

4-5 red chillies
1 tsp channa dhal
1 tsp oil
2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/4 tsp cumin
4 tbsp shredded coconut

For the bisi bela bhath:

1/2 cup tur dhal
1 cup raw rice
1 cup mixed vegetables (beans, carrot, peas, cauliflower, drumsticks-optional)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, diced
Salt, to taste
1 1/2 tsp chilli powder (can add more if you want it spicier)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
A pinch of Asafoetida powder
Tamarind pulp, to taste

For seasoning:

3-4 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
Few curry leaves
1-2 tbsp ghee

Method:

For the powder:

In a pan, pour oil and fry red chillies, channa dhal, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin and shredded coconut. Fry for a while until the ingredients turn golden brown. Cool it and then powder it finely.

For the bisi bela bhath:

Soak the tur dhal and raw rice. Pour 5 cups water in a cooker and add the soaked rice and dhal to it. Boil it with turmeric powder for 2-3 whistles.

Boil the diced vegetables, onion and tomato with salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder and asafoetida powder. After the vegetables get cooked, add tamarind pulp and boil again. Now, add the vegetable mix to the boiled rice and dhal. Mix it well.

Add the spice powder and mix well with the rice. Add some salt, tamarind pulp based on your taste.

Heat 5 tbsp oil, add mustard seeds and curry leaves. After it splutters, add the seasoning to the rice mix. Mix well before taking it out from the stove and add ghee. Mix well and serve.

Makes 4-5 serving.