This Pad Thai is one of my family’s favorite dishes. Add a heap of grilled chicken or sea food and you have a delicious high protein meal.
I purchase my noodles at the Asian market in town and haven’t seen them online. If you are looking for noodles, you’ll need to check out the Asian markets in your neck of the woods. If anyone knows of a good source for mung bean noodles that would be accessible to everyone (think Whole Foods or perhaps an online retailer) by all means, leave a comment.
Vegetarian Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 6 ounces mung bean noodles
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 head broccoli, chopped into small spears
- ¼ cup water
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- 1 tablespoon ume plum vinegar
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¼ cup scallion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
- ¼ cup peanuts, roasted and chopped
Instructions
- Bring water for noodles to boil in a large pot
- Cook noodles according to instructions on package, then drain and set aside
- In a 9 inch skillet, heat olive oil, then add onion
- Sauté onions for 10-15 minutes, over medium-low heat until lightly browned
- Add broccoli and ¼ cup water
- Cover pan and sauté 5 minutes or so until broccoli turns bright green and begins to soften
- Stir in garlic and salt
- Then stir in sesame oil, agave and ume vinegar
- In a small bowl, combine arrowroot and 1 tablespoon water, stirring vigorously to make a paste without any lumps
- Pour the paste over the broccoli and mix quickly and vigorously to loosen any of the mixture that sticks to the bottom of the pan
- Place noodles on individual plates, then top with broccoli mixture
- Garnish with scallions, cilantro and peanuts
Equipment
This is a great dish winter, spring, summer or fall. I hope you enjoy it.
We’re back in full swing with baseball. My older son is playing on the All-Star Team again so I’ll be baking dozens of cookies and brownies in the next 6-8 weeks for their tournaments and having quite a few late night dinners after their 6:00 PM practices. I’m not complaining though, it’s so much fun to sit outside in the evening and watch him play. A fabulous way to spend summer nights!
Mindy says
These noodles are also called “Sai fun” noodles. I found them at my local Walmart for about $1.50!
Lauren B says
I spotted Mung bean noodles in the asian food section in Kroger (a chain in NC). They were priced very reasonably! They look different than yours though–much thinner. I’ll try ’em in this dish and report back!
Karen says
Great recipe! I used half broccoli and half asparagus, and served over (gluten free)shirataki fettucini-style noodles, which are made from yam flour and tofu.
To use, drain & rinse noodles well, then microwave or parboil them for one minute to neutralize the slightly fishy aroma of the packaging liquid. They will then taste neutral, and absorb the flavor of whatever sauce you use.
http://www.asianfoodgrocer.com/category/shirataki-noodles
Rachel says
I made this tonight for a dinner party with my son, dil, chiropractor and his wife. OMG, I cannot say it enough – it was so delicious. The sounds we were all making as we ate it and everybody wishing we had tripled the recipe. I had doubled it and it was enough for everybody but it was so yummy that they all wanted more! But we fed them fresh fruit and rice dream for dessert so they were okay! Thanks for this recipe, Elana. I will be making it again and again.
Bek says
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I haven’t had Pad Thai in so long for fear of hidden gluten lurking in a restaurant.
My boyfriend and I made this over the weekend and it turned out wonderfully. We substituted Thai Kitchen rice noodles for the mung bean noodles and added tofu. Delish!
elana says
Thanks for your lovely comments everyone, especially the noodle substitutions and suggestions!
Amy Green/Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free says
I have never used ume vinegar but am going to look into it. We love stir-fry and I’m always excited to try a new recipe. I usually blanch my veggies, drop them in ice water, and then stir-fry them. It takes some time but they’re so crisp and cooked just enough.
Joey says
I made this for lunch using Gluten Free Spaghetti noodles. This was very good and I just loved it. Thanks Elana for the great recipe.
Caroline says
I also live in Boulder. What store do you get the noodles from?
Thanks for all the delicious and healthy recipes!
Jenny L. says
As Stacie just commented, most of the time they are called “bean thread” noodles, but the ones I get are a much thinner version than what it looks like Elana used. I get them from the Asian store now because they are cheaper, but I have also found them at our local Publix here in Florida. Elana’s recipe looks yummy – can’t wait to try it.