These spicy vegan drunken noodles are packed with flavor! Made with pan-fried rice noodles, tofu, and veggies in spicy sauce, they taste like they came from a restaurant, but are actually really easy to make at home.
- 8 ounces wide (fettuccine) rice noodles (Note 1)
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
- 8 ounces super firm tofu (Note 2)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark mushroom soy sauce (Note 3)
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 2 tablespoons organic brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon sambal oelek, plus more to taste (up to 2 tablespoons)(Note 4)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 medium shallots, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 2 scallions, white and green parts separated and chopped
- 1 jalapeño pepper (or other hot pepper of choice) sliced
- 1 medium red bell pepper cut into strips
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves (Note 5)
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Cook the noodles according to the package directions (either by soaking or boiling) until al dente.
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Drain the noodles into a colander when finished, then rinse them well with cold water.
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While the noodles cook, stir the soy sauce, dark mushroom soy sauce, water, brown sugar, sambal oelek, and cornstarch together in a small bowl.
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Coat the bottom of a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of oil and place over medium heat. Add the tofu cubes and cook them for about 10 minutes, flipping them once or twice, until browned on multiple sides.
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Remove the tofu from the skillet and transfer it to a plate.
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Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Once the oil is hot, add the shallots. Sweat the shallots for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften.
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Add the garlic, ginger, and white parts of the scallions. Sauté everything together for about 1 minute, until the mixture becomes very fragrant.
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Raise the heat to high then add the jalapeño and bell pepper. Stir-fry the peppers for about 2 minutes, until they become tender-crisp and intensify in color.
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Add the noodles and cooked tofu to the skillet, and carefully pour in the sauce. Toss everything well to combine the ingredients, and cook the mixture briefly, just until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute.
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Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the green parts of your scallions and basil.
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Divide the noodles onto plates and serve with lime wedges on the side.
- Wide rice noodles are available at some supermarkets and most Asian markets. If you can't find them, feel free to sub pad Thai noodles or rice vermicelli.
- Firm or extra firm tofu can be substituted, but will need to be pressed.
- Regular soy sauce can be used if you can't find this, though you might need to use some extra. Taste-test the dish when it's finished cooking and add more soy sauce to taste.
- One teaspoon will give you a very mild dish and two tablespoons should be quite spicy. Start with less if you're not sure how much to use, adding more to taste when the dish is finished.
- Preferably use Thai or holy basil, but Italian basil works fine if you can't find either of these varieties. You can optionally add a bit of Chinese five spice to enhance the flavor if you use Italian basil.