I am a big fan of Ethnic cuisines, and I especially love those with an Asian descent. But I’ve got to say, out of all of them, Thai food is probably my favorite (or at least it’s pretty close). I love the mix of sweet and spicy (I will often order a 9 out of 10 on the spicy scale), the plethora of vegetables, and the feeling of content you get after eating it — not stuffed, but pleasantly full.
I don’t often make “authentic” Thai dishes at home, due to the lack of specific ingredients they entail, but I will make Thai-fusion dishes that taste pretty similar to the real thing.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons Organic Canola oil
1 ¼ cup ( ½ lb) fresh wide rice noodles [or, ¼ lb. + ¼ lb. Yam-cake, or Shirataki noodles]
½ cup zucchini (1 medium), sliced
½ cup Japanese eggplant, sliced
½ cup broccoli florets
1 carrot, sliced
½ cup firm tofu, patted dry and cut into bit-sized pieces (or ½ cup seafood such as squid & shrimp, or chicken)
2 tablespoons fresh peppercorns
2 tablespoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
1 tablespoon smashed small Thai chilies
1 sliced orange chili (about 1 tablespoon)
1 ½ tablespoons 0yster sauce
1 teaspoon Braggs Amino Acids
1 ½ teaspoon Tamari
1 tablespoon fish sauce or white soy sauce (or more to taste)
¼ teaspoon Stevia
about 4 tablespoons water
½ cup packed holy basil leaves & flowers
¼ teaspoon vinegar
Preparation
1. Separate the noodles by peeling them apart one at a time. If also using Yam-cake noodles, rinse well. Set aside.
2. Prepare your ingredients: Slice the vegetables. Crush the garlic and chilies, and set aside. Pick off the leaves & flowers of the basil, and set aside. Chop the large chili into rings.
3. Combine the oyster sauce, Braggs, fish sauce, and Stevia in a small bowl and set aside.
4. If using tofu, pre-“fry” in a dry, non-stick skillet until browned. Set aside.
5. Add the oil to a Wok (this pan is preferred but not a necessity), and heat on medium until it’s dancing around. (Heating oil on too high of heat will cause it to turn into Trans-fat which is not a good thing.) Then add the garlic, chilies and green peppercorns. Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn.
6. When the garlic turns light brown, add the veggies & meat/seafood if adding. Keep stirring and cook until finished, about 3-5 minutes depending on the ingredients used.
7. Add the tofu (if adding), then the noodles. You may need to add a bit more water if the pan gets too dry. Don’t add a lot, or the noodles will get mushy.
8. After frying for a minute or two, add the sauce mixture. Stir well to combine.
9. Add the basil & vinegar. Stir to mix. When the basil is wilted it’s done.
Credit: Foodista