Spicy Tofu Cabbage Pad Thai
Of course, without noodles, this isn’t a traditional Pad Thai and it won’t be noodle-y like you’re used to, BUT if you have an open mind and love Pad Thai flavors, you will love this meal.
The cabbage is stir fried with ingredients like ginger, fish sauce, and lime juice and then tossed with cooked egg and peanuts like the traditional dish. The cabbage is shredded into strips with the spiralizer, so they’re nice and long like a noodle and are perfectly al dente when stir fried.
I love adding spice to everything and here, it gives this dish the extra kick it needs. Tofu pairs well in Pad Thai and has a similar consistency to the egg, working well together.
There’s a version of this recipe in my Inspiralized and Beyond cookbook with shrimp, so if you want a non-vegetarian version, check that out. Otherwise, you can use any other proteins – pork or chicken would work really well, too.
Spicy Tofu Cabbage Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- ½ block extra firm tofu pressed to remove moisture and then cubed
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes + a pinch
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce + more to taste
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
- 4 cups spiralized green cabbage use Blade A, about ½ cabbage
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce omit if vegetarian
- 2 large eggs beaten
- ¼ loosely packed cup of cilantro leaves
- to serve: well chopped cashews or peanuts
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil is shimmering, add the tofu and cook for 5 minutes to brown the tofu. Add half of the garlic, the red pepper flakes, and half of the soy sauce and cook for another 3 minutes until tofu browns.
- Push the tofu to one side of the skillet, and add in the remaining sesame oil. Add the ginger and remaining garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the cabbage and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender, about 7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, remaining soy sauce, honey, fish sauce (if using), and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- When the cabbage is crisp tender, combine it with the tofu in the skillet and then make a well in the center of the mixture. Add the eggs and cook, stirring with a spatula to scramble them, until set, about 3 minutes. Stir the eggs into the cabbage, combining all the ingredients in the skillet. Add the soy sauce mixture and cook, tossing to coat. Taste and season with more soy sauce or fish sauce as needed. Stir in the cilantro and divide the cabbage between two plates. Garnish with cashews (or peanuts) and serve.
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