Salty, spicy, pungent and slightly sweet chicken stir-fried with tons of basil is one of the first dishes I ate on my initial visit to Bangkok in 1991. I’ve loved it ever since. The best rendition of pad ka-prao (aka phat kaphrao) that I’ve made is based on a recipe from Andy Ricker’s Pok Pok cookbook.
Ground chicken is used and all the nubbins of protein absorb the fish sauce and soy sauce seasonings super well Last week, after playing around with vegan fish sauce, I experimented with making a vegan Thai spicy tofu and basil stir-fry. The first time was a little under-seasoned but the second try yielded this terrific recipe.
Frozen Tofu
Instead of simply mashing tofu, I froze it. Normally, I freeze tofu because I have to store a block that’s about to go bad, or maybe I’m going on vacation. This time, I purposefully froze the tofu on a small baking sheet, uncovered. (Cut a 14-ounce block in half makes things go faster!)
Why freeze tofu? Many people freeze tofu because it’s sturdier and will absorb flavors well. For the purposes of this recipe, cnce thawed and crumbled, the tofu takes on a springy texture that mimics ground meat well.
Use an extra-firm tofu such as Whole Foods brand, which does not contain delta glucono lactone, a coagulant that tends to make the thawed, crumbled tofu too fine in texture. It’s fine if DGL is in the tofu but know that it will be on the finer side.
Basil or Mint or Both?
Holy basil (ka-prao) is traditionally used to finish this simple stir-fry with a refreshing pungency. herb used but it is very delicate (I use it within 48 hours of purchase) and hard to find. In the summer, I typically buy it at the farmer’s market from Hmong vendors or I grow it. It’s easier to use Thai basil, purple basil, mint or even a combination of basil and mint as shown below.
What’s important is to use a lot. You need 1 ½ cups of leaves that have been lightly packed. Spin the leaves dryish in a salad spinner to minimize excess moisture. I’ve even left the leaves on the counter for hours and they wilted a bit but that’s okay because they’ll wilt in the pan! My point is this: you can totally prep the herbs in advance.
Seasoning Sauce Tweaks
Compared to the chicken and basil stir-fry recipe that I wrote up years ago, this one is a bit less fussy. If you don’t have vegan fish sauce (you can buy it or make it!) use 2 scant tablespoons of regular fish sauce. Maggi or Bragg Liquid Aminos impart a meat flavor to the tofu whereas the soy sauce lends a more handsome, less brooding color.
Use the maximum of chiles for a nice amount of heat. It won’t kill you, I hope. Frying the whole chiles imparts a nutty heat. If that’s too much work, slowly fry ¼ to ½ teaspoon dried pepper flakes and strain the oil, adding the pepper flakes to the seasoning sauce. Use the oil to cook the stir-fry.
How to Serve
This is meant to be eaten on top of rice, served on a plate and enjoyed with fork and spoon. If you want extra richness, fry an egg and add it to the mix. It won’t be vegan but it will taste very good.
This dish reheats very well too. You can refresh it with some freshly cooked chopped green beans, and throwing in some fresh herbs at the end.
Related recipes
Sale Alert!
Thai Spicy Tofu and Basil Stir-Fry (Pad Ka-Prao)
Ingredients
- 14 ounces thawed frozen extra-firm tofu
- ⅔ cup thinly sliced long beans or regular green beans
- ⅔ cup thinly sliced yellow onion
- 4 to 6 Thai chilies thinly sliced (keep seeds)
- 6 garlic cloves peeled, halved lengthwise and crushed with a knife or mortar and pestle
- 1 ½ cups lightly packed fresh basil (Thai, holy or purple) or mint leaves
- 2 tablespoons vegan fish sauce
- Brimming 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce Maggi Seasoning sauce, or Bragg Liquid Aminos
- 1 ½ teaspoons dark molasses
- Sugar
- 2 teaspoons water
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 4 to 6 dried Thai or Mexican puya chilies stemmed and torn in half with seeds shaken out
Instructions
- Using your hands, break the tofu into small chunks to resemble cooked ground meat. The tofu will shrink during cooking so don’t go to far. Set aside near the stove with the beans, onion, and fresh chile. Set the garlic and basil (or minnearby.
- For a flavoring sauce, stir together the fish sauce, soy sauce, molasses, and water. Taste and adjust for a salty-sweet flavor; add sugar by the pinch if you want a sweet finish. Set near the stove with the remaining ingredients.
- In a large skillet, heat the whole dried chiles and oil over medium-low heat, cooking for 4 or 5 minutes until dark-brown. Leaving the oil in the pan, use a slotted spoon to transfer the chilies to a paper-towel-lined plate. Once cool, coarsely crumble chilies and add to the flavoring sauce. (If you’re using the ground, toasted chile, just add to the sauce mixture.)
- Reheat the skillet over medium-high or high heat. Add the garlic and slide the pan off heat, stirring often, until light brown, about 30 seconds. Replace the skillet on the burner over medium-high or high heat, then add the tofu, beans, onion and fresh red chiles. Stir-fry, constantly stirring the tofu, until it’s just barely cooked through, about 1 minute.
- Add the seasoning sauce mixture and cook until liquid has been absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, but leave the skillet on the hot burner. Stir in the basil and cook until wilted and fragrant, 15 seconds. Transfer to a shallow bowl and serve.
Notes
- For information on vegan fish sauce, see this post.
- Use the maximum number of chiles if you like a nice hot finish.
- If you happen to use firm tofu, give the tofu a very gentle squeeze to expel a tiny bit of moisture. That squeeze will bring the tofu closer to extra-firm in texture.
- If you have Chinese dark soy sauce, use 1 ½ tablespoons instead of the regular soy and molasses.
Kristy says
This is a superb recipe, very easy to make and incredible flavour. Great tip with freezing the tofu too.
Andrea Nguyen says
Yay for taking the tofu path! Thanks for cooking the recipe.