Pad See Ew with Tofu and Mikado Spinach
Pad see ew is the ideal dish for moments when hunger calls but the motivation to cook is not there. My meatless rendition of these stir fried rice noodles with fried tofu and mikado spinach only takes 15 minutes to whip up, yet is satisfyingly full of flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce*
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp cane sugar
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 200 g fried tofu
- 2 eggs
- 400 g fresh wide flat rice noodles
- 1 bunch mikado spinach*
- cooking oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauces, oyster sauce (or mushroom sauce), vinegar, water and cane sugar. Set aside.
- Trim and discard the root end of the mikado spinach stems. Then cut the stems and leafy parts into 5 cm pieces and thoroughly wash and rinse.
- Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil to cook the rice noodles. To prevent the noodles sticking together, I add about half a tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pot of water before adding the noodles. Once the water comes to a gentle boil, add the noodles and stir constantly for about 40-45 seconds. Strain in a colander but do not rinse. Avoid overcooking so that the noodles don't end up too soft and mushy. The noodles should be tender yet chewy. Also, you want to cook the noodles immediately before you combine them with the rest of the ingredients, so they don't sit out too long and become a sticky lump.
- Heat about 1 tbsp of oil over high heat in a wok. Toss in the minced garlic and stir until aromatic, about 25-30 seconds. Add in the tofu and give it a few quick stirs so that the tofu absorbs some of the garlic flavor.
- Make some room in the wok by pushing the tofu to the side. Crack two eggs into the wok and let them set for about 20 seconds. Then stir the tofu into the eggs to combine evenly.
- Add the chopped mikado spinach to the wok and then the rice noodles. Pour the prepared sauce over the noodles and toss so that all of the noodles are evenly coated with sauce. Once combined and the spinach has wilted, serve hot. For a bit of a kick, I serve with chopped fresh bird's eye chilis or Sriracha.
Notes
*For a 100% vegetarian version, replace the oyster sauce with mushroom sauce. I like using Mikado spinach because it the stems and leaves are thin enough that they cook ultra quickly. You can easily substitute in other Asian greens, such as choy sum or gail lan, but those with thick stems will require a bit more sauté time.