Author Notes
We may have found ourselves devouring a very indulgent version of this dish at Andy Ricker’s (of famed Pok Pok) Phat Thai the other day. Andy’s pad thai is very traditional and contains a lot of oil and probably some sugar. So because we couldn’t get it out of our minds we decided that we would make our own version – lots of vegetables, minimal oil and no sugar. We have to say this dish might be less traditional but it is still high on the delicious scale. And if you’re not too concerned with being vegan this works stupendously well with fish sauce and a scrambled egg or two. —Weird & Ravenous
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Ingredients
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4 ounces
rice noodles
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2 tablespoons
neutral oil (like grapeseed or canola)
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1
large garlic clove, peeled and thinly sliced
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2
bell peppers (whatever color you like), seeded, stemmed and thinly sliced
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2
baby bok choy, thinly sliced
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1
handful snow peas, ends trimmed, thinly sliced lengthwise
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Coarse salt
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2 handfuls
watercress, roughly chopped
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1 tablespoon
toasted sesame oil
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1
lime, halved
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1 handful
mint leaves, roughly chopped
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1 bunch
scallions, thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)
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1 handful
peanuts, roughly chopped
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1/2
green jalapeño, thinly sliced (optional)
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Fish sauce for serving (optional)
Directions
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Place the rice noodles in a large bowl and cover with nearly-boiling water. Let them sit until just softened, about 10 minutes. Drain them, cut them up a bit with scissors if they’re very long and set them aside.
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Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet set over high heat. Add the garlic and cook until it’s just fragrant, only about 30 seconds. Add the peppers and cook, stirring a bit, until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the bok choy and the snow peas and cook until they begin to soften a bit too, just another minute or 2. Season the vegetables with a large pinch of salt and then stir in the reserved noodles and then fold in the watercress.
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Turn off the heat and stir in the toasted sesame oil and another pinch of salt while you’re at it. Squeeze all the juice from the lime over the pad thai and stir to combine. Serve immediately with the herbs, scallions, peanuts and jalapeño. If you’re not totally vegan, serve with a splash of fish sauce too.
Cleo Brock-Abraham and Julia Turshen are the two best friends behind Weird & Ravenous, a production company that makes fresh content about food and the relationships it inspires. With a careful understanding of the many factors that go into preparing a meaningful meal, Weird & Ravenous is stirring the pot.
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