Vegetarian Thai Noodles on the table in 15 minutes! It took a handful of attempts, but I finally figured out a vegan/vegetarian Pad See Ew which tastes like it’s from the streets of Thailand. The authentic version not only has chicken and egg in it, which are easy enough to omit, but the sauce has oyster sauce in it which is a key component in the sauce.
I created this because I have one friend who is allergic to seafood, and another that is vegetarian….which meant making a dish that was meat free and seafood free. I have to say, it’s pretty close to the authentic version! The sauce has the same depth of flavour, the touch of tang, perfect balance of sweet and salty with the wonderful chargrilled flavour that epitomises this classic Thai noodle dish.
I made this simply with Chinese broccoli and onion, but you can really add whatever vegetables you want, just be sure to add them to the wok in order of cooking time (starting with the vegetables that take the longest).
- 8 oz / 200g rice stick noodles
- 2 tbsp kecap manis (see notes for substitutes)
- 2 tbsp hoisin
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp honey
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 brown or white onion , halved and sliced into 1/4" / 1/2cm slices
- 5 cups (packed) Chinese broccoli, leaves separated from stems (cut stems vertically into thin sticks)
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Pour bowling water over noodles in a large bowl (or pot) and set aside for 5 minutes, and drain when ready.
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Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients.
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Mince the garlic straight into the wok with the oil. Place wok on high heat. As the oil is heating, the garlic will gradually heat too and infuse the oil with flavour.
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When the oil is hot and the garlic is starting to turn golden, add the onion and Chinese broccoli stems and stir fry for a couple of minutes until they start to char (you want the char grilled flavour).
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Add the noodles, Chinese broccoli leaves and the sauce. Fold gently to combine, for the sauce to coat the noodles evenly and to caramelise, and the leaves to just wilt. They only need to be just wilted because they will continue to cook while you are plating up.
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Serve immediately.
1. Kecap Manis is thicker and sweeter than normal soy sauce, and has a more complex flavour. It is available in Asian grocery stores and in the asian section of some large supermarkets. Sweet dark soy sauce is also suitable. Otherwise, to make your own substitute, use 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce with 1 tbsp honey instead of 2 tbsp sweet soy sauce.
2. If you can't find Chinese broccoli, you can substitute with other leafy Chinese vegetables such as pak choy or bok choy. You can also add other vegetables if you wish.
3. This recipe is also great with tofu.
4. You can use other noodles if you want, fresh or dried, rice or egg noodles. However, I do not recommend using vermicelli as it is too thin for the strong flavours of the sauce.
Delicious! I’d already picked up some completely different veggies for a stir fry when I came across this recipe, so I made it with shiitake mushrooms, bell peppers, eggplant, spinach, and onion. I also added tofu and cashews. It turned out amazingly well! Next time I’ll try it with more traditional veggies. Thank you for the recipe – this one is a keeper 🙂
I’m so pleased to hear that Marie! Thanks for letting me know! N x
How would you suggest incorporating tofu into this dish? Thanks!
Hi Jay! Use a firm tofu and slice thickly 🙂 I would toss it in towards the end so it doesn’t break up too much 🙂
Hi Nagi. I really love this recipe. Only problem I have is that my noodles always clump and break apart. Am I soaking them for too long do you think? I’m not sure what else could be the problem.
Hi Jay! It comes down to the brand and ensuring you don’t soak for too long. Some brands are just not good quality. The ones carried by major supermarkets are usually pretty good. 🙂
Hi Nagi. Thanks for that. I tried this recipe again, this time I separated all of the dried noodles from each other, and I didn’t get any clumpy or broken noodles! I was wondering, if you buy your rice noodles from Coles or Woolies, which brand do you get? Thanks 🙂
I am unable to make it. Since m not having these ingredients. Is there any way to swap the ingredients with easily available Indian ingredients?
Hi Aastha! I’m sorry to say I don’t know what you have available…..
I love Pad See Ew..it’s really easy to veganise too! Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
No worries Chelsey!! N x
Can’t wait to try this recipe! I love Thai food but as a vegan it can be hard to find things without oyster/fish sauce.
I would just like to let you know that honey is NOT vegan (just in case you or anyone else ever has to make this for a vegan friend). A great substitute that has the same consistency and tastes almost exactly like honey is rice malt syrup 🙂
Just wanted to say thank you for sharing the “veganized” version. I hope you have plenty more to offer!
No worries! Hope you enjoy it!!
Hi Nagi,
How would I add chicken in to this dish?
It looks delicious, but I’m a bit of a carnivore!
Hi Elisa! There is a non vegetarian recipe on my site too with chicken in it – here you go! https://www.recipetineats.com/thai-stir-fried-noodles-pad-see-ew/
If I am making my own substitution for the kecap manis (per your directions), does that replace the 2 tsp. soy sauce and 2 tsp. honey already in the recipe, or is that in addition to those?
Hi Kim! It’s in addition to. So where the recipe says to use kecap manis, use the substitution 🙂
Thanks! We made it today (correctly!), and loved the dish!! We did find that the flavor of the delicious sauce got lost just a bit with so many noodles. (Our package was slightly larger 8.6 oz.) We’re thinking of trying it next time with fewer noodles or more sauce. Thanks for working so hard to come up with the right vegan combination!!
I sure like he looks of this food and i think its very healthy..i look forward to cooking and eating this..thank you..