Vegetarian Drunken Noodles da BEST Recipe!
One of my popular recipes is my Drunken Noodles and if you tried my drunken noodles recipe, you know the recipe is legit. This vegetarian drunken noodles recipe too, is a legit recipe! It’s something you want to keep in your kitchen and cook over and over again for yourself or for loved ones. It’s surprisingly easy to make for a large crowd and a very simple dish to fix as dinner for one.
Thai cuisine is one the most popular cuisine for delivery/take-out but when you do, it’s not only expensive but the flavor is always off. Either it’s too sweet, too greasy, not spicy enough, etc, etc… So for me, I always prefer to home-cooked Thai meal- unless the restaurant I can trust. But after I moved to Hawai’i, I don’t have the luxury of food delivery service anymore (Hawai’i has the service, it just doesn’t deliver to where I live.), so I don’t have much of a choice. lol!
Alrighty, it’s time to start the Vegetarian Drunken Noodles recipe!
First, let’s marinate the tofu. You will need extra-firm to super-firm tofu, so they won’t break down too much while stir-frying. You can switch to any protein you’d like to use. If you don’t want to use soy, you can use mushrooms and extra veggies, super yummy!
Slice 8 o of tofu into 1/4-inch thin and marinate with…
- 1 tsp vegan fish sauce or Yondu
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- Pinch of pepper
Combine all the ingredients with the tofu in a mixing bowl and let it marinate while preparing other ingredients, about 10 minutes.
This is the vegan fish sauce I used. To be honest with you, it is super hard to find. I couldn’t find it in Hawai’i or Texas. It doesn’t sell online either. I was lucky that my friend Be (you know her, she shared Bun Bo Hue & Bun Rieu recipe with us!), she got it from a Vietnamese market in the Sacramento area and brought it to me. Thank you so much!!!
So, understanding it’s very hard to find this product, you can either use another brand of vegan fish sauce (I’ve tried and it’s not as good as this one but it will do the job!). But in my opinion, the second-best option is using Yondu. It will actually make as delicious as the vegan fish sauce I’m using.
chop 8 cloves of garlic, 1 to 4 Thai chilis (I used Hawaiian chilis, super spicy!!), and slice 1 large shallot. Cut your choice of 6 oz vegetable into bite-sizes too. I’m using bok choy today, you can use broccoli, broccolini, yu choy, kale, spinach, zucchini, bell pepper, or whatever veggies you want to use!
Heat a wok or a large skillet over high heat; add your choice of chili oil or cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic, chili, and shallot, stir fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
I used my extra chili oil because I love my drunken noodles spicy, garlicky, lot of basil and all but you can absolutely use regular cooking oil and still be as delicious!
Add the marinated tofu and sear them for 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Add 1 tbsp of oil at a time if needed. When you stir-frying fatty animal meat, usually the fat melts down to the pan so you don’t have to but when stir-frying mushrooms or tofu, they absorb the oil. So unless you are using a non-stick pan, most likely you might need more oil at this point.
Now add in your choice of vegetable and stir fry for 1 minute.
Add 1 lb of fresh or prepared rice noodles and all the sauces down below.
- 1 tbsp vegan fish sauce or Yondu
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce, optional (it’s for the color)
- 2 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp agave nectar or palm sugar
- Pinch of pepper
Make sure to add all the sauce around the edge of the wok/skillet. So the sauce will slightly burn and will create a beautiful smokey flavor and aroma. Toss and stir everything together for 2 minutes. If your noodles are not done, add 1 tbsp of water at a time until it’s done. If the noodles are sticking too much, add 1 tbsp oil at a time. Fresh noodles will break down, and it’s ok.
This is the fresh rice noodle I used. The same one that I used for my Chow Fun recipe too. In Maui, this is only one type of fresh rice noodle I can find- which means, you don’t have to sweat to find this brand.
The only challenge I can think of cooking drunken noodles is finding the fresh rice noodle. If you have a Vietnamese or Chinese grocery nearby, you might be able to find fresh rice noodles at the room temp shelving or refrigerator section. If you can’t find it, you can use dried wide rice noodles just rehydrated before use. It might not as silky as the fresh noodles, but you will still end up with super yummy delicious drunken noodles.
Turn off the heat and add the basil leaves. Toss everything together and serve immediately with a lime wedge if you like. Enjoy!
Vegetarian Drunken Noodles
- Total Time: 17 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
For the Tofu
- 8 oz extra firm tofu
- 1 tsp vegan fish sauce or Yondu
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- Pinch of pepper
For the Stir-fry
- 3 tbsp extra chili oil, regular chili oil, or cooking oil for a mild version
- 8 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 to 4 Thai or Hawaiian chili, chopped
- 1 large shallot, sliced
- 6 oz bok choy, broccoli, or any green veggie you like
- 1 lb fresh rice noodles or dried rice noodles soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and drained
- 1 tbsp vegan fish sauce or Yondu
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce, optional (it’s for color)
- 2 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp agave nectar or palm sugar
- Pinch of pepper
- Handful Thai or holy basil leaves
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients for the tofu in a mixing bowl and let it marinate while preparing other ingredients, about 10 minutes.
- Heat a large skillet or a wok over high heat; add oil swirl to coat. Add the garlic, chili, and shallot, stir fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add the marinated tofu and sear them for 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Add more oil if needed. Now add in your choice of vegetable and stir fry for 1 minute.
- Add the noodles, vegan fish sauce, soy, dark soy, vegetarian oyster sauce, and agave nectar around the edge of the wok/skillet. Toss and stir everything together for 2 minutes. If your noodles are not done, add 1 tbsp of water at a time until it’s done. If the noodles are sticking too much, add 1 tbsp oil at a time. Fresh noodles will break down, and it’s ok.
- Turn off the heat and add the basil leaves. Toss everything together and serve immediately with a lime wedge if you like. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 7 mins
5 comments
This was amazing! The only issue was that the drunken noodles ran out sooner than I expected 😂
That was so good! One of my new favorite recipe!
Thank you for this most excellent recipe! I rarely give comments or reviews, but after making a slightly modified version of your recipe tonight I was able to finally make a delicious low sodium version of one of my favorite meals!
This is an amazing recipe. Thank you so much! I doubled the recipe but used half a pound of egg noodles and dried basil since it’s not in season where I live.
So happy to hear that Madison!