My Favourite Healthy Pad Thai Recipe

My husband and I decided to take our honeymoon finally to Asia, two years later and we are currently in Bangkok, Thailand and shortly heading to Bali, Indonesia. He is obsessed with Asian food (so we are basically on his food tour) as he lived in Singapore for a few years in his 20s. In the beginning of our relationship I really tried to learn more Asian-influenced recipes. What I didn’t like about most of them was that they were heavy on sodium and too many sauces for my stomach too handle so I opted to try to learn a classic and turn it into something healthy that would not compromise on taste! The classic Pad Thai has become my most favourite recipe - if you know me you know this! Definitely not even close to as good as the Thai version I had today pictured here but trust me this recipe is still delicious and easy to make at home.

Why I Love This Dish

I truly love transforming classic dishes into healthy, easy weekly staples. For about two years, I made this dish for almost everyone who came over, and my claim to fame is that my friends would say it tastes just like it does at a Thai restaurant. I realized Pad Thai is one of those dishes that seems complicated until you make it once or twice, and then it becomes so easy. This recipe takes me about 30 minutes without even thinking about it. Many people view Pad Thai as an unhealthy meal, but with some simple swaps, it can be a hearty way to get lots of good macronutrients and healthy vegetables into your diet. This recipe is also gluten-free and can be quickly made vegan or vegetarian by swapping the shrimp or chicken for tofu.

The easy, healthy swaps I focused on include removing high-fat peanut butter, which can also be a gut-disrupting food due to the casein in peanut butter and peanut oil. I use almond butter, and sesame oil but the taste remains the same. I also removed most of the extra sauces like soy sauce, because I find the sodium content too high and it’s not gluten-free, and rice vinegar. Although normal recipes call for rice vinegar and soy sauce, I find the flavor remains more or less the same because the fish sauce still gives the sauce its tangy flavor. With the nutty flavor intact, this dish feels much healthier to me, and I don’t mind making a big batch of sauce to use for other dishes like spring rolls or as a salad dressing. It’s so versatile and almost addicting.

The reason I take out some of the extra sauces is that I find dishes become complex to us when too many ingredients are involved. This complexity can also be difficult for our stomachs to digest because it has to produce an acid to digest each ingredient. By removing one or two components of the sauce while keeping the flavor intact, I feel it becomes a simpler meal to make and a bloat-free dinner. (Who doesn’t love that?)

The one thing I have not managed to replace in this sauce, which I feel slightly bad about, is the sriracha. I love the flavor it gives and have not been able to find something super clean that has the same flavor. I plan to eventually make my own, but I haven’t gotten there yet. If you love this recipe and make it, let me know how you like it!!

Ingredients:

Main Dish:

• 1 bunch green onions, chopped

• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced

• 200g rice noodles

• 250g shrimp, peeled and deveined or chicken breast, or tofu (for vegan, vegetarian)

• 2 tbsp sesame oil (for cooking)

• Fresh coriander (for garnish)

• Peanuts or cashews (for garnish, chopped)

• 1 lime, cut into wedges (for serving)

• Bean sprouts (optional)

Sauce:

• 3 tbsp almond butter

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• 1-2 tbsp sriracha sauce (to taste)

• 1 heaping tbsp honey

• 2 tbsp fish sauce

• 1 squeeze of lime

• 2 tsp water

• Garlic powder (to taste)

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Rice Noodles:

   • Cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions (normally just leave in boiling water for 5 mins). Drain and set aside.

2. Make the Sauce:

   • In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients such as almond butter, sesame oil, sriracha sauce, honey, and fish sauce. Whip. Add the rest. Whisk until smooth and set aside.

3. Cook the Shrimp:

   • Heat 1 tbsp of sesame oil in a large pan or wok over medium-high heat.

   • Add the shrimp and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until they turn pink and are cooked through. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside.

4. Stir-Fry the Vegetables:

   • In the same pan, add the remaining 1 tbsp of sesame oil.

   • Add the chopped green onions and sliced red pepper. Stir-fry for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender but still crisp. I like to cook red peppers for longer because they can sometimes give people an upset stomach as they are a high FODMAP food.

5. Combine Noodles and Sauce:

   • Add the cooked rice noodles to the pan with the vegetables. Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss everything together until the noodles are well coated with the sauce.

6. Add Shrimp:

   • Return the cooked shrimp to the pan and toss to combine with the noodles and vegetables. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until everything is heated through.

7. Serve:

   • Transfer the Pad Thai to serving plates.

   • Garnish with fresh coriander, bean sprouts and chopped peanuts or cashews.

   • Serve with lime wedges on the side for squeezing over the top.

Enjoy your delicious homemade Pad Thai!