This take on Pad Thai is my antidote when I’m feeling a bit stodgy and low in energy. The combination of vegetables, ginger and lemon make me feel alive and kicking!
It is based on a recipe from vegangela.com (thank you Angela). I’ve been making it for a few years now with different combinations of vegetables. The Pad Thai has raw vegetables instead of noodles but the citrus juice in the sauce will soften the vegetables making them easier to digest. It’s therefore best to make it at least 15 minutes in advance, just to give the juice time to work and for the noodles to soak up the flavours. It also tastes really nice the day after you make it.
My measurements are a bit on the approximate side, sorry. This is admittedly due to the fact that I don’t own any measuring cups or scales – I tell myself it leads to more experimentation this way! The idea is to have a more or less 50/50 mix of the courgette and carrot noodles, and these should make up the bulk of the meal. The other vegetables then add extra colour and texture, so add these to your taste and swap things around: red peppers work instead of red cabbage, broccoli can be replaced with cauliflower. The raw shredded leek was a new discovery for me recently, if you use the green ends (washed well) it’s not as strong a taste as you might expect. You could swap the leeks with a couple of chopped spring onions instead, or add some kale for more greenery.
I sometimes make double the amount of the sauce, adding everything together except for the ginger. Put half to one side in a jar, add 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tablespoons water to make a dressing for salads. It will keep in the fridge for a couple of days. Add the ginger to the rest of the sauce and stir all that into the vegetables.
Ingredients serves 2 – 3
- 2 courgettes
- 2 – 3 carrots
- 2 – 3 cm of finely shredded leek (the green leafy ends)
- A handful of red or white cabbage – finely sliced
- A handful of broccoli florets – cut up nice and small
Optional to serve
Sprouted beans or seeds / Sprinklings of crushed peanuts or cashew nuts / Fresh coriander leaves / Finely sliced red chilli
For the sauce
- 4 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter – sugar-free crunchy works well or just use more tahini instead
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp honey (or maple syrup)*
- 1 or 2 cloves of garlic – finely chopped
- 1 or 2 tsp fresh ginger – grated
*I don’t use a lot of honey as I love the sharpness of lemon, but you might prefer less garlic and ginger and more sweetness. The original recipe uses 4 teaspoons. Add the ingredients gradually and keeping tasting as you go.
How to make it
Add all the ingredients for the sauce together in a bowl. It will thin out as you stir it. If your tahini is very thick add a little more lemon juice or a splash of cold water.
Use a julienne peeler or spiralizer to make noodles from the courgettes and carrots. If you don’t have either of these bits of kit just make vegetable ribbons with a regular potato peeler (slice the ribbons lengthways if you prefer them thinner). Place the noodles in a large bowl.
Stir the sauce gradually into the noodles so that they are coated. Leave it for ten minutes or so for the vegetables to soften and soak up the sauce a little.
Serve with sprinkles of nuts, sprouts, fresh coriander, chilis or whatever takes your fancy!
More recipes
- Miso soup in a jar – a healthy lunch on the go
- Beautiful breakfast bowl
- Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup for Yang
- Cooling cucumber coconut bowl
