Can’t Resist these Delicious Thai Drunken Noodles with Tofu

Drunken noodles are my go to when I go to a Thai Restaurants these days. There is something about these wide rice noodles and the sauce that I don’t seem to get enough of it. There has the perfect balance of spice, sweetness and a burst of citrus flavor & are packed with serious umami flavors.

How many of you go to a Thai Restaurant and by default order some kind of Curry? Guilty. Yes, me too. I did that for most of my life until the last 4 years. That changed one fine day when I wanted to try something else and tried these Drunken Noodle. Ooo lala… I couldn’t believe how much I was missing. serious life changing moment. Go ahead, try them and see for yourself.

The Tofu for this can be made two ways either Pan Fried or Baked. I have tried many variations of these and finally settled on these two. Both are equally amazing. Also, if you are like me and do not like to baby sit your food, baking is your way too. It’s quick & easy with minimal prep time. Whereas, the fried version need to be carefully watched so that it crisps up equally on all 6 sides. I am sharing a picture of Fried Tofu Noodles to see the difference in texture.

I am sharing the Baked version in this recipe, if you want to try the pan fried go ahead. Just don’t add any spices, simply add oil to a wide pan and drop it the Tofu. Make sure to Dry the tofu with a paper towel to absorb any excess water.

Must Read Tips:

• Tofu can be made ahead of time to save time for this.
• If the sauce to noodles consistency is not enough, measure half the ingredients for the Drunken Noodles sauce. Mix and heat up in a separate pan until the sauce thicken. Once the sauce is thick, pour it over the noodles & mix. This will yield more saucy noodles.
• Add any crunch veggies of your liking. Try different colors of Bell Peppers. Try to avoid starchy vegetables like potatoes or cauliflower.
• You can also use Mint instead of basil for this. The taste is slightly different but both are very delicious.

Drunken Noodles Sauce:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 2 T maple syrup or brown sugar
• 2 T sriracha
• 1 t coconut aminos
• 1 T white wine vinegar
• 1 t corn flour

Drunken Noodles Ingredients:

• 1 block of Extra/super firm Tofu
• 4 oz wide rice noodles or pappardelle pasta I used organic semolina pappardelle for this
• 1 large red bell pepper thinly sliced use diff colors
• 1 small red onion thinly sliced
• 5-6 garlic pods chopped
• 3 bok choy thinly sliced or any other veggies of choice
• 2-3 carrots thinly sliced
• 3 Thai green chilies chopped
• 1/2 Cup of basil or mint both will work – the flavor will slightly differ

Tofu Sauce Ingredients:

• 2 T soy cause
• 1 T maple syrup
• 1 T sriracha
• 1 t sesame oil
• Pinch of salt

Drunken Noodle Sauce:

• Mix all the Ingredients under Main Drunken Noodle Sauce and keep ready.
• Baked Tofu
• Pre-heat oven to 425 C degrees.
• Cut the tofu into blocks.
• Mix all the Baked Tofu Sauces in a bowl. Dip each tofu slice in the sauce and line on a baking tray with parchment paper
• Bake for 30 mins turning once at 15 min mark.
• Once done, take out keep it aside.

Drunken Noodles

• Boil some water, add salt and drop in the noodles and cook for 6-7 mins or cook as per directions
• In a separate pan, add oil, sliced onions, chilies and chopped garlic. Cook until onions turns slightly translucent about 2 mins.
• Drop in the carrots first mix, then add the peppers followed by the bok choy (optional). Cook for 2 mins.
• Next add the tofu blocks followed by the sauce mixture, let cook for another 1-2 mins.
• Add half the basil leaves mix.
• Drop in the noodles, mix until the noodles are well coated with the sauce.
• Top off with more basil & enjoy!!!