Basil and Tofu Vermicelli Noodles
These Basil and Tofu Vermicelli Noodles are a fusion of Thai and Filipino flavours. Here at home we love to cook vermicelli/sotanghon and bihon (corn starch-based noodles) with a delicious soy-based sauce. I also love to make Thai Drunken Noodles or Pad Kee Mao so wanted to fuse the two together by using vermicelli noodles and adding a generous amount of Thai and Holy basil leaves since I have plants that always grow so much leaves (i’m very grateful!)
Ingredients
Noodles
- 3 bundles dry vermicelli or bean threads (150 g total, 50 g each bundle), see notes
Sauce
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2-3 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce or stir-fry sauce see notes
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar or other sweetener
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1/2 to 1 tbsp sriracha or other chili sauce adjust to taste
Stir-Fry
- 1/2 lb extra firm tofu
- Neutral oil for cooking
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce for tofu
- 1 small small bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 onion sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups fresh Thai and holy basil I used a mix
Instructions
- Noodles: Place the noodles in a large heat proof bowl. Pour boiling hot water and leave to soak for 8-10 minutes or until still very chewy. Drain the water and set aside.
- Sauce: Mix everything together. Feel free to adjust to your desired taste.
- Press the tofu. Slice the tofu into cubes or other shape of choice. Heat a large non-stick pan or skillet over medium. Add some oil. Add in the tofu. Pan-fry the tofu until golden brown on each side. Add in the soy sauce for the tofu. Mix well.
- Move the tofu to the side of the pan. Add in more oil. Stir-fry the bell peppers, onions, and garlic until the bell peppers are tender. Add half of the basil leaves.
- Add the the noodles and pour in the sauce. Mix well and allow the noodles to cook down for 4-5 more minutes until cooked to your liking. Taste thhe noodles and feel free to season with more vegetarian oyster sauce/stir-fry sauce/soy sauce. Add in the remaining basil leaves. Mix well and then turn off the heat once the basil leaves have wilted.
- Serve and enjoy while hot.
Notes
Noodles
- The noodles I used a vermicelli made with a mix of bean starch and peas. They’re very thin and chewy. Feel free to use whatever vermicelli or noodles you have access to but I find that thin vermicelli/bean based noodles work best for this recipe.
- You can also use Korean sweet potato noodles used for Japchae. For these noodles you will need to soak them longer because they’re a lot thicker than the vermicelli I used.
- You can also use rice vermicelli or even thin rice noodles.
Sauce
No Vegetarian Oyster Sauce/Stir-Fry Sauce?- If you don’t have Vegetarian Oyster Sauce/Stir-Fry Sauce, you can use recap manis and lessen/omit the sugar. I have a homemade kecap manis or sweet soy sauce recipe here.
- You can also do away with using just soy sauce and sugar for the sauce. Feel free to adjust to your taste.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 209kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 652mg | Potassium: 106mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg
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