Vegan Thai Basil Tofu with Green Beans (Pad Krapow-Inspired)
This Vegan Thai Basil Tofu Stir Fry with Green Beans recipe is deliciously savoury, sweet, spicy, and aromatic from the fresh basil leaves. You’ll want to enjoy this with a bowl of steamed rice for a perfectly satisfying meal.This recipe is a fusion of my love for Pad Krapow or Spicy Thai Basil Chicken and Chinese Szechuan Green Beans with Minced Pork. Instead of the usual meat used for these recipes, I use extra firm tofu that I crumbled and cooked down to mimic ground meat.
Ingredients
Tofu and Green Beans
- 14 oz extra firm tofu
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 5.2 oz green beans (see notes)
Stir-Fry
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 thin slice ginger minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1-2 green chili sliced (add more for extra heat)
- 2-3 bird's eye chiles or Thai Chiles
- 1/2 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 small red bell pepper diced
- 1-2 tbsp brown sugar adjust to taste
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or to taste
- 1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce or sub more soy sauce
- 1.5 tsp dark soy sauce
- Dash white pepper
- 1/2 cup packed Thai or Holy Basil leaves
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- You can watch the video below or see the step-by-step images above to see how to make this recipe.
- Press tofu for at least 10 minutes to drain excess liquid. I like to wrap my tofu in a towel and place a weighted surface on top. Afterwards, place the tofu in a bowl and crumble the tofu with your hands or a fork.
- Chop off the ends of the green beans. Slice into 1/2-inch pieces.
- Heat a large skillet or cast iron pan or wok to medium high heat. Once hot, add in the oil.
- Increase to high heat and then add in the green beans. Leave untouched for 2 to 3 minutes or until browned on one side. Move the beans around and repeat this step until the beans are slightly charred, around 8 minutes in total. Remove the beans from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan or wok over medium heat, add in the oil. Once hot, sauté the onion until translucent, 2 minutes. Add in the garlic, ginger, chilies, and bell pepper. Sauté for 3-4 minutes over medium heat until bell pepper is cooked through. Move the onions and bell peppers to the side of the pan.
- Add in the mashed tofu. Add the sugar, soy sauces, vegetarian oyster sauce (if using), and white pepper. Mix the tofu to coat in the sauces.
- Turn up the heat to medium high and and leave to cook over medium high heat, mixing around every 2 minutes until the tofu dries up. Mix everything (the tofu and bell pepper/onion mix) and then leave the tofu to cook for a bit longer until it resembles minced meat and is lightly brown, around 10 minutes in total.
- Add in the Thai basil leaves. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes over medium high heat until the basil leaves have wilted. Add back in the green beans.
- Season with a pinch of salt and more soy sauce, if needed. Turn off the heat and serve over steamed rice. Enjoy!
WATCH Video
Notes
GREEN BEANS
- You can also make this with just tofu and peppers, and skip the green beans. The green beans add a nice pop of colour and texture though!
NUTRITIONAL INFO
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1639mg | Potassium: 561mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 518IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 4mg
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