https://www.thugkitchen.com/recipes/drunken-noodles
~4 servings
- 4 tbsp Thai sweet soy sauce
- 2.5 tablespoons vegetarian oyster sauce (can use regular oyster sauce if you are not vegetarian)
- 2.5 tablespoons Maggi seasoning
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1.25 tsp sriracha sauce
- 2 cloves minced fresh garlic
- 4 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
- 4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 serrano peppers, seeded and thinly sliced (or you can leave the seeds in if you're not a a spice wimp like me)
- 3 cups (~1 large flower) broccolli
- 1 14-oz package extra firm tofu, pressed and cut into bite-sized chunks
- 1 medium white onion, sliced
- 12 oz fresh wide rice noodles (NOT dry or cooked noodles)
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 cups packed Thai basil leaves (don't need to chop but do need to pick the leaves from the stems), divided
Some of these ingredients can be hard to find in local stores. Here's some substitutions that don't affect the flavor that much (though it's better to get the correct stuff):
- Peanut oil -> olive oil or avocado oil
- Sweet soy sauce -> regular soy sauce
- Grape tomatoes -> cherry tomatoes, or any other small tomatoes
- Thai basil -> regular Italian basil
- Fresh wide rice noodles -> fresh fettuccine pasta. Do NOT use dry rice noodles or cooked rice noodles.
First combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl. Chop 1/2 cup of the basil leaves into thin strips and mix them into the sauce. Set aside.
Next, prepare a bowl of hot water (from a hot water dispenser or by heating it on the stove). Place the noodles in there for 5 minutes to allow them to soak . Drain the noodles and set aside. If using dry noodles instead, cook them according to package directions, then empty into a colander. Allow them to cool and dry for 10-20 minutes, then rub them with oil to keep them from sticking. Don't rinse them -- we want to remove as much water as possible from them so that they can be fried later!
When you're ready to get cooking, heat 2 tbsp of oil over a medium-high heat in a large saute pan. When the pan starts to slightly smoke, add the tofu and saute until it turns golden (10 min). Then, remove from the pan.
Then, reduce heat to medium, add the garlic, peppers, and 1tbsp of oil, and saute until the garlic starts to brown (1 min).
Next, increase heat to medium-high, stir in the broccoli and onion, pour in the remaining tablespoon of oil, and saute with lid on until the broccoli starts to become soft (7-9 min).
Add the fresh rice noodles and separate and mix them into the food using tongs. Then saute until they are soft and slightly browned on the edges, about 2 minutes. [note: the "slightly browned on the edges" line comes from the original recipe, but I was never actually able to achieve this with fettucine]
Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the sauce, tomatoes, tofu, and basil, then toss them together to combine. Note: It might make sense to add only 80% or so of the sauce now, then add the remainder if it tastes undersauced.
Cover the pot and heat for about 3-5 minutes. Make sure the noodles completely absorb the sauce and then serve right away. Note that the longer you cook this, the more flavor the thai basil will lose, so don't wait too long!