Today we try to veganize Chrissy Teigen’s Pad Thai Carbonara recipe. The eggs and bacon make this dish like a carbonara, but the Thai flavours make it pad Thai – This is the flavour hybrid that drove the internet wild. We tried veganizing it with vegan eggs and vegan bacon to see if we could get it to look and taste like the original but totally plant-based.
Ingredients
for 4 servings
-
½ lb wide rice noodle(225 g) -
¼ cup palm sugar (50 g) -
¼ cup fish sauce (65 g) -
¼ cup tamarind paste(55 g) -
6 oz pork belly, cubed(170 g) -
1 teaspoon oil - 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 shallots, minced
-
1 teaspoon pickled turnip, optional - 1 egg
-
4 oz tofu, cubed, optional(110 g) - ½ bunch green onion, or chinese chives, sliced, plus more for serving
-
½ cup bean sprout, plus more for serving (50 g) - 1 egg yolk
- lime, for serving
- peanuts, for serving
- red thai chile, diced, for serving, optional
Preparation
- Soak rice noodles in room temperature water 30 minutes prior to cooking.
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together palm sugar, tamarind paste, and fish sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and reduce for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove sauce from heat and set aside.
- Heat a cast-iron pan or wok over high heat.
- Add pork belly and sear for about 3 minutes.
- Add oil, minced garlic, shallots, and turnips, and stir to incorporate.
- Move the pork belly to the side of the pan and add the egg. Break the egg up with a spatula or wooden spoon and stir to scramble.
- Add soaked rice noodles and stir to evenly incorporate all ingredients, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of the reduced sauce and stir.
- Add tofu, Chinese chives or green onions, and bean sprouts. Stir to incorporate and remove from heat.
- When plating, make a divot in the center of the noodles and add the egg yolk.
- Serve immediately with lime, peanuts, more sprouts and chives, and red chiles, if desired.
- Enjoy!
