vegan thai basil stiry fry recipe with tofu, green beans, and thai chile

Thai Basil Stir Fry with Tofu (Pad Krapow)

A vegan friendly take on a classic Thai takeout recipe.

This Thai basil stir fry with tofu and green beans is a vegan take on the classic Thai takeout dish called pad krapow or pad kra pao.

What is Pad Krapow?

Pad Krapow is a traditional Thai stir-fry dish typically served with holy basil, Thai chiles, fish sauce, and soy sauce with ground meat, either chicken or turkey. You can find it on the menu of most Thai restaurants with variations of Thai Basil Stir Fry, Holy Basil Stir Fry, or Basil Chicken Stir Fry.

Key Ingredients for Thai Basil Stir Fry with Tofu

The basics of a Thai basil stir fry has a few key components. The key flavor profile is the combination between the Thai basil and the Thai chili.

Thai Chili – small and slender chiles that are green and then turn red. These chiles are a staple in southeast asian cooking. They are also known as bird eye chilies. You can source them from your local farmers market, asian supermarket, or sometimes at robust supermarket like Safeway.
Thai Basil – a leafy green and purple herb traditionally found in southeast asian dishes
Protein – this version calls for firm or extra firm tofu. For high protein you should use extra firm tofu. The shredded tofu technique requires shredding the tofu in a cheese grater and then baking the tofu until it’s firm and chewy. This is the perfect way to create the same texture as ground meat. You can also crumble the tofu by hand or cut into squares.

Substitutions

Thai Chili: you can use jalapeños for a less spicy version
Thai Basil: either Italian basil or holy basil. Both will result in a different flavor profile but the dish will still be delicious
- Italian basil is more sweet and mild
- Holy basil is more peppery
Vegan Fish Sauce – you can opt out of vegan fish sauce but this provides a tangy taste. For a substitution I recommend soy sauce mixed with a splash of rice wine vinegar and maple syrup
Vegan Oyster Sauce – I recommend mixing hoisin sauce with soy sauce at a 1:1 ratio
Green beans – you can pick any vegetable you’d like! I’ve made this with mushrooms, broccoli, and carrots. All are delicious options.
Vegetable Stock Powder (optional) – this gives the sauce a more intense flavor. I like to use wonton stock powder for a vegan option or you can use chicken stock powder.

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Equipment

large wok or pan
grater optional to shred by hand
medium pot

Ingredients

1 small shallot (diced)
4 thai chili peppers see substitution above
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
2 cups chopped green beans cut up to roughly 2 inches per piece
14 oz firm tofu 1 block
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp vegan fish sauce skip if you can't find but it will taste slightly different
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp vegetable stock powder optional – see substitution above
1 cup thai basil see substitution above
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

Prep and bake the tofu

Press the Tofu. Press out the excess water of the firm tofu. I like to place the tofu in between two cutting boards and stack some cans on top of it for a few hours. Pat the tofu dry. You want the tofu to be as dry as possible before roasting
Oven. Preheat the oven to 350℉
Shred Tofu. Shred the tofu into pieces. I like to use the largest holes in a cheese grater.
Season Tofu. In a small mixing bowl, mix the tofu with 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and 1/4 tsp salt. Drizzle with olive oil and mix well so that the tofu is well coated
Spread Tofu. Spread the tofu out on a baking tray and make sure it is evenly spread out across the tray so that the tofu will bake evenly
Bake Tofu. Bake the tofu for 30 minutes. Remove the tray halfway and mix the tofu up so that the top is able to crisp up as well. You'll notice when you take the tofu out that the bottom is starting to crisp up but the top is still soft.

Prep and cook the green beans

Cut green beans. Wash and cut the green beens into roughly 2 inch pieces until you have about 2 cups worth of green beens
Cook green beans. Bring a medium size pot to a boil and add the green beens. Cook for about 2-3 minutes.
Strain green beans. Strain the green beans and let it rest or dunk them in some cold water to blanch.

Stir Fry

Prep aromatics. Finely dice the shallots and garlic. Slice up the thai chile peppers
Mix sauce. In a small bowl, create the sauce by mixing together the soy sauce, vegan fish sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, and optional vegetable stock seasoning
Bloom aromatics. In a large wok or pan, heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil over medium high heat. Once hot, add the shallots, garlic, and thai chile peppers. Stir fry for 2 minutes, making sure the shallots and garlic do not burn.
Mix In Sauce. Add in half of the sauce, stirring as you add in more sauce. Let the flavors cook together for another 3 minutes.
Add protein and vegetables. Add the baked tofu and the green beans. Keep stir frying everything together so that nothing burns. Add in the rest of the sauce. If you do start to see caramelization on the pan, add some water and gently scrap the caramelization off the pan so the flavors are incorporated in the dish. Stir fry another 5 minutes. This is so the flavors can cook into the tofu and green beans.
Serve. Turn off the heat and season with 1/4 tsp of salt and mix in the fresh Thai basil. Serve on a bed of white rice.