This Drunken Noodles recipe is perfect for vegetarians because it does not use fish or oyster sauce that is used in most traditional versions of this dish. It definitely still has all the amazing tastes!
Drunken noodles have always been my go to order when eating out. I just love the wide rice noodles and the deep, rich umami taste the sauce that coats them has. The restaurant I used to eat them at was a local restaurant so when I moved away to a different state, I wasn’t able to find a very good substitute for them.
I recently decided to try my hand at making my own recipe. As I was researching the different sauces that’s used, I decided that I wanted to make a vegetarian/vegan friendly version. This recipe uses vegan fish sauce and my own recipe for oyster sauce.
What’s Inside Drunken Noodles?
- Wide Rice Noodles
- Broccoli
- White Onion
- Red Bell Pepper
- Garlic
- Bean Sprouts
- Eggs
- Basil
- Tofu (or any other protein you would like)
- Tamari (soy sauce)
- Vegan Fish Sauce
- Oyster Sauce (find the vegan recipe here)
- Chili Garlic Sauce
- Brown Sugar
How to Make:
For the Tofu-
- Drain and press the tofu for 20 minutes.
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
- After tofu has finished being pressed, cut into cubes.
- In a large bowl coat tofu cubes with oil and cornstarch (just enough to ensure an even coating) and stir.
- Place the tofu on a baking sheet, bake at 400F for 20 minutes, flip, then cook for 15-20 more minutes until brown and crispy.
For the Sauce-
- Place all of the ingredients into a small bowl or large measuring cup and whisk until everything has dissolved and blended together.
For the Main Drunken Noodles Dish-
- Since this recipe is a little more complex, getting your mise en place ready is important. To do this, go ahead and prepare all of the vegetables, get your sauce together, have everything ready to go.
- After getting everything ready, cook your noodles according to package instructions. If you finish your noodles before you start sautéing the veggies, pour some oil onto the noodles and stir after they have been drained to insure that they don’t stick together and harden.
- Start by sautéing the broccoli, red pepper, and onion. Sauté until the onions are translucent and the broccoli is tender, somewhere between 5-10 minutes.
- Push the veggies to the side and pour in the egg and cook it (like you would make scrambled eggs).
- After the egg has finished cooking, mix in with the veggies.
- Mix in the garlic, bean sprouts, and the basil with the other veggies/egg and cook for 1 more minute.
Assembly-
- After all of the veggies have finished cooking, mix in the noodles, tofu, and sauce (I ended up having to do this in the large pot that I cooked the noodles in because my skillet was a little too small for everything).
- Serve and enjoy!
Equipment Used for Drunken Noodles:
PrintDrunken Noodles (vegetarian!)
A vegetarian Drunken Noodle recipe!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Category: noodles
- Method: saute
- Cuisine: thai
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Main Dish-
- 1 block of Tofu (extra firm)
- 1 package of Wide Rice Noodles
- 2 cups of Broccoli, roughly chopped
- 1 small White Onion, diced
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, cut into strips
- 2 cloves of Garlic, minced
- 1.5 cups of Bean Sprouts
- 1–2 Eggs
- 2 tbsp Fresh Basil, finely chopped
For the Sauce-
- 1/3 cup + 2 tsp of Tamari (or soy sauce)
- 4 tbsp of Vegan Fish Sauce
- 4 tbsp of Vegan “Oyster” Sauce
- 2 tbsp Chili Garlic Sauce
- 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
Instructions
For the Tofu-
- Drain the tofu and press for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- After the tofu has finished being pressed, cut into cubes.
- Place tofu cubes into a large bowl and coat with oil and cornstarch (just enough to evenly coat all of the cubes) and stir.
- Put the tofu cubes onto a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
- Flip the tofu cubes and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes, until they have browned and are crispy.
For the Sauce-
- Place all of the ingredients into a small bowl, or a large measuring cup.
- Whisk until all of the ingredients are combined/dissolved.
For the Main Dish-
- Try to prep as much beforehand as possible. Make sure all the veggies are chopped and ready to go, make sure the tofu and the sauce are made.
- Once everything is ready, go ahead and cook the noodles according to package instructions.
- Once the noodles have finished cooking, drain and add some oil on the noodles and stir. This will ensure that the noodles do not harden and stay fresh.
- Over medium-high heat, on an oiled skillet, sauté the broccoli, peppers, and onions until the onions are translucent and the broccoli is tender, roughly 5-10 minutes.
- Push the veggies to the side of the skillet and scramble the egg(s) in the same skillet.
- Once the eggs are cooked, mix them in with the veggies.
- Put the garlic, bean sprouts, and the basil in the skillet, stir, and cook for 1 more minute.
Assembly-
- Once everything has cooked, place the noodles, tofu, and the sauce together, either in the skillet if big enough, or the large pot where the noodles were cooked, and combine everything together.
- Serve warm and enjoy!!
