Pad See Ew - Vegan Yum Yum (p. 202)

One night during her visit, SA and I had the hardest time agreeing upon a meal to eat for dinner. After much deliberation (we even considered ordering take out!), we finally agreed upon trying a vegan recipe. We took a trip to the local Chinese market (http://yellowpages.mapquest.com/business/nj/east-hanover/Kam-Man-Foods-Inc/0-110478811/?query=kam%20man&icid=oneclick_mapquestyp&invocationType=oneClick.freelisting&flv=1)to pick up the specialty ingredients required for this recipe.

THE RECIPE:

3/4 package of chow fun (about 1.8 lbs.) Chow fun are fresh noodles that we purchased from the Chinese market especially for this dish. They are gushy sheets that I needed to cut into smaller, more manageable strips for this dish.
2 TBL. veggie oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes --> SA, a seasoned chef, recommended we use fresh ground chili paste as a replacement for the red pepper flakes.
1 tsp. fresh grated ginger
1 lb. Chinese broccoli --> chop it into manageable pieces and halve the stems as to shorten their cooking time.
1.5 cups wheat gluten (a.k.a. seitan), sliced thin --> Please read notes at bottom
3 TBL. light soy sauce
3 TBL. dark soy sauce
2 TBL. sugar
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1) Cut noodles into manageable pieces
2) Heat oil in wok. Saute garlic over medium heat.
3) Add pepper flakes and ginger
4) Add broccoli and stir-fry until tender crisp, just a few minutes.
5) Add gluten, soy sauce, sugar, and noodels. Stir well, cooking for a a few minutes. Serve immediately.


Some notes: The recipe called for seitan, but Sarah the Carnivore and I subbed in chicken and tofu, respectively. I just sauted a little tofu in vegetable oil with salt and pepper in a separate pan, then added it to the broccoli concoction at the end of the cooking time.

Right off the bat, Sarah suggested that we double the recipe for the soy sauce sauce mixture. We used tamari and sushi soy sauce...The book details how using a light and a dark soy sauces is recommended for the best flavor, we used what we had handy. (Thanks NMcL for the sushi soy sauce).

It was a pretty good recipe and meal but definitely does not rival that of my new favorite Thai restaurant (http://www.yelp.com/biz/pimaan-thai-restaurant-emerson)! But for newbie Thai cookers, it was a fun experience and a success!