Pad Thai And Mushrooms: A Tasty Combination?

Pad Thai is a versatile, simple, and delicious dish that has gained popularity worldwide. While there are many variations of the dish, the core ingredients typically include rice noodles, cooking oil, onions, protein (such as chicken or tofu), garlic, eggs, bean sprouts, and scallions. One popular variation of Pad Thai includes mushrooms, specifically shiitake mushrooms, which are commonly used in Asian cuisine and impart a delicious woody umami flavor to the dish. Other types of mushrooms used in Pad Thai recipes include chanterelles, morels, button mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms. The addition of mushrooms gives a meaty texture to the dish, making it a popular choice for vegetarian and vegan versions of Pad Thai.

Pad Thai recipes with mushrooms

While Pad Thai recipes traditionally do not include mushrooms, they can be a great addition, giving the dish a meaty texture and a delicious woody umami flavor. You can use a variety of mushrooms, such as shiitake, oyster, button, or wild mushrooms like chanterelles and morels. Here are some recipes for Pad Thai with mushrooms:

Vegetarian Pad Thai with Oyster Mushrooms

This recipe uses oyster mushrooms, which you can replace with tofu or any other vegetables of your choice.

Ingredients:

• Noodles
• Vegetable oil
• Spring onions
• Garlic
• Oyster mushrooms
• Bean sprouts
• Coriander
• Roasted peanuts
• Lime wedges
• Salt
• Tamarind paste or lime juice and tomato ketchup
• Coconut sugar or brown sugar
• Soy sauce

Instructions:

• Boil the noodles in salted water for 2 minutes less than the package instructions, then rinse with ice-cold water and set aside.
• Cut the spring onions into white and green parts, slicing them at a 45-degree angle.
• Heat vegetable oil in a pan and add the garlic, frying until golden. Then, add the white parts of the spring onions and stir-fry for 1 minute.
• Add the oyster mushrooms and cook for 3-5 minutes.
• Pour in the sauce mixture and stir-fry the noodles until they are evenly coated, taking no more than 3 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and add the bean sprouts and green parts of the spring onion, mixing well.
• Top with coriander, roasted peanuts, and serve with lime wedges.

Vegan Pad Thai with Tofu and Mushrooms

This recipe uses tofu and mushrooms, but you can also add chicken or shrimp if desired.

Ingredients:

• Noodles
• Vegetable oil
• Mushrooms
• Tofu
• Garlic
• Bean sprouts
• Coriander
• Peanuts
• Lime
• Coconut sugar or brown sugar
• Tamarind paste or lime juice
• Soy sauce or tamari
• Sriracha
• Peanut butter
• Spinach
• Chives

Instructions:

• Boil the noodles in salted water for 2 minutes less than the package instructions, then rinse with ice-cold water and set aside.
• Press the tofu to remove moisture, then dice into small cubes and fry in sesame oil until crispy.
• Add the mushrooms and sauté until they cook down and brown, about 5-8 minutes.
• Add coconut sugar, tamari or soy sauce, lime juice, coriander, red pepper flakes, sriracha, and peanut butter, stirring to combine.
• Pour in the cooked noodles, remaining tamari and lime juice, chopped peanuts, cilantro, chives, spinach, and sprouts.
• Cook on low for a few minutes, stirring, until the noodles absorb the sauce.
• Add the tofu back in and stir.
• Top with more peanuts, herbs, radish, sprouts, and a lime wedge.

Chicken and Shiitake Mushroom Pad Thai

This recipe uses chicken and shiitake mushrooms, but you can replace the shiitake mushrooms with button mushrooms if needed.

Ingredients:

• Rice noodles
• Cooking oil
• Onion
• Chicken breast
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Garlic
• Eggs
• Bean sprouts
• Scallions
• Brown sugar
• Fish sauce
• Oyster sauce
• Tamarind purée

Instructions:

• Mix the brown sugar, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and tamarind purée in a small bowl to make the Pad Thai sauce.
• Soften the rice noodles in hot water for 1-2 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water.
• Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl.
• Heat oil in a wok or pan and add the sliced onion, chicken breast, shiitake mushrooms, and garlic. Stir-fry until the chicken is cooked.
• Add the eggs and scramble them, then add the bean sprouts and scallions.
• Pour in the semi-cooked rice noodles and the Pad Thai sauce, stirring to combine.

Chicken and mushroom Pad Thai

Pad Thai is a versatile, simple, and delicious Thai noodle stir fry with a sweet-savoury-sour sauce scattered with crushed peanuts. It's made with thin, flat rice noodles and almost always has bean sprouts, garlic chives, scrambled egg, firm tofu, and a protein—the most popular being chicken or prawns/shrimp.

Ingredients

• Brown sugar
• Fish sauce
• Oyster sauce
• Tamarind purée
• Rice noodles
• Cooking oil
• Onion
• Chicken breast
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Garlic cloves
• Eggs
• Bean sprouts
• Scallions

Method

• Mix together the brown sugar, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and tamarind purée to make the pad Thai sauce, and then set it aside.
• Add the rice noodles to a bowl and cover them with hot water. Let them sit for about 2 minutes, until they are soft but not fully cooked, and then drain and rinse them with cold water.
• Lightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl and set them aside.
• Heat up a wok or a large frying pan to high heat and add the oil.
• When the oil is shimmering, add the sliced onion, chicken breast, shiitake mushrooms, and garlic cloves. Stir-fry until the chicken is just cooked.
• Move the contents of the pan to one side and add the eggs. Scramble them for about a minute until they are mostly cooked through.
• Once the eggs are well scrambled, mix them in with the cooked chicken, mushroom, and onion mixture.
• Add the bean sprouts, scallions, and semi-cooked rice noodles to the pan.
• Pour the prepared pad Thai sauce over the noodles and mix everything together, making sure the dish is properly heated through.
• When the contents of the pan are piping hot, serve the pad Thai topped with the remaining bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, fresh cilantro, and wedges of lime on the side.

Enjoy your Chicken and Mushroom Pad Thai!

Vegetarian Pad Thai with mushrooms

Ingredients

For the Pad Thai sauce:

• Coconut sugar (1/4 cup)
• Tamarind paste (1/3 cup)
• Soy sauce (1 tablespoon)

For the stir fry:

• Rice noodles
• Cooking oil
• Tofu (4 oz)
• Shiitake mushrooms (1 1/2 cups)
• Garlic cloves
• Shallots
• Bean sprouts
• Scallions
• Eggs

Instructions

First, prepare the Pad Thai sauce by mixing together the coconut sugar, tamarind paste, and soy sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.

Next, pat dry the tofu and cut it into 1/4-inch cubes. Heat vegetable oil in a wok over high heat and add the tofu cubes. Cook for about 1 minute on all sides until golden brown. Set the tofu aside and scoop out some of the oil from the wok to use later.

In the same wok, add the shiitake mushrooms (with the stems removed and sliced) and a pinch of salt. Cook for about 3 minutes or until soft, then set aside.

In the same wok, heat the reserved oil and add the garlic and shallots. Cook until fragrant. Add the Pad Thai sauce and stir for about 2 minutes until the sauce thickens.

Add the rice noodles and use tongs to stir and combine for about 2 minutes. Put the tofu and mushrooms back into the wok and give it a little stir to combine.

Finally, push the noodles to the side of the wok and add the eggs, scrambling them until they are mostly cooked through. Mix everything together and stir-fry until the noodles are evenly coated and the sauce has thickened.

Transfer the Pad Thai to a platter and garnish with bean sprouts and thinly sliced scallions. Serve and enjoy!

Variations

You can play around with different types of mushrooms, such as chanterelles in the summer or morels in the spring. If you don't want to use tofu, you can leave it out and double the quantity of mushrooms. To make the dish spicier, add more sriracha and red pepper flakes.

Types of mushrooms used in Pad Thai

Mushrooms are a common ingredient in Thai cuisine, adding a unique flavour and texture to many dishes. Pad Thai is a stir-fried rice noodle dish that is often made with mushrooms, although the type of mushroom used can vary.

Shiitake mushrooms are a popular choice for Pad Thai, as they are for many other Thai stir-fried dishes. They impart a delicious woody umami flavour to the dish. If you can't get your hands on any shiitake mushrooms, button mushrooms work well too.

For a vegetarian Pad Thai, try using straw mushrooms, which are another common ingredient in Thai cuisine. They are often used in curries, stir-fries, soups, and salads. Enoki mushrooms are also a good option for vegetarians as they are prized for their delicate texture and mildly sweet flavour. They are commonly used in soups, stir-fries, and hot pot dishes.

If you're feeling adventurous, you could try using wood ear mushrooms, which are commonly used in Thai salads and stir-fries, or even wild mushrooms like chanterelles or morels, depending on the season.

How to cook mushrooms for Pad Thai

Pad Thai is a versatile, simple, and delicious dish that has gained popularity worldwide. The addition of mushrooms gives it a meaty texture and a woody umami flavor. You can use a variety of mushrooms, such as shiitake, button, chanterelles, morels, king oyster, or white shimeji mushrooms. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to cook mushrooms for Pad Thai:

Preparing the Mushrooms

Firstly, decide on the type of mushroom you want to use. Shiitake mushrooms are commonly used in Asian cooking and add a delicious umami flavor to the dish. However, you can also use button mushrooms or explore seasonal options like buttery-sweet chanterelles or morels.

Cooking the Mushrooms

To cook the mushrooms, heat some cooking oil in a large pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and a pinch of salt, then cook for around 3-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are lightly browned and slightly tender. The cooking time will depend on the type and size of your mushrooms, so adjust accordingly. Once cooked, set the mushrooms aside.

Assembling the Dish

Pad Thai is typically made by stir-frying various ingredients together. After cooking the mushrooms, you can add other vegetables like garlic, shallots, or onions to the wok and stir-fry until fragrant. You can also add protein options like chicken, shrimp, steak, or tofu. Scramble some eggs in the wok and add bean sprouts, scallions, and semi-cooked rice noodles. Finally, pour in your prepared Pad Thai sauce—a mixture of brown sugar, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and tamarind purée or paste—and toss everything together until well combined and heated through.

Serving the Dish

Plate your mushroom Pad Thai and garnish with bean sprouts, thinly sliced scallions, cilantro, green onions, and lime wedges. You can also sprinkle some sesame seeds for a nutty finish. Enjoy your homemade mushroom Pad Thai!

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