For today’s recipe, we took the famous Thai cashew chicken stir fry and made it vegan with tofu. It’s a quick and delicious meal that can be prepared in just 20 minutes. And we promise, it’s as delicious as the classic!
Cashew stir-fries are popular across Asia, and the Chinese and Thai versions are probably the most well-known. The two are very similar, but the Thai spin is less pungent, so the flavors are more concentrated.
Cashew Chicken Skillet is known as gai pad med mamuang in thai. It’s an incredibly popular dish in restaurants and a take-out favorite.
And for a good reason!
The classic dish consists of fried chicken, chillies, garlic, peppers and onions with a rich, hearty sauce. Crispy roasted cashews and fresh spring onions complete the dish with extra flavor and texture.
Cashew Skillet is so good we think everyone should enjoy it, regardless of their diet.
And that’s why we’ve redesigned the formula to be completely plant-based and a little healthier too.
how did we do it
First, we substituted tofu for chicken.
A staple throughout Asia, tofu is just perfect in vegan stir-fries. Make sure you get firm tofu, not silken tofu. And if you can, opt for medium-firm tofu as it’s a little spongier.
Then we had to work on the wok sauce.
The cashew sauce is usually a mixture of fish sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, and often Thai chili paste. It’s sweet, spicy and salty – it makes all the difference in this dish!
To make the sauce vegan and a little less sugar, we used a combination of light soy sauce and vegan Thai chili paste.
The original Thai chili paste contains shrimp, so it is not vegan. But some brands make a vegetarian version (which is also effectively vegan) using shiitake mushrooms for that umami flavor.
You should be able to find it at major supermarkets, your local Asian grocery store, or online. But if you can’t get it, we tell you how to swap it out in the tips at the end of the recipe.
Once all the ingredients are sorted, all that remains is to heat up the wok and cook. Your delicious Vegan Tofu Pad med Mamuang is just minutes away!
And if you liked this recipe, why not try another hot tofu spice next time? We think you’ll love this Chinese Cracker Sauce for Tofu or this Asian Sweet and Spicy Honey Tofu Glaze.