Fatima's Fabulous Kitchen

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Low-Carb Pad Thai

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Pad Thai is a phenomenal noodle dish, but if you’re trying to watch the calories it isn’t always the most ideal thing to eat.

Luckily, I stumbled across an amazing solution.

I found these fabulous shirataki tofu noodles that absolutely do the trick. Unlike rice or flour noodles, shirataki noodles are made out of the fiber of yam – which allow them to be a low-calorie option. The trick to preparing them is to not boil them. Just drain and wash under cold water and then allow that water to evaporate over medium-high heat.

A pad thai sauce is a delicate balance of sweet, sour, and salty respectively in the forms of palm sugar, tamarind, and fish sauce. Getting the ratio right can be a bit difficult, especially since brands can vary – so make sure to taste and adjust before adding it in to your stir-fry.

What goes in a pad thai is totally up to your personal preference – some people like egg, some people don’t. Some people do just sprouts, some do carrots, some do both. Pick and choose whatever you have on hand – it will be fine, I promise.

Pad thai is so simple and easy to make at home, please do give these a try even if you are on a diet!

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Low-Carb Pad Thai

A low-carb version of pad thai using shirataki noodles. 

Ingredients

  • 16 oz Shiratake Tofu Noodles (2 8 oz packs) comes in different varieties, feel free to use whichever you’d like
  • 6 oz tofu (or substitute with protein of your choice)
  • 4 green onions
  • 4-5 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup carrot (cut into matchsticks of ribbons)
  • 1/3 cup sprouts
  • 1.5 Tbsp roasted peanuts (crushed)
  • 1 small cucumber optional

Pad Thai Sauce

  • 3 Tbsp tamarind concentrate amount needed may vary, depending on brand you’re using!
  • 1 Tbsp water
  • 4 Tbsp fish sauce
  • 59 grams palm sugar (3 cubes) may substitute with 2-3 Tbsp of brown sugar
  • 2 tsp red chili flakes (or to taste)

Instructions

Pad Thai Sauce

  1. Combine palm sugar, fish sauce, tamarind and water in a small bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Mix. Microwave for a few more 30 second intervals until palm sugar has dissolved. You can also do this over the stovetop. If you are using brown sugar, you can skip the microwave. Just mix until the brown sugar is combined!

    Note – You may need less or more of the tamarind concentrate depending on the brand you’re using! I use the Thai brand pictured above. Make sure to taste and adjust. It should be a balance of sweet, salty, and sour!

Shirataki Tofu Noodles

  1. Drain the noodles and rinse well under cold water. Do not boil. Add to a hot wok or pan on medium-high heat with no oil just so you can evaporate the water and allow the noodles to slightly crisp up. Once the water has been evaporated fully, remove from pan.

Stir-Fry

  1. Add your oil to the wok. Now add in your protein. Cook for a few minutes, then add in you green onions (white ends) and garlic. Cook down. Make sure not to burn the garlic! 

  2. Remove from wok. Then add your noodles back in along with your pad thai sauce. Allow the pad thai sauce to simmer down fully and coat the noodles. The sugar in the sauce will eventually start caramelizing and turn the noodles brown. 

  3. Toss in your carrots and sprouts. Combine well. Top with peanuts, sprouts, sliced cucumbers. Serve with lime wedges.