I’ll be honest: while I have eaten pad Thai many times, I’m not exactly sure what technically makes it pad Thai. However, when I was asking for dinner requests and one of my friends suggested pad Thai, this is what I came up with. I cannot verify that it is authentic pad Thai, but I do have several people that can attest to how good it tasted.

Using rice noodles will add a lot more to the dish than regular spaghet-ti. In most supermarkets, if you check out the international food aisle, you will most likely find something. But in Hamilton, you should check out the gluten-free section of Price Chopper or head to Hamilton Whole Foods to see what is available.

Sesame oil and rice wine vinegar may not be in your kitchen cabinets, but I def-initely suggest getting them rather than trying to substitute other oils and vine-gars. The sesame oil in particular will add a lot of unique flavor to the dish.

Serves 4-6 (with leftovers)

1 package (about 1 lb) of thick brown

rice noodles

2-3 tbsp of olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 yellow onion, diced

1 package (about 10 oz) of

Portobello mushrooms

2 crowns of broccoli, chopped

1 zucchini, diced

1 package of extra-firm tofu, cubed

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 package of bean sprouts, divided in half

1 red bell pepper, diced

Sauce:

2/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1 1/4 tsp of sesame oil

1 1/4 tsp of rice wine vinegar

Juice of half a lime

Optional toppings:

1 cup of chopped peanuts

4 scallions (green onions), sliced

1. Boil the water for the noodles in a medi-um pot. Once the water reaches a boil, add the noodles and cook until al dente (you should do this while the vegetables are cooking).

2. In a large pan, heat the oil over me-dium heat. Cook the onion and garlic for about three minutes, then add in the mushrooms and continue to cook until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms have browned.

3. Add the broccoli, zucchini and tofu to the pan and cook for another four minutes, season with salt and pepper and stir occasionally.

4. While the vegetables are cook-ing, in a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and lime juice. I suggest tasting the sauce (you can dip one of the noodles in even if they’re not quite done) and then you can adjust accordingly.

5. Add half of the bean sprouts and the red pepper into the pan of vegetables and let cook for about three minutes.

6. Add the sauce and vegetables into the pot of drained noodles and stir in the remaining bean sprouts.

7. Serve with small bowls of toppings so that people have the option of adding their own.

Contact Emily Suskin at

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