Pad Thai Noodles

I made the trek to H-Mart because I was in the mood for Thai food (it's a trek because there are probably 20 closer grocery stores). Pad Thai is one of my favorites because it is a bit sweet, a tad tangy, and a lil' spicy. Everything I need for this recipe was easy to find at H-Mart, when I knew I might have trouble finding the specialty items elsewhere. I also got the ingredients for Tom Yum soup so stay tuned for that recipe soon. For this pad thai I used Nature's Soy brand Soy Puffs. These airy, light tofu cubes are my life. They are wayy better than any tofu I could fry up at home! This makes a very large batch so half the recipe if it's just for one!

Pad Thai Noodles
1 16 oz package rice noodles (size medium or large)
5 Tbsp tamarind paste
4 Tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
2 Tbsp vegan sugar
2-3 tsp lite soy sauce
1 small zucchini (cut into matchsticks)
1 large shallot (minced)
8 cloves garlic (minced)
4 stalks green onion (diced, whites and greens separated)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 C bean sprouts (rinsed)
1/2 C unsalted peanuts (crushed)
1/2 package fried tofu (cut into same size as zucchini)
1/2 lime (juice of), plus 1/2 cut into wedges for serving
cilantro
coconut oil

1. Let rice noodles soak in warm water for 10-15 minutes. Then give them quick boil for 3-4 minutes (you want them to be al dente). Do this step while you do the next steps so that the noodles are ready to drain and add in step 4.
2. In a large skillet or stock pot add 1 Tbsp coconut oil and heat to medium. Add zucchini and whites of green onion. Cook 2-3 minutes.
3. Add garlic and shallot. Cook 1-2 minutes. 
4. Add cooked noodles, lime juice, tamarind paste, oyster sauce, sugar, soy sauce, chili flakes, cayenne pepper, and white pepper. Turn heat to low and toss to combine. 
5. Add 1 C bean sprouts, tofu, and green part of green onion. Toss.
6. Serve immediately with cilantro, bean sprouts, crushed peanuts and lime wedge.