Spicy, savory, and creamy, this vegan Thai basil stir fry is perfect for satisfying your Asian noodle cravings. Easily customizable and ready in 20 minutes for a quick & easy weeknight meal.
I recently discovered the delicious wonder that is Thai basil. I originally bought some to make Tom Yum soup but had so much left over that I wasn’t sure what to do with. After a quick google search I saw some recipes using it in a stir fry, and I thought what the heck, let’s see what we can make with this! And now I’m hooked. This stir fry is stupidly simple but so good! Made with basic ingredients easily found at any Asian store, and you can easily switch up the veggies and tofu for whatever you have in your fridge.
Ingredients
- Thai basil (obviously), if you can’t find Thai basil I would just omit it, but you can also try subbing other varieties of basil. It will impart a different flavor so sub at your own risk.
- Thai chilis, these have a good kick to them, so if you’re bad with spice you may want to use less or omit entirely. If you don’t have Thai chili you can also add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- tahini, this adds a nice creamy flavor. You can also try subbing with almond butter or peanut butter.
- soy sauce
- rice vinegar, I think lime juice could work nicely too
- garlic
- ginger, Thai ginger (galangal) is good too if you can get your hands on it, though it’s very hard so you may want to just cut it into big chunks and take them out before serving
- carrots/mushrooms/greens/veggies of choice, you can really just use what you have in your fridge
- tofu or any protein of choice
Tips & Tricks
- When cutting the Thai chilis, be careful not to touch your eyes/nose/face as it will burn because the oils from the chilis get on your fingers. Alternatively wear gloves (probably the better option) while you cut the chilis. Clean your knife and cutting board very well after cutting up the chilis, otherwise other ingredients you cut will be spicy.
- If using tofu/tempeh/any bland protein, you can marinate it first to soak up more flavor. Just make double of the tahini/soy sauce mixture (refer to instructions) and marinate the tofu at least 10 minutes. You can then bake or pan fry, or if you’re really lazy just add to the stir fry as specified in the instructions.
- If the rice noodles clump together too much, you can mix in a bit of sesame oil to help separate the noodles and prevent them from drying out.
More quick & easy meals:
If you try out this recipe, please don’t forget to tag me in your recreations on instagram @ellielikes.cooking and/or leave a comment down below letting me know how you liked it! I absolutely love seeing your recreations and am always eager for feedback! Happy cooking 🙂
Spicy Thai Basil Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
- 1.5 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 Thai chilis, seeded and diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup leafy greens of choice
- 1/2 cup Thai basil leaves
- 1 block firm tofu, cubed
- 2 cups cooked rice noodles
Instructions
- Mix together tahini, soy sauce, vinegar, and ginger in a small bowl. Add a splash of water if needed to achieve a slightly runny consistency. Set aside.
- Heat sesame oil in deep pan or wok over medium high heat. Add Thai chili, garlic, and carrots and cook until carrots start to soften.
- Add mushrooms and leafy greens and cook until tender. Add the Thai basil, tofu, rice noodles, and tahini/soy sauce mixture. Mix well until evenly combined. Add extra soy sauce or salt if needed. Enjoy!
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