This Vegan Pad Woon Sen or Glass Noodle Stir-Fry (泰式炒粉丝, Tài shì chǎo fěn sī) is SOO scrumptious and only takes 30 minutes to make.
Glass Noodle is also known as Cellophane noodle (粉丝, fěn sī) or Bean Thread Noodle. The main ingredient is typically mung bean starch, some brands even have other starches included in the ingredient.
Back at home, we have our own stir-fried bean thread noodles and it’s also one of the noodle options for soup or Char Kuey Teow. Today, you’ll see how to turn this clear noodle into a delicious Pad Woon Sen – recipe inspired by Pai from HotThaiKitchen. While some Thai restaurants serve this noodle dish with rice, I ate this just by itself.
This noodle comes dried and will turn translucent once it’s soaked in water and cooked. It’s also a perfect gluten-free noodle dish that has a chewy and springy texture.
You may have seen this type of noodle at the store which usually comes in packages of 10 small bundles. I found a big pack as pictured below with only one main ingredient: bean starch.
How to make Vegan Pad Woon Sen
Soak the glass noodles in warm water for about 5 minutes until the noodles turn slightly softer. Then, use a pair of scissors to cut the noodles into shorter threads.
For the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a bowl. I’m using a Thai soy sauce (Mountain Brand) here but feel free to substitute it with other soy sauce and adjust the saltiness accordingly.
Tip: You can make this sauce ahead of time or double up the recipe and only use enough to season the noodles. Store the unused sauce in an air-tight jar and refrigerate for future use.
Heat up a large wok and add in the oil. Cook tofu until golden brown on all sides, then push it to the side of the pan and sauté garlic until aromatic.
Add in the rest of the ingredients and stir them together until well combined. Season with part of the prepped sauce.
If you are using Just Eggs, push the vegetables to the side and add the Just Egg in, let the ‘egg’ cook for about 30-45 seconds. Bring the vegetables to cover the egg and stir-fry until everything is incorporated.
Now, get a pair of tongs ready so you can easily toss the noodles during cooking. Add in the noodles and sauce.
Quickly toss everything together until all the noodles are coated with sauce.
Fold in the chopped green onions, tomatoes, and cook for another minute or so or until the tomatoes are fully cooked through. Transfer to a plate and serve warm with a side of pickled chilis.
Vegan Pad Woon Sen Cooking Tips
I’ve made this dish a couple of times and learned a few things along the way. I hope these tips help you to make a successful Pad Woon Sen at home.
- Soak bean thread noodles in warm water instead of boiling water. Once they turn slightly pliable, remove and cut them into smaller threads.
- Use a large pan as you need a good amount of surface area to toss the noodles around.
- Prepare the sauce ahead of time. This way you can add them in right after you put in the noodles.
- If you can’t find Mountain Brand soy sauce, feel free to substitute it with soy sauce of choice. Some soy sauce brands are saltier than others so please adjust the saltiness accordingly.
Why you need this Vegan Pad Woon Sen
- It’s simple to put together
- It only takes 30 minutes
- Delicious
- Easily customizable: Switch up to vegetables of choice
- Filling and Flavorful
Check out my other Stir-Fry Noodles recipe
If you try this recipe, I would love to hear your feedback and see your beautiful re-creation. Leave me a comment, rate it, and tag @woon.heng and #woonheng to your photos on Instagram or Facebook. Happy cooking, friends!
Vegan Pad Woon Sen – 泰式炒粉丝
Ingredients
- 100 g [~3.5oz] dried bean thread or glass noodles
- 1 cup chopped cabbage
- 1 small carrot chopped
- ½ small onion sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 oz plant-based eggs used Just Eggs
- 3 oz firm tofu cubed
- 3 stalks green onion slice into 2 inches long
- 1 tomato cut into wedges
- oil for cooking
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons vegan 'oyster' sauce
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (see notes) used Mountain brand
- ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce for color (optional)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- a few shakes of black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the bean thread: Soak dried bean thread with warm water for about 5 minutes until soft. Use a pair of scissors and give the noodles a few cuts to make them into shorter threads.
- Meanwhile, mix together all the sauce ingredients in a bowl.
- Heat a large pan and add in a spoonful of oil and pan-fry tofu until golden brown.
- Then, push tofu aside and add a drizzle of oil if needed then sauté garlic until aromatic.
- Add in the onion, carrot, cabbage, and season with a tablespoon of sauce. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Push the veggies to the side, add a drizzle of oil, and cook the plant-based egg (if using).
- Get ready with a pair of tongs. Add in the noodles and spread them out on the pan. Once you add in the sauce, quickly toss the noodles to coat with sauce, using the tongs.
- Fold in the chopped green onions and tomatoes.
- Give the noodles the final toss and serve warm.
Video
Notes
- If you can’t find Mountain Brand soy sauce, feel free to substitute it with regular soy sauce and adjust the sauce’s saltiness accordingly.
- Homemade vegan ‘oyster’ sauce
- It’s super helpful to have a pair of tongs or chopsticks ready before you add in the noodles.
Feel free to pin the below picture on your Pinterest Board for easy reference.
Delicious! I think next time I make it I will double the sauce Thank you.
Delicious! I made it a little different only because I didn’t read the directions, but it still turned out wonderful. Definitely putting this one in the rotation.
AMAZING!! I followed the recipe almost exactly and it turned out amazing!!
Youre not the general blog writer, man. You certainly have something important to contribute to the World Wide Web. Such a special blog. Ill return for more.
How can I copy-paste from Google Docs to WordPress and retain the boldfaced texts?
Amazing!! Comes together quickly. The sauce is so flavorful and soaks into the tofu nicely.
I saw this today on Instagram, and not only did I follow your page immediately, I also had to make this for dinner tonight! My husband and I really enjoyed it. I did add a thinly sliced chili for more heat, and some zucchini. We will be making it again soon!
Thank YOU so much Madeline. So glad you loved the recipe and welcome! 🙂
Would it be okay to use Korean glass noodles since I can’t find dried bean thread?
Hello Simone, it should work pretty well. But you want might want to add the sauce in batches as the Korean glass noodle (the one made with potato starch) absorbs liquid differently. Thanks!
I’ve tried many of your recipes and they are all delicious.
Thanks for all your hard work!
🙂
Soo tasty!! I can’t get Just Egg in Scotland so I didn’t use a substitute for it. The sauce was so flavoursome and it was all so yummy. Recipe was easy to follow and it was quick to make too, this will definitely be made again. Thank you x
Thanks so much Susan. I’m so glad you loved it and your comments made my day, especially when you said you liked my instructions. Super grateful! Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead. Best, WoonHeng
This is so easy and fun! I used sweet potato glass noodles because I already had them and still this turned out delicious. I skipped the sugar in the sauce, added a tiny bit of garlic chili sauce and cabbage kimchi! Oh and I skipped the egg as well. My only problem is getting the tofu seared well on both sides. Guess I just need more patience for that lol
Fantastic recipe! I prepared it for dinner a couple weeks ago and my partner’s son keeps asking me to make it again. Our white pepper must have been especially spicy because the dish had quite a bit of heat. I may decrease it a little next time for the very sensitive ones in the house. Thank you for sharing!
Many, many thanks for sharing. Yes, definitely reduce the heat if your white pepper is spicier. So happy to hear that your partner’s son loves it too. 🙂 Thank you! Best, WoonHeng
Outstanding recipe! Wow!!! I’d rate it a 10 star recipe if I could!
aww, thank so so much, Lori. You made my day, really happy to hear you loved this recipe. It’s a quick delicious breakfast for my family. hehe. Hope you get to try other recipes soon. Best, WoonHeng
I love using glass noodles in any recipe! My family is also obsessed with Just Egg, so this was a hit!! Thank you for sharing your recipes <3
Where can I find these sweet potato noodles?
Hi there, this is not sweet potato noodles, they are made from mung bean starch. You can check them online or any Asian grocery near you. Let me know if you have any questions at all. Best, WoonHeng
I call these glass noodles, or vermicelli noodles! Is what I used in my recipe! And any Asian market has them!
I have already made this twice and it gives you such a big flavor payoff for very little work. I even like eating the leftovers cold like a noodle salad!
Woohoo, thanks so much Fiona! I’m really glad to hear that you loved this recipe. It’s definitely a quick meal for our family when in time crunch too. 🙂 Have a beautiful day. Best, WoonHeng
I just finished inhaling my pad woon sen, and this recipe was so delicious I had to leave a review! I lived in Chiang Mai for a year many years ago, and ate this regularly for lunch, and it brought back so many happy memories. I didn’t have a tomato or just egg, but doubled the tofu instead. Next time (there will be a next time!), I will add a bit more cabbage, just because I love it so much. Thank you for this great recipe!
Hello Adrienne, thanks SOO much for your kind feedback. I’m so so happy to hear this because I went to Chiang Mai 2 years ago and fell in love. Love it so much there. I love cabbage too and I’m sure it will turn out amazing like this one. I hope you get to try some of my other recipes too. Have a beautiful day. Best, WoonHeng
This recipe is delicious and so easy to make!
Thank you so much Leah, so glad you loved this recipe. I hope you’ll get to try some other recipes soon. Have a beautiful day. Best, WoonHeng