Cabbage Noodle Pad Thai
When I first started dealing with my health problems, I quickly realized that eating outside of the house was extremely challenging. Because I was experiencing sensitivities (read: incredibly uncomfortable negative reactions) to lots of foods, I had to make sure I approved every ingredient that made it to my fork.
To avoid the risk, and to keep from being the most hated, high maintenance restaurant-goer on Earth (that title holds its own set of dangers), I started cooking everything at home, from scratch.
This was tough, at first, but I soon found that it felt really empowering to not rely on anyone else for my own nourishment. All the chopping really sends me to a good place, and the whole process makes the experience of eating that much more rewarding.
But sometimes I do miss eating out–especially at some of my favorite Asian restaurants–where you get to try things with amazing flavors that you didn’t know even existed. The other day I was reminiscing on some of those elusive flavors, and I got set on recreating a long-time favorite, with a little twist. That is where the idea for this cabbage noodle pad Thai was born.
To me, pad Thai is the ultimate in international comfort food. It’s traditionally made with rice noodles, but I decided to swap them out for some shredded cabbage instead. It still has all of the bold flavors I love, but it doesn’t leave me feeling like I need to crawl into a cocoon afterwards.
You really don’t even miss the noodles in this cabbage noodle pad Thai, because once the cabbage cooks down it gets soft and slippery and very noodle-like. Noodles are usually just a flavor vehicle, anyway.
There are so many flavors, colors, and textures going on inside of this dish, and that really makes my favorite kinds of food. Interesting food will also keep your taste buds excited, and will leave you satisfied with less. Sometimes we end up overeating simply because our plate is filled with bland food, and eating more is an attempt to satisfy our senses.
I’m constantly experimenting with new flavors and taking risks in the kitchen. It doesn’t always turn out just the way I planned, but it is how I’ve created some of my favorite meals.
There’s nothing like something brand new and out of your comfort zone to shake you out of a food rut.
And in my case, that is adding some new twists to a classic. You can toss in some chicken if you’re not into seafood, but I really love my pad Thai with some wild caught shrimp.
Creating your own meals at home lets you control the ingredients that enter your body, and guarantees that you’re making the best food choices that you can.
Cabbage Noodle Pad Thai
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 2.5 tbs unsweetened almond butter
- 3 tbs coconut sugar
- 2 tbs fish sauce
- 1 tbs rice vinegar
For the Pad Thai
- 2 small red bell peppers (or 1 large), julienned thinly
- 2 medium carrots, julienned thinly
- 6-8 green onions (scallions), chopped (white and green parts divided)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 medium sized head cabbage, sliced thinly into "noodles"
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 lb wild caught shrimp
- avocado oil or coconut oil
- salt
For serving
- crushed peanuts or cashews
- lime
- cilantro
- bean sprouts
- crushed red pepper or siracha (if you like some spice!)
Instructions
- Mix almond butter, coconut sugar, vinegar, and fish sauce in a small dish. It will look clumpy at first, but keep mixing and it will start to smooth out Set aside.
- Heat a wok or large pan to high heat and add a bit of oil. Season peeled shrimp with salt and and add to wok, cooking just until opaque. Remove from pan and reserve.
- Add a little more oil, and add white parts of scallions and minced garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds and add carrots, grated ginger, and a pinch of salt. Cook for several minutes and add bell peppers and cabbage with another pinch of salt. Saute for a few minutes until cabbage starts to cook down, then add reserved sauce and green part of scallions. (add half of the bean sprouts now, if using) Stir frequently and cook until vegetables begin to soften, 8-10 minutes.
- Slide vegetables to one side of wok or pan and add beaten eggs. Let set for a minute and then scramble, incorporating into the vegetables. Add cooked shrimp and toss to combine. Add more salt to taste.
- Transfer to a serving dish and serve with chopped peanuts or cashews, cilantro, lime, and bean sprouts. If you like it spicy, add crushed red pepper or siracha to finish it off!
12 responses to “Cabbage Noodle Pad Thai”
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I’m in love with this recipe! Can’t wait to try this with these cabbage noodles! It’s lovely and your images are beautiful. So nice to have discovered your blog. Looking forward to browsing more!
thank you, Caroline!
I definitely need to get out of my food rut, this is the perfect recipe!
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That is such a beautiful bowl of food!!
Thanks girl!! We loved it π
I made this for super. Cabbage for noodles!!! Duh! What a great idea for Keto eating. I used Truvia instead of palm sugar and it was still great! I also used Sambel on mine because I like Thai spicy. I love cilantro but my sister in law doesn’t. I like the way it can be made for individual taste. I made it with shrimp and it was AWESOME!! THANKS for giving me Thai food back!
I love that it turned out great! Have you tried βegg roll in a bowlβ yet? You will prob love that too π
[…] link Well it can be veg if you don’t add shrimp… […]
I have a ton of cabbage from my CSA boxes. This is a delicious way to use it up! Thanks for the idea!! I had a sauce recipe I was already accustomed to using, so stuck with that. My kid who loves Pad Thai with noodles ate it up and requested seconds.
Yay! I love how versatile cabbage is. My husband who is a pasta lover was very pleasantly surprised by how much he loves cabbage “noodles” also! π
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