Crispy Tofu Pad Thai

Ingredients

1/4 cup brown sugar Light or dark

3 to 4 tablespoons fish sauce to taste

1/3 cup lime juice

2 to 3 cloves garlic

To taste chili heat Thai chili powder, red chili flakes, or thinly sliced Thai/bird’s eye chili

1 1/4 pounds flank steak

3 tablespoons oil Vegetable or another neutral oil

8.8 ounces rice noodles I used thin rice noodles

1 pound green beans Trimmed

To taste Salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces cherry tomatoes Halved (mixed colors are lovely here)

12 ounces cucumbers Persian-style small cucumbers, unpeeled, thinly sliced

About 1/2 cup chopped herbs Chopped mix of fresh cilantro and mint

Equipment

grill

medium pot

slotted spoon

Directions

Combine brown sugar, smaller amount of fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, and chili heat of your choice in a medium bowl. Taste it; you want it to be salty and sour first, followed by sweetness and heat; I usually find I need more fish sauce.

Place steak in a sealable freezer bag. Pour in about 1/3 of this mixture and press all of the air out of the bag so it stays on the meat. Place steak in the fridge for about an hour and up to a day.

Slowly whisk 3 tablespoons oil into remaining marinade; this is now your dressing. Adjust flavors, again, to taste. Set aside until needed.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to boil. For regular sized green beans, cook them for 2.5 minutes; for haricot vert (skinny green beans), cook them for 2 minutes, then scoop out with a slotted spoon and drop into a bowl of ice water to cool, then drain and transfer to a bowl.

Use the water again to cook the noodles according to package directions; mine say to remove the boiling water from the heat, add the noodles, and let them soak for 5 minutes, until softened. Drain, place in bowl, and set aside until needed. If they get sticky, you can run cold water over them, or toss them with a splash of oil.

Get your grill really hot and lightly coat grates with oil. Remove steak from marinade and cook for about 3 1/2 minutes, and up to 5 minutes, per side, depending on thickness. Season both sides with salt and pepper as you grill. Remove Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing very thin and putting on a serving plate.

Place cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and herbs each in their own bowl with a spoon for serving. Put out your noodles, steak, and salad dressing too. A tiny ladle is ideal for the dressing, because mine always separates, and this allows people to stir a bit before spooning it over.

To eat: Start with a small pile of noodles, followed by a few slices of steak, big spoonfuls of each vegetable, a few chilis, and a ladle of the dressing, followed by the herbs. Repeat as needed.