This popular Thai stir-fry has taken a while to come out of the shadows and into this column due to an insecurity about its looks. It knows full well that it tastes delicious and is well-loved, and a variation of it, pad faktong, made with egg instead of tofu, is beloved by Thais and cooked both at home and in Thailand’s many ran khao kaengs, or rice and curry shops. It’s simple to make, very delicious, but ugly. And that’s OK.

Stir-fried squash with tofu, black pepper and basil

To make this, you’ll need mushroom stir-fry sauce, a vegan equivalent of oyster sauce, which is readily available in most Chinese supermarkets and online – Lee Kum Kee make a great one.

Prep 15 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 2

1 small butternut squash, topped and tailed, halved, peeled and deseeded (500g net weight)
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
300g medium tofu, drained and smashed with a fork – I like Dragonfly
3 tbsp mushroom stir-fry sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
25g Thai basil, leaves picked
Freshly cooked jasmine or short-grain rice, to serve

Cut the squash into 2½cm pieces and put these in a wide, nonstick frying pan for which you have a lid. Add 200ml water, pop on the lid and turn on the heat to medium. Leave to cook for 15 minutes, until the squash is tender, then transfer the squash to a plate with a slotted spoon and tip away the remaining liquid in the pan.

Add the oil to the frying pan, put it over a medium to high heat, then, once it’s hot, add the garlic and cook, stirring, for two minutes. Return the drained squash to the pan and cook, stirring, for four or five minutes.

Add the tofu, stir-fry sauce, soy sauce and black pepper, mix and heat through, then take off the heat.

Rip the basil leaves, fold them through the squash mix, and serve with hot rice.