THAI: Anywhere and everywhere
By Nat Thaipun
20 mins
Not Too Tricky
serves 2
About the recipe
This dish and Pad see ew (see variation) are both super popular Thai street food dishes known for their smoky flavour and deliciously chewy rice noodles. The combination of light and dark soy sauces stir-fried with Chinese broccoli and meat, often pork or chicken, creates a rich, savoury taste. The only difference between the two is that the pad kee mao stir-fry starts with lots of fiery chilli and finishes with some herbaceous Thai basil, making it an ideal meal to enjoy with a cold drink, hence the nickname ‘drunken noodles’.
Recipe From
Ingredients
200g (7oz) wide flat rice noodles (fresh or dried)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2–3 birdseye chillies, finely chopped
150 g (5½oz) chicken thigh or pork, thinly sliced (or prawns, seasonal vegetables etc.)
1 large egg
100g (3½oz) Chinese or regular broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
15g (½oz/½ cup) Thai basil
white pepper to taste
Top Tip
For an extra smoky flavour, let the noodles sit in the pan without stirring for a few seconds at first to char slightly.
Method
Soak the noodles
If using dried noodles, soak them in hot water until softened, then drain.
Cook the meat and garlic
Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over a medium–high heat. Add the garlic and chilli and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the sliced meat and stir-fry until just browned.
Add the egg
Push the meat to one side of the pan and crack the egg into the empty space. Let it set slightly, then scramble and mix with the meat.
Stir-fry the noodles and broccoli
Add the noodles and broccoli, stirring well to combine. Add the dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Stir-fry for another 2–3 minutes, letting the noodles absorb the sauce and develop a slightly charred, smoky flavour.
Serve
Add the Thai basil leaves, stirring until wilted. Sprinkle with white pepper and serve hot, garnished with additional white pepper if desired.
VARIATION: Pad see ew (Soy sauce noodles)
To make Pad see ew, follow the above recipe, but leave out the chillies and Thai basil.
Tags
