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You can easily make Pad See Ew at home with simple ingredients and a few key techniques. Now, fire up your wok and enjoy your homemade Pad See Ew!
The mention of Pad See Ew surely makes me feel all nostalgic. Back in college (many many years ago!!), a Thai friend used to bring Pad See Ew, kwe tiau radna, and Pad Thai home from the Thai restaurant that serves very authentic Thai food she worked at for me. I can tell you , I was almost in tears when I tasted the Pad See Ew. It was probably the best I’ve ever tasted. I was hooked with Pad See Ew ever since.
What is pad see ew
Pad See Ew is a classic Thai stir-fried noodle dish loved for its bold umami flavors and tender wide rice noodlesIt’s a popular street food in Thailand, featuring Chinese broccoli, eggs, and a protein of choice, all tossed in a savory umami sauce
Pad See Ew (Thai Stir-fried Rice Noodles)
Ingredients
- 450 g flat rice noodles or 250 grams (8 oz) dried flat rice noodles
- 2 eggs
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 224 g Chinese broccoli (gai lan)
- 4 Tbsp cooking oil divided
For the meat:
- 300 g pork loin or meat of your choice
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp soy sauce
For the gravy:
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce add more to your taste as needed
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 2 tsp sugar
Prik nam som: (Thai chili vinegar) – makes about 3/4 cup
- ¼ cup Thai red chili thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- ¼ cup hot boiling water
Serve with: (optional)
- Thai chili powder
- Sugar
- Prik nam som
Instructions
Prepare the noodles:
- If using fresh hor fun noodles, you can use it straight away without any preparation. If using hor fun that has been refrigerated, I usually steam them for about 5 minutes or until they are soft and let them cool down and separate the strands of noodles
- If using dried hor fun, boil them in water until they are soft (following instruction on the package) and then drain off water and immediately toss with oil to prevent them from sticking. Spread them on a baking pan to let it cool down for at least 10-15 minutes before using
- Combine all ingredients for seasonings and set aside while you prepare other things
Prepare prik nam som:
- Combine all the ingredients in a jar and stir until sugar dissolves. Let it cool down completely at room temperature and then seal it and store it in the fridge. They can last indefinitely
Marinate the pork:
- Marinate the pork slices with marinade for meat ingredients for 15 minutes at room temperature of up to 24 hours in the fridge
- Cut the Chinese broccoli stalks into half if they are big stalks. Preferably about 1/2 inch in width
Cook the meat:
- Preheat your wok or large pan on a high heat until it is hot. You can see smoke starting to rise. Add cooking oil and swirl to coat the bottom and sides of the wok or pan
- Add the pork slices and spread them into one layer and let them cook undisturbed for about 30 seconds and then stir fry to cook until they are almost done. Remove from the wok/pan into a clean plate
Cook the veggies:
- To the same wok/pan, scrape off any bits and pieces off the wok/pan from cooking the meat earlier. Add 1 Tbsp of oil and add gai lan. Stir fry for about 1 minute until the veggies are tender but still crisp. Remove from the heat and transfer to the plate where you put the pork slices
Put everything together:
- Add the rest of the oil and heat them up until really hot. Crack in the eggs and let them cook undisturbed for about 10 seconds and then scramble into large chunks. Add the garlic and stir fry for about 10 seconds
- Add hor fun followed by seasonings, the precooked pork and veggies and stir fry to gently combine everything. Make sure the seasonings coats everything evenly
- Have a taste and add more seasonings such as soy sauce or fish sauce if necessary. Transfer immediately to a serving plate and serve with some Thai chili powder, some sprinkle of sugar (my Thai friends eat it like this), and prik nam som
*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*
Ingredient Substitutions
1. Wide rice noodles
We call it hor fun in Chinese. In Asia, you can easily get these fresh. I usually can only get the refrigerated fresh hor fun in Asian store here in the U.S. If you have trouble finding either fresh or refrigerated fresh hor fun, the dried wide rice noodles is also available. It is usually labeled XL for the width
2. Vegetables
The classic pad see ew usually uses Chinese broccoli also known as gai lan. You can also use broccoli florets, baby bok choy, spinach, kale, or yu choy
3. Protein
The more common proteins used are usually chicken and pork. You can also use beef, or seafood like shrimp. For a meatless version you can use extra-firm tofu cubes
4. Sauces
For dark soy sauce: use regular soy sauce + molasses for color. For fish sauce, you can use soy sauce with a splash of Worcestershire sauce. It’s not going to be the same, but it can help make up for that taste. If you can’t find oyster sauce, you can use mushroom sauce
Tips for the Best Pad See Ew
1. Use the right noodles
Fresh wide rice noodles (sen yai) are best, but if unavailable, dried wide rice noodles work as long as they are properly rehydrated. Avoid over-soaking or overcooking, as noodles can turn mushy.
2. Cook in high heat
Use high heat and let the noodles sear for a few seconds before stirring. If using a home stove, a cast-iron skillet or carbon steel wok helps mimic the high heat of restaurant woks.
3. Cook ingredients separately
The meat, the veggies, and the noodles are cooked separately before everything is put together. This way we avoid overcooking them because some ingredients take less time, some take a bit longer. We first sear the meat, then cook the veggies, then sear the noodles and put everything together
4 comments
I’m seeing an ingredient in your photos that isn’t listed in the recipe. Is it chili powder? Please tell!
Thanks! Great dish.
Susan
Hi Susan,
Yes it’s a chili powder
that I like to sprinkle on my stir-fried noodles 🙂 You don’t have to use it if you don’t like it spicy 🙂
So I’m at a loss when it comes to different kinds of soy sauce. Could you explain it to me?
Hi Clara, in this recipe I use soy sauce (regular, sometimes also refers to as “light soy sauce”. Contains wheat) and my favorite brand is Kikkoman. Kikkoman soy sauce is Japanese soy sauce, which has a little sweetness compare to Chinese version, but either one you choose to use, is just soy sauce, to give the dish a salty taste. Less sodium version is also available.
Another one that probably confuses you is the “dark soy sauce”. Dark soy sauce is usually used in Asian cooking to add that “darker/browner” color, like in this Pad See Ew dish. It is not as salty as the regular and the dark color comes from molasses/caramel added to it.
Tamari is also a soy sauce but with very little wheat used to brew the soy sauce. Some are even gluten-free.
Another sauce in this recipe is Oyster sauce. Which is not related to soy sauce. Quoting from wikipedia: It is a viscous dark brown condiment made from sugar, salt and water thickened with cornstarch, flavoured with a little oyster essence or extract. You will see this being used a lot in marinating and stir-frying.
I hope this helps to clarify ? Please let me know if I can help to clarify further!