What Is Pad See Ew?
Pad See Ew is a stir-fried dish of wide rice noodles, much like Chinese Beef Chow Fun. It’s just as delicious, but the ingredients are slightly different.
Pad See Ew calls for egg and Chinese broccoli, not the mung bean sprouts and scallions found in Beef Chow Fun. It also has the signature flavor of fish sauce.
Although we use beef to make our pad see ew, you can also use tofu, chicken, or pork.
What goes in Pad See Ew
I can’t remember where I originally got the recipe from. Most likely from renowned Australian chef David Thompson, who has devoted his life to perfecting the art of Thai cooking I’ve made it so many times over the years that I could practically make it without opening my eyes. (Not really…. but you know what I mean!).
In order to share the recipe, I had to measure the ingredients accurately!
How to make Thai Stir Fried Noodles
When preparing stir-fried noodles, we typically combine all the ingredients in a wok or a large pan.
However, for my homemade version of Pad See Ew, I take a different approach to maximize restaurant flavor and minimize noodle breakage:
- Cook chicken and vegetables first, then remove
- After adding the noodles and sauce and tossing for just 15 seconds to caramelize, return the chicken and vegetables.
Reason: The caramelization of the noodles is a distinguishing flavor of Pad See Ew. Supercharged gas stoves with intense heat that you won’t find in a home kitchen are used by restaurants and street vendors to accomplish this. Noodles will caramelize in 15 seconds if you declutter the wok and cook them separately. This is the only way to achieve the same caramelization on your home stove.
Another reason is that if you toss rice noodles too much, they break. Dispersing the sauce and bringing the Pad See Ew together is much faster and easier when you do the two-stage toss.
Trust me on this point. In all the Pad See Ew I’ve made at home, the two-stage toss is the simplest and most efficient method!
- First, make the Chinese broccoli, chicken, and garlic STEMS. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat, then sauté the garlic until it turns light golden. The Chinese broccoli stems take longer to cook than the leafy part of the broccoli, so add them after the chicken has mostly turned white. Add the Chinese broccoli leaves and cook for about 30 seconds, or until they wilt, after the chicken has finished cooking—it should only take 2 to 3 minutes.
- To create space for the side egg scramble, move everything to the side. This is how eggs are traditionally scrambled in Pad See Ew, Thailand!
- Crack egg straight into the wok.
- Scramble egg – Then mix to scramble it. Here, quickness is key—we want scrambled eggs, not sunny-side up eggs!
- Empty wok – Remove the chicken and vegetables onto plate. As was already mentioned, cooking the noodles separately allows for beautiful caramelization of the noodles when preparing Pad See Ew at home. If we don’t take this action, the noodles will stew rather than caramelize.
- Add noodles and sauce into the wok.
- Shake vigorously for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, or until the sauce is evenly distributed throughout the noodles and some caramelization is visible around the edges. PRO TIP: You want to work quickly because you’ll have more noodles for breakfast the longer and more you toss. You’ll notice that restaurants usually throw the noodles into the wok without stirring with a wooden spoon or any other tool; this also reduces the likelihood of broken noodles. Note on Noodle Breakage: Having said that, some noodle breakage is inevitable and totally fine. Ever notice how long strands of Pad See Ew noodles aren’t served at Thai restaurants? That’s just the way the wide, flat noodles are made. In fact, for ease of eating, Pad See Ew is traditionally served in Thailand with a FORK or spoon rather than noodles.
- Reintroduce the chicken and vegetables after they have caramelized on the noodles. Give it a quick toss just to disperse, then serve!.
As with all stir fries, once you get cooking, it goes quickly, so make sure you have everything ready to go in the wok—you don’t have time to fumble around the kitchen!
This Asian Slaw is a great all-purpose side dish that goes well with any Asian meal if you want to add something new. – Nagi x.
