Pad See Ew (Stir-Fried Wide Rice Noodles with Soy Sauce)
Fresh wide rice noodles charred in a hot wok with sweet dark soy, garlic, egg, pork and Chinese kale: the gentle, smoky one-plate lunch of Thai street stalls.
- Region
- Central Thailand
- Condiments
- Fish Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Thai Soy Sauces
- Vegetables
- Garlic, Chinese Kale
Ingredients
- 400 g fresh wide rice noodles (sen yai), or 150 g dried wide rice noodles, soaked
- 200 g pork shoulder or boneless chicken thigh, thinly sliced
- 200 g Chinese kale (kana), stems sliced on the diagonal, leaves cut into 5 cm pieces
- 2 eggs
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce (see ew dam), for coating the noodles
- Marinade: 1 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp oyster sauce and ½ tsp cornflour
- Sauce: 1½ tbsp dark soy sauce (see ew dam)
- Sauce: 1 tbsp light soy sauce (see ew khao)
- Sauce: 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- Sauce: 1 tsp fish sauce
- Sauce: 1 tsp sugar and 2 tbsp water
- Ground white pepper, to taste
- To serve: sliced chillies in vinegar (prik nam som), sugar, chilli flakes and fish sauce
Pad see ew is the mild, comforting cousin of pad thai: wide, soft rice noodles fried with garlic, egg and Chinese kale in a sauce built on dark soy sauce. The name simply means stir-fried soy sauce, and it is one of the dishes Thai cooks inherited from Chinese noodle shops. For more on the different noodles, see our guide to Thai noodles.
The flavour comes as much from the wok as from the sauce. The noodles should sit against very hot metal long enough to blister and catch in places, so cook one or two portions at a time and resist the urge to stir constantly.
Method
- Mix the pork with the marinade ingredients and leave for 15 minutes. Stir the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Separate the fresh noodles into single strands with your fingers. If they are cold and stiff, warm them for 20-30 seconds in the microwave first so they come apart without tearing. Toss them with 1 tsp dark soy sauce so every strand is lightly coated. (If using dried noodles, soak them in room-temperature water for about 1 hour until pliable, then drain well.)
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok over high heat until shimmering. Add the garlic and stir for a few seconds until pale gold, then add the pork and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until just cooked.
- Add the kale stems and stir-fry for 1 minute, then add the leaves and a splash of water and toss until they just wilt and turn bright green.
- Push everything to one side, add the remaining oil and crack in the eggs. Break the yolks, let them set for about 20 seconds, then scramble roughly.
- Add the noodles and pour the sauce around the edge of the wok. Toss gently to combine, then spread the noodles out and leave them for 20-30 seconds to char. Toss and repeat two or three times until the noodles are glossy, tender and caramelised in spots.
- Season with white pepper, taste and adjust with a little more light soy sauce if needed. Serve at once with the condiments so everyone can add sourness, heat and sweetness to their own plate.
Cook’s tips
- Fresh noodles break easily, so turn them with a wide spatula in a scooping motion rather than stirring hard.
- If the noodles stick and burn before they char, the wok is not hot enough or is too crowded; a well-seasoned carbon steel wok or a large non-stick pan both work.
- Broccolini or the stems of ordinary broccoli are the closest substitutes for Chinese kale.
Leonidas Georgiadis
Leonidas Georgiadis is the founder and writer of Aroy Mak Mak. He is from Greece, has been travelling in Thailand for almost twenty years and is married to a Thai wife, so Thai food is everyday family cooking in his home.
