Cart Standard · Charred Soy Noodles

Pad See Ew (Stir-Fried Soy Sauce Noodles)

Name: Pad See Ew recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2 (cooked in one batch in a large wok or skillet) servings
Ingredients: 300 g fresh wide rice noodle sheets (or about 150 g dried wide rice noodles, around 10–15 mm); 200 g pork loin or boneless chicken thigh, sliced thinly; For the marinade: 1 teaspoon light soy sauce and 1 teaspoon cornflour; For the sauce: 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, a pinch of white pepper; 150 g Chinese broccoli (gai lan), stems and leaves cut into 4 cm pieces, stems and leaves kept separate; 2 eggs; 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided; To serve: chilli flakes, sugar, white pepper, and vinegar with sliced chillies

Photo: stu_spivack / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0

The dish's slightly smoky flavor comes from scorching the noodles against the sides of a very hot wok, the quality Cantonese cooks call 'wok hei', which is hard to reproduce on a home stove.

Wide rice noodles are stir-fried with egg, Chinese broccoli and sliced pork or chicken in dark and light soy sauce over extremely high heat until the noodles pick up a light char. It's one of the most common single-plate orders at Bangkok's street carts.

Why it's made this way: Like rat na and kuay chap, pad see ew grew out of Bangkok's Thai-Chinese noodle-cart tradition, and its simplicity and speed have made it one of the most frequently ordered dishes at everyday street kitchens across the city.

What is Pad See Ew?

Pad see ew, meaning roughly 'stir-fried with soy sauce', is a plate of wide, flat rice noodles fried with egg, Chinese broccoli (gai lan) and sliced pork or chicken in dark and light soy sauce. The noodles pick up a light char from the hot wok and a mild, caramelised sweetness from the dark soy.

It is generally seen as a Thai-Chinese dish, adapted from Chinese stir-fried noodles, and is a quick, everyday single-plate order at street stalls and small restaurants. It is usually served with a side of chilli flakes, sugar, white pepper and vinegar with chillies so each diner can adjust it.

How to make pad see ew with pork or chicken

Serves 2 (cooked in one batch in a large wok or skillet) · prep 20 min · cook 10 min

Ingredients

300 g fresh wide rice noodle sheets (or about 150 g dried wide rice noodles, around 10–15 mm)
200 g pork loin or boneless chicken thigh, sliced thinly
For the marinade: 1 teaspoon light soy sauce and 1 teaspoon cornflour
For the sauce: 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, a pinch of white pepper
150 g Chinese broccoli (gai lan), stems and leaves cut into 4 cm pieces, stems and leaves kept separate
2 eggs
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
To serve: chilli flakes, sugar, white pepper, and vinegar with sliced chillies

Method

If using dried noodles, soak them in lukewarm water or follow the packet until pliable but still firm, then drain. If using fresh sheets from the fridge, they will be stiff and cracked: warm them in the microwave for 30–40 seconds, or steam briefly, then gently peel the sheets apart into wide strips with your fingers. Toss with 1 teaspoon of the oil so they do not stick back together.
Mix the pork or chicken with the marinade and leave for 10 minutes. Stir the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. No extra salt is needed as the sauces are salty.
Heat a wok or large frying pan over the highest heat until lightly smoking. Add 1 tablespoon oil and the garlic and stir for 10 seconds. Add the meat and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes until cooked through with no pink (chicken should reach 74 °C / 165 °F, pork at least 63 °C / 145 °F, rested for a few minutes). Move it to the side.
Add the Chinese broccoli stems and stir-fry for 1 minute, then crack the eggs into the pan, break the yolks and let them set for 15 seconds before scrambling roughly.
Add the remaining oil and the noodles, spread them out and leave them for 30–45 seconds without moving so the base chars. Pour the sauce around the edges of the pan, add the leaves, then gently toss and fold for 1–2 minutes until the noodles are evenly brown and the leaves have wilted.
Serve at once, with the condiments on the side.

Tips

Be gentle once the noodles are in. Fold rather than stir, or the wide sheets tear into pieces.
Do not crowd the pan. Two portions fit a large wok or skillet, but for four, cook in two batches or the noodles will steam rather than char.
Let the noodles sit untouched for a few seconds so they pick up some charred spots, but take them off the heat before the sauce turns bitter.
A home stove cannot reproduce the smoky 'wok hei' of a street cart exactly, but a very hot, dry pan or a cast-iron skillet gets close.

Regional versions

Pork, chicken, beef or shrimp are all common.
Pad kee mao, or 'drunken noodles', uses similar wide noodles but with chilli, garlic and holy basil for a spicier, more herbal dish.
Kale or broccolini can stand in for Chinese broccoli if you cannot find it.
Make it vegetarian with tofu, mushrooms and a vegetarian 'oyster' sauce.

Questions

What does pad see ew mean?

Roughly 'stir-fried with soy sauce'. It refers to the dark and light soy sauce that colour and flavour the noodles.

What is the difference between pad see ew and pad Thai?

Pad see ew uses wide noodles and soy sauce, with a charred, savoury-sweet flavour. Pad Thai uses thinner noodles and a sour tamarind sauce with peanuts and lime.

Why do my noodles break or stick?

Cold fresh noodles are brittle, so warm and separate them first. Then fold gently in a hot, lightly oiled pan rather than stirring hard.

What is a substitute for dark soy sauce?

Dark soy is less salty and sweeter than light soy. If you have none, use light soy with a little extra sugar or a few drops of molasses, though the colour will be paler.