With the arrival of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, there is no better way to celebrate than with a popular Thai dish, pad see ew.
With origins stemming from China, pad see ew is a stir fried noodle dish made with wide flat rice noodles, veggies, protein and a sweet soy sauce mixture. It is a staple among Thai restaurants worldwide, and is just as popular in Thailand at both street food stalls and restaurants.
There are two key things to making the perfect pad see ew: the wok and the sauce. Having a wok is crucial to getting the noodles properly caramelized because it can reach higher temperatures than other pans. It is also made for stir frying, as the shape of the pan puts the food into the hottest part, cooking food much faster and keeping food in the pan easier when tossing.
The sauce is what makes the dish. If you don’t have the right ratios, the whole dish will be thrown off. You can adjust the sauce to your liking, but you cannot substitute any of the sauces used to make it. While the fish sauce is optional, the others aren’t to keep consistent flavor, and it is recommended you use it to add depth of flavor.
Making this dish is relatively easy when you have the right tools and ingredients, making it a great way to start learning how to cook more Thai food. With a fairly small ingredient list and a short cooking time, this dish is perfect for when you want something yummy quickly.
What you will need:
Ingredients:
1 ½ tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
A splash of fish sauce (optional)
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 ½ teaspoon sugar
Vegetable or peanut oil for cooking
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, sliced
1 large egg (preferably brown)
4 bunches/stems of Chinese broccoli
Preparation:
Separate the stems and the leaves of the Chinese broccoli. Trim the ends, and if the stems are long, cut them into 2-inch pieces. Leave the leaves as is.
Noodle preparation differs depending on the kind and brand, so follow the instructions on the package. Time this so that the cooked noodles aren’t sitting out for too long, otherwise the noodles will get cold and break.
Combine the dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, vinegar and sugar in a bowl. If the sugar isn’t dissolving, add a splash of hot water.
Cooking:
Heat up about one tablespoon of oil in the wok over high heat and wait for it to warm up.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, then add the sliced chicken. Cook the chicken until it is mostly white but not all the way cooked.
Add the stems of the Chinese broccoli. Cook this until the chicken is almost cooked through, then add the leaves. Continue to cook until the leaves are wilted, then push everything to one side of the wok.
Crack in the egg on the other side of the wok and scramble. Be careful not to mix it with the other ingredients yet. When done, set everything in the wok into a bowl for later. Once cool, wipe the wok clean so nothing is left, but do not wash it.
Heat up around two tablespoons of oil in the wok over high heat. Let this sit in the wok until it starts to smoke. The wok has to be very hot in order for the noodles to caramelize properly.
When hot enough, add the noodles and sauce. Toss a few times to coat the noodles evenly, but do not over-mix it or the noodles will break. Cook until the edges of the noodles are caramelized. Depending on the size of your wok, this could take about one to two minutes.
Add the chicken, broccoli and egg back in and toss to distribute the ingredients evenly, and coat everything in the sauce.
Enjoy!
