Why It Works
- Marinating the noodles earlier than cooking will get a jump-start on taste penetration.
- Velveting the pork with cornstarch and seasonings produces extra tender, silkier items of meat.
- Stir-frying in small, single-serving batches permits the correct high-heat flavors to develop and avoids a steamy, bland outcome.
Pad see ew is a basic stir-fried noodle dish made with chewy rice noodles, Chinese language broccoli, egg, and pork, all coated in a savory soy-sauce mix. It’s a one-plate meal loved as a lot in Thailand as it’s within the US. It’s so well-liked that you just’ll even discover it at 7-Elevens in Thailand (and sure, their model is surprisingly good), however the very best pad see ew comes from avenue distributors who’ve perfected it by way of dedication and repetition. It’s meant to be eaten not as a part of a diffusion with many different dishes, however by itself as a satisfying one-plate meal, and that’s how I like to recommend having fun with this recipe.
Let’s break down the necessities of nice pad see ew.
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The Noodles
Recent broad rice noodles (sen yai) are the usual for pad see ew. These silky, chewy noodles take in the sauce fantastically with out dropping their form, very similar to Chinese language chow enjoyable noodles. If I’m being sincere, there’s no excellent substitute for that signature texture of contemporary rice noodles. They’re the important thing to creating the very best pad see ew attainable, and one which comes closest to variations you have most likely eaten in eating places.
That mentioned, contemporary noodles aren’t at all times simple to seek out, and I nonetheless need you to cook dinner superb Thai meals at dwelling, irrespective of the place you reside. This recipe provides the substitution and instructions for utilizing broad dried rice noodles, since they’re much more accessible. I’ve turned to them myself, particularly when my 2-year-old spots them within the pantry and makes clear to me that pad see ew is what he desires for dinner (sure, he eats like royalty). Whereas broad dried rice noodles aren’t as broad or so long as their contemporary counterparts, they nonetheless get the job accomplished.
To imitate the feel of contemporary rice noodles with dried, I rehydrate dried noodles by soaking them in boiling water. Pouring boiling water of them and letting the noodles sit briefly softens them greater than soaking them in room temperature water, nudging them nearer to a contemporary rice noodle’s texture (although they by no means get all the best way there). Their starch granules gelatinize as they take in the water, making a delicate, chewy texture. After rehydrating, I rinse the noodles to take away extra starch, coat them flippantly in oil to forestall sticking (a trick I additionally use for the contemporary noodles) and toss them with Thai black soy sauce. This early seasoning step enhances the flavour and helps the noodles caramelize once they later hit the wok.
Whereas sen yai noodles are conventional, pad see ew may also be made with different noodle varieties, similar to sen lek (smaller rice noodles), egg noodles, and even spaghetti. In Thailand, these variations are frequent, regardless that the dish has change into synonymous with broad rice noodles elsewhere.
The Sauce
For the reason that noodles are the center of the dish, a flavorful sauce is crucial, in any other case it’s going to be bland. Pad see ew is Thai-Chinese language in origin, with soy sauce (“see ew” in Thai) as its base. Whereas some recipes add fish sauce, I want to make use of Thai skinny soy sauce, Thai black soy sauce, and Thai oyster sauce. The black soy sauce offers sweetness and that signature deep shade, whereas the oyster sauce provides wealthy umami. A splash of white pepper offers a refined warmth that rounds out the dish. Though pad see ew naturally leans towards the sweeter aspect, I want to maintain the sweetness balanced with the extra savory flavors reasonably than overpowering them.
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The Protein and Greens
Pad see ew is primarily a noodle dish, so protein and greens ought to play a supporting position reasonably than steal the highlight. Whereas it’s scrumptious even with out protein, I add pork for its taste and texture when given the choice. That mentioned, you should use no matter protein you may have available: rooster, beef, and shrimp all work.
According to the dish’s Chinese language roots, I prefer to velvet the meat earlier than stir-frying it. Velveting is a Chinese language cooking method during which the meat is marinated in a coating of seasonings and cornstarch, then shortly blanched in a shower of sizzling oil and drained, at which level it is able to be stir-fried. The result’s silky, tender, flavorful meat. However whereas simple for eating places, oil-blanching, also called “passing by way of oil,” might be cumbersome to do at dwelling, because it requires utilizing sufficient sizzling oil to completely cowl the meat.
For this recipe, I want to blanch the pork in water. It is easy, fast, and far more home-kitchen pleasant than oil-blanching. With water-velveting, you marinate the meat simply as you’d if it had been being oil-blanched. However as an alternative of briefly cooking it in sizzling oil, you blanch the meat in boiling water with a little bit little bit of oil added to it. After all deep-frying remains to be an possibility, in the event you don’t thoughts the additional effort and mess.
Chinese language broccoli is the basic vegetable for pad see ew, simply discovered at Asian markets. I blanch it beforehand to maintain it vibrant and tender, with simply the correct crunch. This manner, when the Chinese language broccoli goes into the wok, it’s already partly cooked, guaranteeing you do not find yourself both with undercooked broccoli or overcooked the whole lot else.
Lastly, don’t overlook the egg. It provides richness, delicate texture, and that stunning golden shade that ties the whole lot collectively.
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Placing It All Collectively
To attain distinctive pad see ew at dwelling, cooking in small batches is crucial. This recipe serves 4, which implies cooking 4 separate batches–sure, one batch per serving. On a regular dwelling stovetop, overcrowding the pan with an excessive amount of meals without delay traps moisture, stopping the sauce from caramelizing and the noodles from creating their signature smoky char. As an alternative of tender, flavorful noodles, you’ll find yourself with a clumpy, steamy mess. Until you’re utilizing a high-powered out of doors burner, cooking in smaller batches is non-negotiable.
Customise to Your Style
In Thailand, pad see ew isn’t simply served, it’s personalized on the desk by the diners themselves. Very like noodle soups, the expectation is that diners will fine-tune the flavors to their very own tastes. Pad see ew, for instance, isn’t inherently spicy, however if you need warmth, a sprinkle of Thai roasted chile flakes does the trick. Want extra salt? A splash of soy sauce or fish sauce needs to be spooned on high. Craving sweetness? A pinch of sugar. However the actual magic, for my part, comes from successful of acidity, particularly within the type of chiles in vinegar. The acidity from the vinegar cuts by way of the richness and makes the dish actually pop. Don’t skip this remaining step—nor the additional effort of creating the chile vinegar condiment—then let your company season their noodles as they need.
This Is the Greatest (and Best!) Thai Stir-Fried Noodle Dish to Make at Dwelling, In keeping with an Skilled Chef
Cook dinner Mode
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For the Chile Vinegar:
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1 cup (240ml) distilled white vinegar
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Pinch kosher salt
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4 contemporary purple chiles, similar to Holland, Fresno, or Cayenne (2 1/2 ounces; 70g), stemmed and thinly sliced crosswise (see notes)
For the Noodles:
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20 ounces (568g) contemporary rice noodle sheets or 8 ounces (226g) dried broad rice noodles (see notes)
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2 tablespoons (30ml) Thai black soy sauce
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2 tablespoons (30ml) neutral oil similar to vegetable or canola oil
For the Marinated Pork:
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8 ounces (225g) pork shoulder, sliced very thinly into roughly 1- by 1 1/2-inch items (see notes)
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1 teaspoon (5ml) Thai oyster sauce
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1 teaspoon (5ml) Thai skinny soy sauce
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1/2 teaspoon (3g) granulated sugar
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Pinch of floor white pepper
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1 teaspoon (5ml) sesame oil
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1/2 teaspoon (2g) baking soda
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Small pinch kosher salt
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1 teaspoon (5g) cornstarch
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1 teaspoon (5ml) Shaoxing wine
For the Stir-Fry Sauce:
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3 tablespoons (45ml) Thai oyster sauce
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3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (50ml) Thai skinny soy sauce
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1 tablespoon (15ml) Thai black soy sauce
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1 teaspoon granulated white sugar
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1/4 teaspoon floor white pepper
For Par-Cooking and the Stir Fry:
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8 1/2 ounces (240g) Chinese language broccoli, sliced on a bias into 1-inch items (4 cups)
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8 ounces (225g) marinated pork from above
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4 tablespoons (60ml) impartial oil similar to vegetable or canola oil, divided
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10 cloves garlic (50g), smashed and roughly chopped, divided
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Ready rice noodles from above
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1/2 cup (120ml) stir fry sauce from above, divided
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4 giant eggs, divided
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For the Chile Vinegar: In a small saucepan, deliver vinegar and salt to a boil over excessive warmth. Take away from warmth and add chiles. Let steep for not less than half-hour or as much as 1 day (vinegar shall be finest after 1 day). Retailer in an hermetic container.
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If Utilizing Recent Noodle Sheets: In the meantime, lower contemporary noodle sheets into 1 1/2–inch broad strips and place in a mixing bowl; toss noodles with Thai black soy sauce and oil till evenly coated and now not sticky. Divide into 4 even parts and put aside.
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If Utilizing Dried Noodles: In a big heatproof bowl, cowl noodles with 1 quart boiling water. Permit noodles to hydrate till pliable, 15 to twenty minutes. Drain totally and rinse thrice with chilly water to take away extra starch. Return drained noodles to bowl and toss with Thai black soy sauce and oil till evenly coated and now not sticky. Divide into 4 even parts and put aside.
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3. For the Marinated Pork: In a medium mixing bowl, mix pork, oyster sauce, skinny soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, sesame oil, baking soda, salt, and Shaoxing wine. Combine totally by hand till evenly coated. Marinate for half-hour at room temperature.
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For the Stir-Fry Sauce: In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk collectively oyster sauce, skinny soy sauce, black soy sauce, sugar, and white pepper till effectively mixed. Put aside.
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To Par-Cook dinner Broccoli and Pork: In a big saucepan or 4-quart Dutch oven of boiling water,. blanch broccoli till crisp-tender, about 20 seconds; then, utilizing a spider or strainer, instantly run below chilly water to cease the cooking course of (if in case you have a noodle basket, you should use it to blanch, pressure, and chill all in as soon as go). Squeeze out extra water, divide broccoli into 4 equal parts, and put aside.
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Return the water to a boil, then add the marinated pork. Cook dinner, utilizing chopsticks to separate the items, till simply cooked by way of and no pink stays, about 1 minute. Drain, rinse below chilly water, then drain totally and divide into 4 equal parts; put aside.
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To Stir-Fry (in 4 Batches): Warmth a wok or giant carbon-steel or stainless-steel skillet over excessive warmth till flippantly smoking, about 3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to coat floor. Add 1/4 of garlic (12g), decrease warmth to low, and cook dinner, stirring with a big spoon or wok spatula, till barely browned and aromatic, about 20 seconds.
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Improve warmth to excessive and add one portion (142g) of noodles, and cook dinner, stirring rigorously to keep away from breaking them, barely charred, about 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons (30g) of sauce and stir effectively.
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Add one portion of blanched broccoli and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add one portion of pork and stir-fry for an additional 30 seconds. Push the whole lot to at least one aspect of the wok.
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Crack 1 egg into the empty aspect of the wok, crack yolk then permit it to set earlier than transferring it. Keep away from scrambling the egg. As soon as set, fold the noodles over the egg, flipping and scraping with the spoon or wok spatula to make sure nothing sticks. Stir till the whole lot is effectively mixed and egg is damaged up into smaller items. Modify seasoning with white and black pepper to style.
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Switch pad see ew to a serving plate and serve instantly with Thai chili flakes, chile vinegar, further sugar, and fish sauce on the aspect. Wipe wok or skillet clear and repeat with remaining 3 servings of the stir-fry; alternatively, save all the prepped components by refrigerating them individually in hermetic containers and cook dinner the remaining batches everytime you need (as much as 2 days).
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Particular Gear
Wok or giant carbon-steel or stainless-steel skillet; giant saucepan or 4-quart Dutch oven; small saucepan
Notes
This recipe is finest when ready with contemporary rice noodles, which are available in sheets that may be lower by hand. Dry rice noodles are substitute if you cannot discover contemporary, although the widest ones usually are not usually as broad because the contemporary might be lower, they usually have a chewier, extra agency texture.
A Holland chile and Fresno chile can have an identical delicate warmth stage that’s balanced with a candy end, whereas a contemporary Cayenne chile shall be spicier. A jalapeño chile can also be substituted on this recipe, although it should ship much less sweetness.
Make-Forward and Storage
The stir-fry sauce might be made and refrigerated in an hermetic container for as much as 2 weeks.
The chile-vinegar might be refrigerated in an hermetic container for as much as 3 weeks.
The meat and broccoli might be cooked as much as two days upfront and saved within the fridge in an hermetic container.