Pad See Ew – the popular Thai stir fried noodles straight from the streets of Thailand made at home! While Pad Thai is sweeter and nuttier, Pad See Ew is salty, balanced with a touch of sour and a wonderful chargrilled flavour which you can create at home!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Pad See Ew
Pad See Ew, which means “stir fried soy sauce noodles”, is an extremely popular Thai street food meal and one of the most popular noodles dishes at Thai restaurants here in Australia.
Making a great Pad See Ew at home simply comes down to two things:
The right sauce. Basic recipes online will instruct you to use little more than just soy sauce and sugar. It takes a little more than that!
Caramelising the noodles – Getting a little caramelisation on the noodles makes all the difference between an “ok” and “wow, it’s JUST like you get at restaurants!”.
The trick? Remove the stir fry ingredients. Cook the noodles with sauce separately. Less stuff in the wok (or skillet) = easier to caramelise the noodles. At least, at home. If you’ve got a giant restaurant wok burner, you don’t need to do the noodles separately!
What goes in Pad See Ew
I can’t remember where I originally got the recipe from. Probably from David Thompson, the famous Australian chef who has dedicated his life to mastering the art of Thai cooking. I’ve made it so many times over the years, I can almost make it with my eyes closed. (Not really….but you know what I mean!)
So I had to actually measure the ingredients properly to share the recipe!
1. Pad See Ew Sauce ingredients
Pad See Ew has a sweet-savoury-touch-of-sour flavour, and this is made with a combination of the following ingredients:
Dark soy sauce – For flavour and staining the noodles a dark brown.
Ordinary or light soy sauce – For seasoning (salt) and a bit of flavour. Most of the flavour comes from the oyster sauce and dark soy sauce. More on different soy sauces and when you can substitute with what in this About Soy Sauces post.
Oyster sauce – Key ingredient, it’s like 10 difference sauces mixed up in one bottle!
Vinegar – To balance the sweet and savoury. Some form of sour is a key ingredient in South East Asian cooking!
Sugar – For sweetness.
2. Pad See Ew ingredients
And here are the other ingredients for Pad See Ew:
Noodles – Pad See Ew is traditionally made with Sen Yai, which are wide, thin fresh rice noodles that are not easily accessible. Even most Asian stores in Sydney do not sell them – you usually need to go to a Thai grocery store.
So it is perfectly acceptable, and just as delicious, to make them with any wide flat rice noodles. I use dried rice noodles labelled as “Pad Thai” Rice Noodles (pictured below) because they are the widest available at the supermarket.
Once rehydrated, they’re essentially Sen Yai Noodles – just not quite as wide.
Chinese Broccoli / Gai Lan – This is a key authentic ingredient in Pad See Ew. Otherwise known as Gai Lan or Kai lan, it’s leafy and looks quite different to broccoli, but you’ll notice a similarity in the texture of the stems (hence the name).
If you can’t find it, just sub with other Asian greens, or a combination of broccoli or broccolini + spinach.
Chicken and egg – Feel free to use other proteins if you wish. But chicken is by far the most popular.
How to make Thai Stir Fried Noodles
Usually when making stir fried noodles, we toss everything together in one big pan or a wok.
But for Pad See Ew made at home, I do things differently to best replicate a restaurant flavour and minimise noodle breakage:
Cook chicken and vegetables first, then remove
Add noodles and sauce, toss to caramelise (just 15 seconds), then add chicken and vegetables back in.
Reason: A signature flavour in Pad See Ew is the caramelisation of the noodles. Restaurants and street vendors achieve this with super powered gas stoves with fiery heat that you’ll never find in a home kitchen. The only way to replicate that caramelisation on the noodles on a home kitchen stove is to declutter the wok and cook the noodles separately – the noodles will caramelise in 15 seconds.
The other reason is that rice noodles break if you toss them too much. Doing the two-stage toss makes it much easier and faster to disperse the sauce and bring the Pad See Ew together.
Trust me on this point. I’ve made a LOT of Pad See Ew at home in my time, and the two-stage toss it the easiest and most effective technique!
Garlic, chicken and Chinese broccoli STEMS first – Using either a wok or large skillet set over high heat, heat the oil then sauté the garlic until it goes light golden. Add the chicken then once it mostly changes from pink to white, add the Chinese broccoli stems which take longer to cook than the leafy part.
Once the chicken is cooked (it should only take 2 to 3 minutes), toss the Chinese broccoli leaves in and cook for 30 seconds or so just until wilted.
Push everything to the side to make room to scramble the eggs on the side. This is the traditional Thai way of scrambling eggs in Pad See Ew!
Crack egg straight into the wok.
Scramble egg – Then mix to scramble it. Speed is of the essence here – we want scrambled egg not a sunny side up egg!
Empty wok – Remove the chicken and vegetables onto plate. As mentioned above, the best way to cook Pad See Ew at home is to cook the noodles separately so we can get some nice caramelisation on them. If we don’t do this, then the noodles just stew instead of caramelising.
Add noodles and sauce into the wok.
Toss quickly for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes until the sauce is dispersed throughout the noodles and you see some caramelisation on the edges.
PRO TIP: You want to be quick here because the longer and more you toss, the more noodle breakfast you have. You’ll notice restaurants typically toss the noodles in the wok without using a wooden spoon or other tool for stirring – this too helps to minimise noodle breakage.
A note on Noodle Breakage – That said, you WILL get some noodle breakage, and that is normal / perfectly acceptable. Ever notice how the wide, flat noodles in Pad See Ew served at Thai restaurants are not long strands? That’s just the way it is. In fact, traditionally, Pad See Ew is served in Thailand with a FORK or spoon instead of noodles for ease of eating.
Add chicken and veg back in – Once the noodles are caramelised, add the chicken and vegetables back in. Give it a quick toss just to disperse, then serve!
As with all stir fries, once you start cooking, it moves very fast! So have everything prepared and ready to throw into the wok because there’s not time to be scrambling around the kitchen!
If you want to add a fresh side, try this Asian Slaw – it’s a great all rounder that goes with all Asian foods. – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Pad See Ew – Thai Stir Fried Noodles
Ingredients
Noodles
- 200g / 7 oz dried wide rice stick noodles , or 15 oz / 450g fresh wide flat rice noodles (Sen Yai) (Note 1)
Sauce
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce (Note 2)
- 1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce (or all purpose, Note 3)
- 2 tsp white vinegar (plain white vinegar)
- 2 tsp sugar (any type)
Stir Fry
- 3 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil , separated
- 2 cloves garlic cloves, very finely chopped
- 1 cup / 150g / 5oz chicken thighs (boneless, skinless), sliced (Note 4)
- 1 large egg
- 4 stems Chinese broccoli (Note 5)
Instructions
Preparation:
- Chinese Broccoli – trim ends, cut into 7.5cm/3" pieces. Separate leaves from stems. Cut thick stems in half vertically so they're no wider than 0.8cm / 0.3" thick.
- Noodles – Prepare according to packet directions and drain. Time it so they’re cooked just before using – do not leave cooked rice noodles lying around, they break in the wok.
- Sauce – Mix ingredients until sugar dissolves.
Cooking:
- Heat oil: Heat 1 tbsp oil in a very large heavy based skillet or wok over high heat.
- Cook garlic and chicken: Add garlic, cook 15 seconds. Add chicken, cook until it mostly changes from pink to white.
- Chinese broccoli STEMS: Add Chinese broccoli stems, cook until chicken is almost cooked through.
- Chinese broccoli LEAVES: Add Chinese broccoli leaves, cook until just wilted.
- Scramble egg: Push everything to one side, crack egg in and scramble.
- REMOVE chicken from wok: Remove everything in the wok onto a plate (scrape wok clean).
- Caramelise noodles: Return wok to stove, heat 2 tbsp oil over high heat until it starts smoking (HOT is key!). Add noodles and Sauce. Toss as few times as possible to disperse Sauce and make edges of noodles caramelise – about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.
- Add chicken back in: Quickly add chicken and veg back in, and toss to disperse. Serve immediately!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published 2014, updated 2016. Updated over the course of the years with improved photos, the addition of ingredients and process photos as well as a recipe video. Recipe also updated with a more effective cooking method – cooking the ingredients in two batches. No change to ingredients, but yields a better caramelisation and easier to cook – read in post for explanation.
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When Dozer ate a VERY spicy piece of chilli biltong!!
A says
Hey!love all your recipies! Love thai food and I’m eager to make this. Would you find the right noodles at Coles or woolies? Maybe Aldi?
Nagi says
Yes they sell the dried rice noddles at most Coles and Woolies these days in the Asian food section or International aisle. N x
Alana says
Hi Nagi, used fresh noodles, microwaved them fo 2 mins, then pulled them apart so they were separated. Beautiful meal, all noodles broken, but hey they were separated and would do it again. Thanks for the fabulous recipe.
Toby says
No joke I literally just came to your website to see if you had a Pad See Ew recipe and you only uploaded it yesterday!
How coincidental is that!
I’ll be cooking this very soon!
Georgie from Newport says
Hey Nagi,
With rice noodles, how do you some them from sticking together? I’ve tried to make them closer to the time before I chuck them into the pan, and even undercooked them but they always clump and stick together and get torn apart when I’m mixing it into the stir fry.
Any tips?
Love your work!
Nagi says
Hi Georgie! Rinse them after draining 🙂 That will stop them from sticking together! Just run them under tap water for literally 5 seconds in the colander, shake off excess water then leave until you toss them into the wok. This will stop them from clumping! N x
mavee125 says
This Thai Stir-Fried Noodles recipe is so delicious! I used Annie Chun’s Maifun Rice Noodles and Healthy Boy Brand Thin Soy Sauce which I bought at Karman Foods, and the taste was absolutely delightful! It’s our family’s new fave dish!
Nagi says
Thanks! N x
Natalie says
Made this as a companion for the chicken satay with peanut sauce recipe. My local grocery store doesn’t sell Chinese broccoli so I substituted it with bok choy, and it turned out great! An easy yet delicious recipe.
Aeryn says
Hey Nagi, I have not made this recipe but I would like to request a recipe. Would you be able to put a victoria sponge on the recipe list please?
Anna Buzzi says
Good morning. This looks delicious. Is there anything i could sub for the Oyster sauce? I have a dietary restriction to consider. But fear that without it, it will be missing a very special taste profile. Many thanks.
Ren says
Hi Anna,
I was just reading through the Comments for this recipe and saw your question. I am not sure if someone has replied to you directly, but I thought that I would share my thoughts with you. I have a friend whom has a shellfish allergy so if I am cooking for her, I use a vegetarian oyster sauce:
https://ayam.com/products/asian-sauces/product/vegetarian-oyster-210ml
Otherwise a general vegetarian stir fry sauce:
https://au-nz.lkk.com/en/products/vegetarian-stir-fry-sauce-au-nz
If the shellfish is not the issue, I think that I would use Hoisin as an alternative. Not sure if you’re able to have that.
Anyway, just my thoughts. Disclaimer!: I am not a chef nor a dietician but I am a scientist with quite a few friends with dietary requirements, so when I invite them for a meal at my home, I try to do my research
I hope this helped.
Ren
Anna Buzzi says
Good morning. This looks delicious. Is there anything i could sub for the Oyster sauce? I have a dietary restriction to consider. But fear that without it, it will be missing a very special taste profile.
Danielle D says
Hi there! This recipe looks delicious! I was just wondering whether kecap manis is a good substitute for dark soy sauce? Thank you
Cindy W says
Just made this for the first time tonight it was exactly as the Thai restaurant. I loved the flavour & it was easy to make
Raisa says
Great recipe! However, there was a lot of water when I cooked my chicken. Do you know why this is? Is it from the chicken? I did rinse the green leaves too and let the water drain from them…
Layla says
Great recipe! Was a hit with everyone. So simple also. I used beef instead of chicken and it turned out amazing.
Nagi says
Wonderful Layla! N x
noor says
Can you tell me what brand oyster sauce you use, I want to make sure i get the same consistency or do all oyster sauces have the same consistency? Also what brand dark soy sauce do you use? thanks
Nagi says
Hi Noor – this link should help you: https://www.recipetineats.com/asian-market-grocery-store-shopping-list/ N x
Nikki says
Amazing! I actually opted to use this sauce to make fried rice instead and it was better than takeout and super easy!
Lana P says
Delicious! I’m no pad see ew expert, so I can’t speak to authenticity, but this was incredibly good and on the table in less than 20 minutes. Per Nagi’s suggestion, I substituted baby bok choy for the Chinese broccoli with excellent results. Thanks again for another great recipe!
Ash says
Our absolute favourite!
Only thing wrong with it…? You gotta make double so you can have 3rds! It’s so good!
Patrik says
Turned out great!
Thank you,
Carol Ryan says
Brilliant recipients tasted delicious. My only down is when I tried to mix with 2 wooden spoons like you do I ended up with some of all over me and the hob lol. X
dylan says
Couldn’t agree more Melinda! Was totally underwhelmed by this recipe, pretty trash tbh
Mandy says
This was so easy to make and so delicious. I used broccoli florets and baby bok choy for the veggies. I will be making this again and again.