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!
Pad See Ew
Pad See Ew, which means “stir fried soy sauce noodles, is an extremely popular Thai street food meal and probably the most popular noodle dish at Thai restaurants in Western countries.
You may have tried and been disappointed by other recipes in the past. It all comes down to the sauce. You have to get the sauce right!
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!
What goes in Pad See Ew
Here’s what you need for Pad See Ew. You can find all these ingredients in large supermarkets nowadays!
Pad See Ew Sauce
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
- Oyster sauce – key ingredient, it’s like 10 difference sauces mixed up in one bottle!
- Vinegar – to balance the sweet and savoury
- Sugar – for sweetness
Noodles for Pad See Ew
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
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.
Egg and chicken
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!
Cooking eggs – the Thai way!
Also worthy of note – you’ll love the way the egg is cooked in Pad See Ew! Using a traditional Thai technique, the other ingredients in the wok/skillet are pushed to the side to make room to scramble the egg, then mixed up with everything else.
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
MORE THAI TAKEOUT FAVOURITES
- Pad Thai – truly just like takeout!
- Thai Red Curry and Green Curry
- Massaman Curry
- Thai Fish Cakes
- Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
- Thai Fried Rice
- Browse the Thai recipe collection
AND MORE GREAT NOODLES!
Watch how to make it
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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 tbsp dark soy sauce (Note 2)
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tsp soy sauce (all purpose or light, Note 3)
- 2 tsp white vinegar (plain white vinegar)
- 2 tsp sugar (any type)
- 2 tbsp water
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
- 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 1 tbsp oil in a very large heavy based skillet or wok over high heat.
- Add garlic, cook 15 seconds. Add chicken, cook until it mostly changes from pink to white.
- Add Chinese broccoli stems, cook until chicken is almost cooked through.
- Add Chinese broccoli leaves, cook until just wilted.
- Push everything to one side, crack egg in and scramble. Remove everything onto a plate (scrape wok clean).
- Return wok to stove, heat 2 tbsp oil over high heat.
- Add noodles and Sauce. Toss as few times as possible to disperse Sauce and make edges of noodles caramelise.
- Quickly add chicken and veg back in, and toss to disperse. Serve immediately!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published 2014, updated 2016 then improved again in March 2019, including new video and step photos. 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.
Life of Dozer
When Dozer at a VERY spicy piece of chilli biltong!!
Absolutely LOVE this recipe. I love Pad See Ew and had been trying to find the perfect one at Thai restaurants and low and behold the best one is the one I have made myself from this fabulous recipe! I serve it with panfried broccoli and cook it with Pak Choy (or similar). Also always sprinkle it with spring onions to finish. Deelish! Thanks Nagi
Delicious! Quick and easy. I used fresh noodles and found pork!
Im not sure what I was smoking when I asked the question about the fish sauce. That’s nowhere in your ingredients. Sorry but I’m still curious about the sweet soy sauce instead of the dark soy sauce. Also, could I add basil to this recipe?
I highly recommend adding basil to this recipe. If you have Thai basil it’s best, otherwise regular basil is still good!
I’m going to make this tonight but I couldn’t find dark soy sauce, will oyster sauce work? Also I didn’t get the fish sauce either, can I omit it? I did get sweet soy sauce so could I use that instead of dark soy sauce and sugar?
This was fantastic! I did have to use regular broccoli cut into very small pieces and instead of chicken, I used beef strips (like for fajitas). I got the fat rice noodles from an asian market and they are soooo much better than the ones from the regular grocery store. We both loved the flavor and can’t thank you enough for sharing this. Super quick and easy to make. I am becoming a good cook!
Thanks Nangi for sharing this recipe. My family loved it! Very easy steps to follow.. another great meal recipe to add to my recipe book. Many thanks
Great recipe. I swapped broccoli for green onions but wanted to use Napa cabbage. Used pork. It chicken would’ve been better. Added fish sauce. Topped w cilantro, Asian pepper sauce and chopped peanuts. Yum! A new staple!
I cooked this and it came out really salty… Followed the measurements exactly so not sure what happened?
Hi Lana, sorry you had issues here, can I ask what size tablespoon you used? N x
This is good, don’t get me wrong, but I feel like it’s lacking a little of the takeout flavor I’m familiar with. What would you recommend I add? Or just double the sauce?
Best homemade Pad See Ew.
Thanks for great tip on how to prepare fresh rice noodles! #gamechanger
Haven’t made yet but looking forward to it this week with shrimp, Got some Gai Lam but more than needed for 1 recipe. Can I blanch and freeze it for later, or will it last in fridge for a while?
This recipe was amazing! I didn’t have broccoli and subbed spinach instead and was still amazing. I would say we needed a little more sauce and some more flavor in the chicken when cooked at first. Otherwise, delicious!
I love take-out Pad See Ew and never even thought I could make it myself. This was SO easy! I’m a slow cooker (pun intended) so the minimal amount of chopping was ideal. I subbed tofu because it was going to expire, and also added some shrimp because yum. The result was that mine was a bit dry, but that’s my own fault for adding 16 oz of tofu and however much shrimp when the recipe only called for 10 oz of chicken. I had a lot of leftovers, so today I whipped off another half-batch of the sauce and tossed everything again and now it’s gooey and perfect. Thanks for the great recipe and for showing me that I can make thai food!
Made this twice this week. So quick and easy and delicious.
Ever since COVID started, I’ve been missing Pad See Ew but we need to be extra careful due to my dad having cancer. So, I decided to look around for Pad See Ew recipes to learn how to make it. The first time I cooked this recipe, my family LOVED it so much that I’ve been making it every weekend since! We always drizzle some chili oil on top and it’s perfect!
HI! I wanted to let you know I love your site and recipes. My wife loves Pad See Ew and your site gave me the courage to make it. It also gave me an excuse to get a wok 🙂
Perfect Jorge!! N x
Just have lunch, and this recipe is really really sooo good!
Hello! We just made this recipe, threw in spicy chili oil at the end and it was amazing! Out of curiosity, can you include the brand/pictures of the dark soy, soy and oyster sauces you use for this dish? There’s so many variations at the Asian market and I feel like their flavors are all a bit different. It would be much appreciated!
Hi! Can I use Apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar?
Hi Jess, yes that or rice wine vinegar will work. N x
Given the importance of the oyster sauce to this recipe–does anyone have a good suggestion for vegetarian oyster sauce we can make at home? Have not been able to find anything premade. Looking forward to trying the recipe soon!
Hi Colette, I’ve never made it nor even tried to make a vegetarian version. The only suggestion I have is the vegetarian version available in stores! N x
Amazing! Tastes just like a restaurant. Will definitely be making this again and again!