Recipe video above. Pad See Ew (which means Stir Fried Soy Sauce noodles) is one of the most popular Thai street foods. Traditionally made with Sen Yai which are wide, thin rice noodles which are not that easy to come by. So use dried rice noodles instead - I've eaten enough Pad See Ew at Thai restaurants to assure you that there is no compromise on flavour!KEY TIP FOR SUCCESS: Cook the chicken separately from the noodles. Home stoves are no match for the fierce heat of restaurant and street vendor burners. You have to cook separately to get caramelisation on the noodles which is key for authentic flavour. If you don't, the noodles will just stew and your dish will lack flavour!
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!
Notes
1. Noodles - Pad See Ew is traditionally made with Sen Yai fresh rice noodles which are wide, flat rice noodles. These are hard to handle and quite difficult to find, even at Asian grocery stores - you need to go to a Thai grocery store.Easiest to use wide, dried rice stick noodles. I use Pad Thai noodles, the widest you can find at supermarkets.Fresh rice noodle - Feel free to use, follow the directions in Char Kway Teow to prepare the rice noodles for cooking.Other noodles - can be made with other noodles, fresh or dried, rice or egg noodles. However, I do not recommend using vermicelli as it is too thin for the strong flavours of the sauce.2. Dark soy sauce has a stronger flavour than ordinary and light soy sauce, and stains the noodles brown. Can sub with ordinary soy, but noodles won't be as dark and flavour will be slightly less strong.3. Light soysauce - Do not substitute with more dark soy sauce, the flavour is too intense. More on different types of soy sauces here.4. Chicken - You can substitute the chicken with other proteins suitable for stir frying, even tofu or prawns.5. Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan, kai lan)If you can't find Chinese broccoli, you can substitute with other leafy Chinese vegetables such as pak choy or bok choy. Or use broccolini - cut them in half lengthwise.6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 3 servings.