Is there anything more satisfying than enjoying a hot stir-fried noodle dish like pad see ew and an iced cold glass of Thai tea? I don’t think so either.
What is pad see ew?
Pad see ew translates to “fried (with) soy sauce” and is a Chinese-influenced stir-fried noodle dish popularized from Thailand. Just like pad thai, pad see ew is a street food staple and you’ll see many Youtube videos featuring Thai cooks whipping up these flying noodles in a quick flurry.
Pad see ew sauce
Pad see ew is seasoned with a soy sauce base in addition to oyster sauce, vinegar, and sweetened with sugar. It’s a very simple seasoning that is easy to stir up and adjust to your personal preference. While you can use any type of soy sauce, there are also Thai brands for both that are a little different from traditional Chinese brands because they’re not as salty due to the added sweetness. For this recipe, I used Healthy Boy brands of thin soy sauce and dark soy sauce. I also used Maekrua brand oyster sauce.
Pad see ew ingredients
Rice noodles
The noodles for pad see ew is one of the most important parts of this dish. Traditionally, pad see ew noodles are wide, flat rice noodles that have slightly crispy edges from stir-frying. You can use “fresh” or dried rice noodles for this recipe, however, it’s best eaten with wide noodles. The type of “fresh” noodles I use for this recipe are pre-made and pre-cooked rice noodles from the grocery store that don’t require boiling to eat and they are typically in a non-refrigerated aisle or section. You can eat them straight away out of the bag. Please note, there are “fresh” noodles that STILL require boiling, but these are not the same type of noodles. Make sure to read the labels on the package before buying. They come in different sizes (from full sheets to pre-cut noodles) and are similar to the rice paper sheets you eat at Korean bbq or cheung fun. I prefer buying the full sheets of fresh rice paper because I can cut the noodles how wide I want them. You can find these pre-made rice noodle sheets at H-Mart, 99 Ranch, and other Asian grocery stores.
Meat and other ingredients
Authentic pad see ew typically includes beef cuts of steak, but you can also use different types of protein-based on your preference: chicken, pork, shrimp, or tofu. For this recipe, I used flank steak because it was affordable and I was able to marinate it to give it extra flavor. The other ingredients include gailan (or Chinese broccoli), eggs, and garlic.
How to make pad see ew
To make pad see ew, it’s best to use a carbon steel wok because it’s great for stir fry and leaves enough room to combine all the ingredients, as well as give you enough heat to sear the noodles and steak to get crisp and crunchy edges. Here are some tips to get flavorful pad see ew at home:
Marinate your steak while you prep your other ingredients, this will give you extra flavorSeparate the stems and leaves of the gailan and cook them separately. Since the stems take longer to cook, this will prevent you from overcooking the leaves. Set aside the cooked meat and gailan while you cook and season the eggs and noodles. This will prevent you from overcooking the meat and properly coat the noodles. Let the ingredients sit on the wok for about 30 seconds after mixing it together to allow the noodles to get a crisp sear.
If you want more Thai dishes with your pad see ew, I would recommend a flavorful bowl of Panang curry, Thai basil fried rice, and finish it off with a tasty mango sticky rice dessert.
Common questions
What’s the difference between pad Thai vs pad see ew?
Pad Thai is also a famous Thai dish that is made with meat and rice noodles, however, it’s made with a tangy tamarind-based sauce, whereas pad see ew is made with wider rice noodles and includes a soy sauce-based seasoning.
Is pad see ew the same as drunken noodles?
Drunken noodles (or pad kee mao) differs from pad see ew because it’s made with lots of chili peppers and holy basil, which makes it much spicier than it’s milder cousin.
What does pad see ew taste like?
Authentic pad see ew is mild in spice and has a salty, savory, and sweet flavor from the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and brown sugar seasoning.
