Pad See Ew (Thailand)
Today, here on World of Pasta, I’m going to be sharing what has to be one of the most popular noodle dishes in Thailand today, Pad See Ew. Like Pad Thai, Pad See Ew is a very easy noodle stir fry that traces back to Chinese roots. It only requires a few simple ingredients to make, but the technique and love that goes into the dish really makes it shine.
The key is that the noodles and sauce are caramelized together before the other ingredients are added.
Pad See Ew can be made with many proteins like chicken, pork shoulder, and even tofu, but I’m sticking with good old beef.
Serves 4
For the Beef:
1 tbsp water
1/8 tsp baking soda (note 1)
8 oz flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp dark soy sauce (note 2)
1 tsp vegetable oil
For the Sauce:
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce (note 2)
1 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
Freshly ground white pepper, to taste
For the Stir Fry:
1 pound dried wide rice noodles
4 tbsp vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz broccoli, cut into small florettes
2 eggs, beaten
Combine the water and baking soda in a small bowl, whisking to dissolve. Add the beef, then toss to coat. Add the cornstarch, soy, and oil, then toss to combine and coat. Leave to marinate for at least an hour
Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl, set aside.
Place the noodles into a large heatproof bowl and pour enough boiling water to cover. Leave the noodles to soak for 10-15 minutes, or until soft.
Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a wok or large nonstick pan (see note 3) over high heat until the oil starts smoking, then working in batches if necessary, add the beef and cook for about 3 minutes, tossing now and then, until the beef is browned all around. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Heat another tbsp of oil, then add the garlic and broccoli, then cook for about a minute, or until the broccoli begins to brown. Add a touch of water and allow the broccoli to steam a bit until crisp-tender.
Push the broccoli to one side, add the final tablespoon of oil, then add the beaten eggs. Let the eggs sit for about 30 seconds, then use a spatula to fold and stir the eggs to create sheets of egg. Stir the eggs into the broccoli, then add to the plate with the beef and set aside.
Drain the noodles, then add to the pan along with the sauce. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until the sauce caramelizes on the noodles. Return the beef and broccoli mixture to the pan, toss to combine, then serve.
Notes
Adding baking soda to the beef might sound bizarre, but actually the baking soda helps to tenderize the meat, and also it’s an alkali ingredient that will help the beef brown really nicely when you go to cook it.
If you don’t have dark soy sauce or can’t find it, just use more regular light soy sauce. It won’t have the exact same dark color as authentic Pad see ew, but it will still be delicious.
It’s easy to think that you need a wok to stir fry, but the average American stovetop does not produce nearly enough heat or power to properly heat a wok as opposed to those big, powerful burners you see in Asian restaurants, so what ends up happening is the center of the wok and a few inches up the sides get hot while the rest of the pan doesn’t even see heat.
For the average home cook, I say that a nonstick skillet will do the job. It fits on your stovetop a lot better and can still give you delicious results.
