Food Generalist: Pad See Ew -- Thai Soy Sauce Noodles

I usually order drunken noodles at Thai restaurants but every once in a while I will crave a good pad see ew. Pad see ew is no nonsense noodle goodness. While pad thai and pad kee mao (drunken noodles) are more complex in flavor, pad see ew is simple. The key ingredient is the dark sweet soy sauce.

I must have about 15 different soy sauces in my pantry. I believe every bottle serves a different purpose. For this recipe, I bought a different brand of sweet soy sauce to try out. I've been using the Healthy Boy brand but wanted to try the Dragonfly brand. I remember seeing a bottle of this stuff in mom's pantry. I give it a thumbs up.

In San Diego, fresh rice noodles can be found in almost all Asian grocery stores. The noodle factories deliver warm noodles daily. In Denver, we get the noodles from California and instead of warm and soft, they are refrigerated and hard. Refrigerated noodles do not stand up well when fried but the only other option is making your own noodles. My aunts are expert noodle makers. They helped my grandmother run a noodle soup stand when they were teenagers. They still make noodles from time to time. I should attempt making fresh noodles one day.

My mom doesn't like factory made noodles. She says the oil used to coat the noodles cycles through the machine continuously. She prefers to buy the dried noodles and soak the noodles in warmish-hot water. I used refrigerated fresh noodles and blanched them in boiling water. The noodles do fall apart a bit but I think they are still pretty yummy.

Pad See Ew
adapted from Serious Eats
yield: one generous serving

For the meat:
4 ounces chicken breast, pork, or beef; thinly sliced
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons thin soy sauce (sometimes called white soy sauce)

For the sauce:
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons thin soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 clove garlic; minced

For the stir fry:
4 tablespoons oil
1 large egg
8 ounces fresh wide flat rice noodles; separated or noodle sheets; separated and cut
2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
3 stalks gai lan (Chinese broccoli)
2 ounces fried tofu

1. Marinate meat with baking soda and thin soy sauce. Set aside.
2. Combine ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place noodles in a strainer and dip noodles into boiling water for a few seconds until soft. Set aside. Place chicken in strainer and dip in boiling water until cooked. Set aside.
4. Heat a wok on high. Add oil and when oil starts to smoke, add egg. Allow eggs to set then scramble. When eggs are cooked, add noodles. Stir noodles to coat with oil and then allow to cook a minute. Drizzle in 2 tablespoons of sweet soy sauce. Toss well. Cook until slightly charred.
5. Add gai lan, meat, and tofu. Toss until all ingredients are heated through. Add the sauce mixture. Stir fry a few more minutes.
6. Serve immediately.

To substitute dried noodles: Soak noodles in warm/hot water for about 30 minutes and drain. Skip the blanching in hot water.

The sauces (from left to right): rice vinegar (either mizkan or marukan brand), Mae Krua brand oyster sauce, Healthy Boy thin soy sauce, Kwong Hung Seng or Dragonfly brand sweet soy sauce (blue cap), and Healthy Boy sweet soy sauce. Behind the Healthy Boy sweet soy is a bottle of Healthy Boy dark soy sauce. I used Kwong Hung Seng for the sweet soy but some people prefer Healthy Boy sweet or dark soy.