Pad See Ew

Pad see ew — literally "stir-fried soy sauce" — is Thailand's favourite street noodle dish, found at every night market and hawker cart. Wider and more savoury than pad thai, it uses fresh sen yai rice noodles and Chinese broccoli (gai lan) cooked in a smoking-hot wok with sweet dark soy sauce that caramelises against the metal in seconds. The hallmark is the slight char — wok hei — that comes from high heat and confidence.

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 300g (10.5 oz) fresh wide rice noodles (sen yai), at room temperature
• 200g (7 oz) chicken breast or thigh, sliced thin
• 2 eggs
• 150g (5.5 oz) Chinese broccoli (gai lan) or regular broccoli, stems sliced, leaves left whole
• 3 tbsp neutral oil with a high smoke point
• 3 cloves garlic, minced

Sauce:

• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce (sweet, Thai-style)
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp white pepper

Instructions

1. Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Separate the rice noodles gently with your hands — they should be in individual strands, not clumped. If cold from the fridge, microwave 30 seconds to soften.
2. Heat a wok over the highest flame possible until smoking. Add oil and swirl to coat. Add garlic and fry 10 seconds.
3. Add chicken and spread in a single layer; let it sear undisturbed 1 minute before stirring. Cook until just opaque, about 2 more minutes.
4. Push everything to one side, crack eggs into the empty space, scramble briefly, then fold into the chicken before fully set.
5. Add Chinese broccoli stems; stir-fry 1 minute. Add noodles and pour sauce over. Toss using tongs, pressing noodles against the hot wok surface. Cook 2–3 minutes, allowing some noodles to caramelise and char at the edges. Add gai lan leaves in the last 30 seconds. Serve immediately with chilli vinegar on the side.

Cook's Notes: Wok temperature is everything — a too-cool wok steams the noodles instead of charring them. If cooking on a home stove, work in two single-portion batches for best results. Dark Thai sweet soy sauce (Healthy Boy brand) is not interchangeable with Chinese dark soy; it is thicker and sweeter.