Pad See Ew – the popular Thai stir fried noodles straight from the streets of Thailand made at home! While Pad Thai is sweeter and nuttier, Pad See Ew is salty, balanced with a touch of sour and a wonderful chargrilled flavour which you can create at home!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Pad See Ew
Pad See Ew, which means “stir fried soy sauce noodles”, is an extremely popular Thai street food meal and one of the most popular noodles dishes at Thai restaurants here in Australia.
Making a great Pad See Ew at home simply comes down to two things:
The right sauce. Basic recipes online will instruct you to use little more than just soy sauce and sugar. It takes a little more than that!
Caramelising the noodles – Getting a little caramelisation on the noodles makes all the difference between an “ok” and “wow, it’s JUST like you get at restaurants!”.
The trick? Remove the stir fry ingredients. Cook the noodles with sauce separately. Less stuff in the wok (or skillet) = easier to caramelise the noodles. At least, at home. If you’ve got a giant restaurant wok burner, you don’t need to do the noodles separately!
What goes in Pad See Ew
I can’t remember where I originally got the recipe from. Probably from David Thompson, the famous Australian chef who has dedicated his life to mastering the art of Thai cooking. I’ve made it so many times over the years, I can almost make it with my eyes closed. (Not really….but you know what I mean!)
So I had to actually measure the ingredients properly to share the recipe!
1. Pad See Ew Sauce ingredients
Pad See Ew has a sweet-savoury-touch-of-sour flavour, and this is made with a combination of the following ingredients:
Dark soy sauce – For flavour and staining the noodles a dark brown.
Ordinary or light soy sauce – For seasoning (salt) and a bit of flavour. Most of the flavour comes from the oyster sauce and dark soy sauce. More on different soy sauces and when you can substitute with what in this About Soy Sauces post.
Oyster sauce – Key ingredient, it’s like 10 difference sauces mixed up in one bottle!
Vinegar – To balance the sweet and savoury. Some form of sour is a key ingredient in South East Asian cooking!
Sugar – For sweetness.
2. Pad See Ew ingredients
And here are the other ingredients for Pad See Ew:
Noodles – Pad See Ew is traditionally made with Sen Yai, which are wide, thin fresh rice noodles that are not easily accessible. Even most Asian stores in Sydney do not sell them – you usually need to go to a Thai grocery store.
So it is perfectly acceptable, and just as delicious, to make them with any wide flat rice noodles. I use dried rice noodles labelled as “Pad Thai” Rice Noodles (pictured below) because they are the widest available at the supermarket.
Once rehydrated, they’re essentially Sen Yai Noodles – just not quite as wide.
Chinese Broccoli / Gai Lan – This is a key authentic ingredient in Pad See Ew. Otherwise known as Gai Lan or Kai lan, it’s leafy and looks quite different to broccoli, but you’ll notice a similarity in the texture of the stems (hence the name).
If you can’t find it, just sub with other Asian greens, or a combination of broccoli or broccolini + spinach.
Chicken and egg – Feel free to use other proteins if you wish. But chicken is by far the most popular.
How to make Thai Stir Fried Noodles
Usually when making stir fried noodles, we toss everything together in one big pan or a wok.
But for Pad See Ew made at home, I do things differently to best replicate a restaurant flavour and minimise noodle breakage:
Cook chicken and vegetables first, then remove
Add noodles and sauce, toss to caramelise (just 15 seconds), then add chicken and vegetables back in.
Reason: A signature flavour in Pad See Ew is the caramelisation of the noodles. Restaurants and street vendors achieve this with super powered gas stoves with fiery heat that you’ll never find in a home kitchen. The only way to replicate that caramelisation on the noodles on a home kitchen stove is to declutter the wok and cook the noodles separately – the noodles will caramelise in 15 seconds.
The other reason is that rice noodles break if you toss them too much. Doing the two-stage toss makes it much easier and faster to disperse the sauce and bring the Pad See Ew together.
Trust me on this point. I’ve made a LOT of Pad See Ew at home in my time, and the two-stage toss it the easiest and most effective technique!
Garlic, chicken and Chinese broccoli STEMS first – Using either a wok or large skillet set over high heat, heat the oil then sauté the garlic until it goes light golden. Add the chicken then once it mostly changes from pink to white, add the Chinese broccoli stems which take longer to cook than the leafy part.
Once the chicken is cooked (it should only take 2 to 3 minutes), toss the Chinese broccoli leaves in and cook for 30 seconds or so just until wilted.
Push everything to the side to make room to scramble the eggs on the side. This is the traditional Thai way of scrambling eggs in Pad See Ew!
Crack egg straight into the wok.
Scramble egg – Then mix to scramble it. Speed is of the essence here – we want scrambled egg not a sunny side up egg!
Empty wok – Remove the chicken and vegetables onto plate. As mentioned above, the best way to cook Pad See Ew at home is to cook the noodles separately so we can get some nice caramelisation on them. If we don’t do this, then the noodles just stew instead of caramelising.
Add noodles and sauce into the wok.
Toss quickly for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes until the sauce is dispersed throughout the noodles and you see some caramelisation on the edges.
PRO TIP: You want to be quick here because the longer and more you toss, the more noodle breakage you have. You’ll notice restaurants typically toss the noodles in the wok without using a wooden spoon or other tool for stirring – this too helps to minimise noodle breakage.
A note on Noodle Breakage – That said, you WILL get some noodle breakage, and that is normal / perfectly acceptable. Ever notice how the wide, flat noodles in Pad See Ew served at Thai restaurants are not long strands? That’s just the way it is. In fact, traditionally, Pad See Ew is served in Thailand with a FORK or spoon instead of noodles for ease of eating.
Add chicken and veg back in – Once the noodles are caramelised, add the chicken and vegetables back in. Give it a quick toss just to disperse, then serve!
As with all stir fries, once you start cooking, it moves very fast! So have everything prepared and ready to throw into the wok because there’s not time to be scrambling around the kitchen!
If you want to add a fresh side, try this Asian Slaw – it’s a great all rounder that goes with all Asian foods. – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Pad See Ew – Thai Stir Fried Noodles
Ingredients
Noodles
- 200g / 7 oz dried wide rice stick noodles , or 15 oz / 450g fresh wide flat rice noodles (Sen Yai) (Note 1)
Sauce
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce (Note 2)
- 1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce (or all purpose, Note 3)
- 2 tsp white vinegar (plain white vinegar)
- 2 tsp sugar (any type)
Stir Fry
- 3 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil , separated
- 2 cloves garlic cloves, very finely chopped
- 1 cup / 150g / 5oz chicken thighs (boneless, skinless), sliced (Note 4)
- 1 large egg
- 4 stems Chinese broccoli (Note 5)
Instructions
Preparation:
- 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!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published 2014, updated 2016. Updated over the course of the years with improved photos, the addition of ingredients and process photos as well as a recipe video. Recipe also updated with a more effective cooking method – cooking the ingredients in two batches. No change to ingredients, but yields a better caramelisation and easier to cook – read in post for explanation.
MORE THAI TAKEOUT FAVOURITES
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Life of Dozer
When Dozer ate a VERY spicy piece of chilli biltong!!
I made this last night for my husband and I – pad see ew is my all time favorite restaurant dish. I easily found all of the ingredients at my local international grocery (Except the dark soy sauce… it had several other aliases, I bought Healthy Boyfriend Black Soy Sauce A) I made the recipe exactly as is and it was beyond delicious. I bought enough ingredients so we could have it again tonight! I found that spritzing a little bit of lime on the dish really livens it up, otherwise no adjustements at all. I’m going to try to reduce the oil by half and see if it makes a difference, so I can cut some calories. Thank you for the great recipe.
I’m so glad you and Hubby loved it Jamie!!! 🙌
Can you use olive or avocado oil instead of vegetable?
I’d stick with something with a mild flavour – avocado or coconut oil would work ☺️
So delicious and so easy! Definitely a winner in my house. My girls loved it!
Wahoo!!!! Great stuff Jessie!
The first time I made this recipe, I had just started university and it was the first time I cooked a tasty meal by myself. Now I’m in my final year and have probably made this 100 times at least!! And the sauce is still incredible when I play around with the other ingredients. Thank you 🙏🏽 😊
This is the best!! I’m so glad you love it!
Just branching out into Thai cuisine. This recipe was a hit with my most picky Asaian food eater. Thanks for such reliable, tasty, and easy to. Prepare recipes.
I’m so glad it was a hit!
Hi
Absolutely love your recipes and reads! You have reignited my love of cooking as leading such a busy life i quickly packed away my love of cooking such tasty meals as i find myself very time poor.
Your style of cooking is very easy to understand and isnt over complicated.
I just have one pressing issue if i may,my beloved carbonsteel wok is in need of much TLC,ive tried many times to re season it but food just sticks no matter what, any help would be greatly appreciated.
Nares from Australia.
Hi Nares, thanks so much for the great feedback, I’m so glad you’re loving being in the kitchen! ☺️ In regard to your wok, if it has been seasoned properly and food is still sticking, try cooking at a higher heat and using a decent amount of oil!
I made this tonight. Didn’t really have any sauce once I made it, but the flavor was still great. Seconds were had by all! Still will be looking for one with the thick, brown sauce I get at the restaurant.
this is super good!! made a veggie version using 4 cups of shredded carrots, cabbage and spring onion. the sauce tastes just like the one at my fave thai takeaway in auckland. thanks Nagi!!!
Yes! Winning! So happy you loved it Blake!
This recipe is so delicious! Will definitely make it again. There was almost a fight over the leftovers 🙂 I like a bit of spice so added some chillies as well.
This is insanely amazing!! I’ve made many recipes like this, but this one takes the cake!!
Thanks so much Corrin!
Never had this before, but I saw it in a restaurant once, so I decided to try it. No chicken, had to use shrimp (easily obtained in South Carolina). Delicious! And thank you for the recipe.
You’re so welcome! I’m so glad you loved it!
Hi,
Can you please confirm if we use the fresh flat rice noodles, do we double the sauce recipe you have provided.
Thanks,
No, just one quantity of sauce ☺️
I use the same pad Thai noodles you have photographed above.
Would I use 1 or 2 packet’s?
Thank you
Hi Caitlin! Please see ingredients for quantity required 🙂
Hi I use the same pad Thai noodles as you have photographed above
Do I use 1 packet or 2?
I’m so glad to stumble on your site, all the dishes look beautiful.
I want to try this dish using tofu instead of chicken. How do I prepare the tofu? I’m Chinese origin and I buy tofu in Asian grocery shops, but I find the Thai tofu I try in the restaurant is different to the Chinese tofu.
My children love the Thai tofu. Where can I buy it? Any particular brand?
Many thanks!
Hi Lilly! I am sure that Thai grocery stores will carry Thai tofu 🙂 I am not familiar with any particular brand, sorry! N x
I’m so glad I stumbled on your site – total serendipity, as I was looking foe something else, and this showed up on my Google search. I just made this, and man, is it good. I doubled the recipe so I’ll have leftovers. 🙂 And it’s so much cheaper than going to a restaurant. Thanks!
Hey Nagi,
My wife and I went to see Suzanne Vega perform in Thirroul last week and had a delicious Pad See Ew in the little Thai restaurant next to the theatre. Could I even come close to replicating it at home? Well, yes I could if use the recipetineats.com recipe! It was brilliant. Thank you again!
You’re making my head big!!! 😂 Glad you both enjoyed it Steve!
Thank you so much for the detailed recipe! Do you have any suggestions for a vegetarian version (including vegetarian sauce)?
You can buy vegetarian oyster sauce at woolworth
I made this dish for dinner tonight. I used bok choy because I couldn’t find Chinese broccoli at my local store. Everyone loved it! Quick and delicious!! Will definitely make it again. And again.
I LOVE HEARING THAT!!!!!! N xx
I’m so glad I stumbled across your site. This is a really amazing recipe. So simple and incredibly flavorful. My grocery store didn’t have Chinese broccoli so I used regular broccoli and baby bok choy. We used dried linguini rice noodles. Thanks for adding the tip about using honey and regular soy sauce instead of dark soy sauce. Worked perfectly! My 11 year old wolfed it down as well as me and my husband! I’ll be perusing your site for another recipe for this week!
That’s so great to hear Stephanie! I’m so pleased you enjoyed this, thank you for letting me know! N x