Pad See Ew

Pad See Ew is a Thai street food favorite made with wide rice noodles coated in a rich, savory, slightly sweet brown sauce. It takes just a few minutes to make and may easily become your favorite make-at-home Thai recipe. 

Want to turn your kitchen into a Thai Street Food stall? Just line some tiny red stools up near the stove and whip up some Pad See Ew! Okay….so the red stools are optional, but don’t skip the Pad See Ew. This noodle dish is total comfort food. It’s not spicy, so it’s very approachable and totally family friendly. It’s also one of those dishes that takes just a few minutes to make once you’ve gathered all of your ingredients.

Don’t have access to Thai ingredients? I’ve got you covered with plenty of substitution ideas below.

Pad See Ew Ingredients

• Fresh Wide Rice Noodles – These are the classic noodle used for Pad See Ew. The noodles are tender, silky, and have a springy texture when cooked. You do not need to pre-cook fresh noodles. They will cook sufficiently in just a few minutes in the stir-fry. 
• Chicken – Boneless, skinless chicken breast is great in this recipe, but boneless, skinless chicken thighs would also work. Slice them into thin, bite-sized strips.
• Light Soy Sauce – This soy sauce is light in flavor and color. Some of this is used to marinate the chicken and some is used in the sauce. (Check out the Guide to Essential Thai Ingredients for more information on the varieties of Thai Soy Sauce.)
• Sweet Dark Soy Sauce – This rich, sweet Thai soy sauce gives the dish authentic flavor and a dark color. 
• Garlic – Adds savory flavor to the dish. This goes into the marinade but will also be sautéed with the chicken for maximum flavor.
• Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan) – Chinese broccoli (gai lan) is available at international / Asian grocery stores. It is similar in flavor to broccoli but has small broccoli heads, long stalks, and lots of tender green leaves. This adds nice texture to the dish because the stalks retains some crunch while the heads and leaves get super tender.

Substitute for Thai Soy Sauce

If you don’t have access to the Thai soy sauces listed in this recipe, you can still make a very good (if slightly different) version of this dish. Just use a regular soy sauce (whatever type you use in other Asian cooking) and whisk together the following:

• 4 tsp Soy Sauce
• 2 tsp Oyster Sauce
• 1 tsp Light Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Honey

Substitute for Chinese Broccoli / Gai Lan

Chinese broccoli (gai lan) is available at international / Asian grocery stores. It is similar in flavor to broccoli but has small broccoli heads, long stalks, and lots of tender green leaves. If you can’t find Chinese broccoli, use these two ingredients together as a substitute:

• Baby Broccoli (chop the florets and stems of baby broccoli into small pieces and add them when the Chinese broccoli is added to the recipe)
• Baby Spinach (add these along with the noodles since they will cook fast; these stand in for the tender leaves of Chinese broccoli)

Substitute for Wide Fresh Rice Noodles

Fresh wide rice noodles are the classic base for Pad See Ew. If you can’t find them, there are a couple of easy alternatives.

1. Dried Rice Noodles / Pad Thai Noodles – Cook these dry rice noodles according to package directions. Drain them well before adding them to the Pad See Ew. They won’t soak up sauce as well as the fresh noodles, but will still make a great dish
2. Vietnamese Fresh Rice Noodles – Look for Vietnamese fresh rice noodles like those photographed below.  These come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but are often not cut into noodle shapes. For whatever reason, I can’t find Thai Fresh Rice Noodles, but I can find this Vietnamese version in the refrigerator / produce section of my local Asian grocery store. I just use a knife to slice these into “noodles” that are about 2 inches wide. 

More Asian Noodle Recipes

• Thai Noodle Mason Jars with Peanut Dressing – Learn how to assemble Thai Noodle Mason Jars with Peanut Dressing for an easy, healthy meal prep. Spend a few minutes putting them together and have Thai Noodle Bowls all week long!
• 30 Minute Shrimp Teriyaki Noodle Bowls – With sweet and savory teriyaki sauce, tender shrimp and fresh broccoli, these noodle bowls come together at lightning speed and are packed with flavor.
• Thai Curry Noodle Soup with Chicken – Warm, fragrant, and totally slurp-able. If slurp-able is a thing, then this bowl of curry noodle soup is it. And all wrapped up in a dinner package that takes less than 30 minutes.
• 20 Minute Thai Chicken Peanut Noodles – Saucy Thai Chicken Peanut Noodles are made with quick cooking instant ramen noodles and are coated in peanut sauce for a dinner that can be on the table in under 20 minutes.
• Vietnamese Noodle Bowls (Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio) – If you like color, flavor, crunchy things (spring rolls!), noodles, sweet tangy sauce or anything that is fresh and good, these Vietnamese Noodle Bowls are for you. Tossed together in a bowl, these ingredients hit every deliciously addictive note.

Favorite Tools

• Joyce Chen Carbon Steel Wok – Almost any Thai recipe you can think of can be made in a wok. This inexpensive wok has been a staple in my kitchen for 5+ years. If you’re not ready for a wok to take up space in your kitchen, a large heavy skillet or Dutch oven will work great as well.
• Wok Spatula – The rounded edge of this spatula helps to scrape the sides of a wok down as food cooks.

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