Pad See Ew

Pad see ew is on everyone’s top 10 Thai dishes list, and after you give it a try, you’ll understand why. The combination of thinly sliced, wok-seared meat, Chinese broccoli, and the signature wide, chewy rice noodles will make this Southeast Asian specialty an instant favorite. It comes together just like any other stir-fry, starting with marinated protein, stir-frying the noodles and sauce, and ending with tossing it all together. For a full Thai feast, whip up a batch of green papaya salad or summer rolls.

What kind of noodles do you need for pad see ew?

This is the tricky part. Fresh wide rice noodles can be very tough to find, especially if you don’t live in a city or town with Asian grocery stores (a travesty, I know). And even then, not all Asian grocers are created equal, and some don’t carry Thai products. Your best bet is a large Asian supermarket that’s known to sell food from every East Asian country. Your second-best bet is to visit a Thai grocery store.

The noodle you’re looking for is called banh pho. It can come in a variety of thicknesses, but all are essentially the same noodle. For pad see ew, you want a wide noodle, so choose something between 1" and 2". Once you secure the fresh noodles (this will feel like a major victory, I promise), leave them at room temperature until you’re ready to cook. Ice cold noodles will have trouble separating in the wok, leaving you with a clumpy noodle mess. 

If you’ve been on the hunt for hours and are ready to give up your pad see ew dreams, don’t fret. It’s okay to use dried rice noodles, which are much more common and readily available. To prep, simply follow the package directions for preparing noodles for stir-fry. It will usually require soaking the noodles in warm water for at least 30 minutes.  

What kind of protein should you use for pad see ew?

Whatever your heart desires (almost)! Flank steak is my go-to for stir-fries because it takes marinade well and has an intense beefy flavor. When cutting it into strips, be sure to slice it against the grain so that the muscle fibers in each strip stay short and as tender as possible. If you want to opt for a cheaper cut of beef, try boneless beef chuck or top sirloin. Chicken breasts or thighs or even tofu would also work well. 

Can I use regular soy sauce instead of Thai soy sauce?

The secret to excellent pad see ew is in the sauce. Using Thai soy sauce gives the dish an unmistakable and well-rounded flavor. So, while you technically could swap in your regular soy sauce, you wouldn’t be letting your pad see ew live to its full potential. Like all soy sauces, Thai soy sauces come in a few different varieties, including black soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, and thin soy sauce. Black and sweet soy sauces are thicker and sweeter, offering a few more layers of flavor than plain soy sauce. They also help stain the noodles their signature brown color. Thin soy sauce is closer to what you might be familiar with. It’s got plenty of salt and umami to balance the sweet soy sauce and oyster sauce. Thai soy sauce should be easier to find in your local Asian grocery store, or you can find them online. Some popular brands include Pearl River Bridge, Healthy Boy, and Kim Heng Sheng. 

Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments!