Pad See Ew

It does taste just like the pad see ew we get at the Thai restaurant. I used fresh noodles, which are a bit tricky but not if you have the secret. This recipe is from Nagi on Recipe TinEats and has 5 stars for good reason. It comes together fairly quickly.

KEY TIP FOR SUCCESS: Cook the chicken separately from the noodles. Home stoves are no match for the fierce heat of restaurant and street vendor burners. You have to cook separately to get caramelization on the noodles which is key for authentic flavor. If you don't, the noodles will just stew and your dish will lack flavor!

NOODLES
200g / 7 oz dried wide rice stick noodles , or 15 oz / 450g fresh wide flat rice noodles (Sen Yai) (Note 1)


SAUCE
2 tbsp dark soy sauce (Note 2)
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp soy sauce (all purpose or light, Note 3)
2 tsp white vinegar (plain white vinegar)
2 tsp sugar (any type)
2 tbsp water

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)

PREP

1. 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.
2. Dried 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.
   Fresh noodles - Microwave for 1-2 minutes right before adding to the sauce. The rice noodles I got were sliced into stacks. I separated the stacks and microwaved, but didn't break up the stack. Add the stacks to the sauce and cook as in Step 7.

COOKING

1. Oil: Heat 1 tbsp oil in a very large heavy based skillet or wok over high heat.
2. Cook garlic and chicken: Add garlic, cook 15 seconds. Add chicken, cook until it mostly changes from pink to white.
3. Chinese broccoli STEMS: Add Chinese broccoli stems, cook until chicken is almost cooked through.
4. Chinese broccoli LEAVES: Add Chinese broccoli leaves, cook until just wilted.
5. Scramble egg: Push everything to one side, crack egg in and scramble.
6. REMOVE chicken from wok: Remove everything in the wok onto a plate (scrape wok clean).
7. Caramelize 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 caramelize - about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.  (It took at least 5 mins to carmelize on my stovetop. When I doubled the recipe, I ended up with too much sauce.)
8. Add chicken back in: Quickly add chicken and veg back in, and toss to disperse. Serve immediately!

NOTES (All from Nagi)
1. Noodles - Pad See Ew is traditionally made with Sen Yai fresh rice noodles which are wide, flat rice noodles. These are hard to handle and quite difficult to find, even at Asian grocery stores - you need to go to a Thai grocery store. It is easiest to use wide, dried rice stick noodles. I use Pad Thai noodles, the widest you can find at supermarkets.
If you are using fresh rice noodles, the secret is to microwave the noodles for 1-2 minutes to warm them up. Then put them directly in the sauce. They will break apart in the sauce.
Other noodles - can be made with other noodles, fresh or dried, rice or egg noodles. However, I do not recommend using vermicelli as it is too thin for the strong flavours of the sauce.
2. Dark soy sauce has a stronger flavour than ordinary and light soy sauce, and stains the noodles brown. Can sub with ordinary soy, but noodles won't be as dark and flavour will be slightly less strong.
3. Normal soy sauce - I use Kikkoman. Or use light soy sauce.
4. Chicken - You can substitute the chicken with other proteins suitable for stir frying, even tofu or prawns.
5. Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan, kai lan)If you can't find Chinese broccoli, you can substitute with other leafy Chinese vegetables such as pak choy or bok choy. Or use broccolini - cut them in half lengthwise.