Pad See Ew, ผัดซีอิ๊ว, or Stir-Fried Soy Sauce Noodles, is my (Lyndsey’s) current favorite! I order it all the time, at least weekly from our local garage of street vendors, and all over Bangkok and beyond!

“Pad” means stir-fried and “See Ew” means dark soy sauce. Signature flavors come from the caramelization of the noodles and a chargrilled taste from the wok on high heat. I typically get this dish “pak” or “vegetable.” This vegetarian dish is so hearty and warm, both sweet and savory. It explodes with flavors that awaken every part of your tongue!

I decided to try my hand at these yummy Thai noodles, so I sampled different restaurants’ takes on the dish, watched instructional videos, and read up on the topic. Jonathan and I practiced and tweaked until we produced a recipe to our liking. SO excited to share it with you, along with some tips and tricks. We hope you give it a go and would love to hear what you think!

This recipe only takes about a half an hour to make (quicker if you do not let the camera eat first) and leaves room for creativity and adjustments for personal taste. It is dairy-free and vegetarian, with vegan (and meat-eating) options. In this post, you will find step by step instructions and photos, followed by the condensed recipe, explanatory notes, and suggestions for substitutions. Feel free to make it colorful with fresh veggies and, of course, have fun!

The first thing I like to do is get my noodles ready by blanching (briefly placing in boiling water to separate) if hydrated in a package, as shown, or rehydrating (boiling per package instructions) if dried. Once the noodles start to separate from each other, drain them and coat them in black soy sauce. I prefer to leave a few uncoated, making the dish more visually interesting with a marbled look.

Next, prepare your greens. Coarsely chop (in 2-inch strips, depicted below) 2-4 cups of Chinese broccoli and/or other veggies of choice and keep raw until stir-frying or soften in boiling water for about one minute and strain.

To make the sauce, combine water, thin soy sauce, oyster sauce, and vinegar in a small bowl.

Now, on to the cooking! Smash garlic cloves (yes, you can leave the skin on, it adds a deep flavor to the dish), heat oil in a wok and add garlic when oil is hot. Now, be prepared to move quickly, but do not worry, everything should be prepped and ready to go. You got this! Let the cloves simmer and when they begin to brown, add your veggies and stir-fry until they start to wilt.

Next, add your dark soy sauce-coated noodles, pour the previously described sauce mixture over wok contents and sprinkle with sugar. Add in any remaining noodles if you left some unseasoned and stir-fry everything together until wok contents are fairly evenly coated in the delicious flavors.

Once the noodles are coated in sauces, push contents of the wok to a side and crack eggs into the opened space. Break the yolks with your spatula, but do not mix into the noodles. Let eggs start to cook before flipping the noodles on top, then cover them with the noodles and resist the urge to stir, letting the eggs begin to cook into the noodles.

To complete this dish, stir-fry everything together, leaving the eggs in big chunks, until noodles begin to caramelize.

Last but not least – dish it up, lick your lips, photograph, and laugh! It is such a fun food!

I hope you love this recipe, the process, and the dish! Try it and have fun with it. Comment or message me for pictures of variations I have ordered and made here in Thailand!

Ingredients

• 500 Grams Fresh Sen Yai Noodles*
• 1 Tablespoons Black Soy Sauce**
• 5-6 Stalks Gai Lan***
• 1 Tablespoons Water
• 1.5 Tablespoons Thin Soy Sauce**
• 2.5 Teaspoons Oyster Sauce**
• 0.5 Teaspoons White Vinegar
• 5-6 Whole Garlic Cloves, skin on, crushed
• 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 0.5 Teaspoons Granulated Sugar
• 2 whole Eggs****
• Dried Chili Flakes and Fresh Lime for serving

Instructions

Prepare Noodles
• If your noodles are dehydrated, rehydrate per package instructions. If “fresh” but packaged, blanch in boiling water.
• Once noodles separate from each other, drain well and coat about 2/3 of them in the black soy sauce.
Prepare Greens
• Chop Gai Lan (Chinese broccoli) into 2” strips. Keep most of the stem. You should have 2-4 cups. Blanch and drain.
Prepare Sauce
• In a small bowl, combine the water, thin soy sauce, oyster sauce, and vinegar.
Cook (and be ready to move quickly)
• Smash the garlic and heat oil in a wok on high. Keep this temperature throughout. Add garlic and let simmer.
• When garlic starts to brown, add greens (careful, oil will pop) and stir-fry for about a minute, or more if not blanched.
• Add coated noodles, pour sauce (water, thin soy, oyster, vinegar) in, sprinkle sugar, and add any uncoated noodles.
• Push contents to the side of the wok. Crack eggs into empty space and break the yolks but resist the urge to stir.
• After about 30-60 seconds, flip the noodles onto the egg to cover. Leave another 30-60 seconds without stirring.
• Stir-fry together, not chopping the egg much, until ingredients are evenly distributed and noodles slightly caramelize.
Enjoy
• Serve with crushed red chilis and a lime wedge (vinegar too, if desired).

Notes

The recipe yields 2-4 servings. Jonathan and I almost finish it every time, but we eat it as a stand-alone dish and are very full afterward. With sides and/or additions like more veggies, extra eggs, or including tofu/meat, this dish will easily serve 4.

* Noodles – Other common names for Sen Yai Noodles include “Ho Fun,” “Chow Fun,” “Wide Rice Noodles,” “Wide Thin Rice Noodles,” and “Flat Rice Noodles.” Hopefully they will be an easy find, if not at your local grocery store, they should be at Asian supermarkets. If you have any trouble, send me a message and I will do my best to help, or if you have a steamer, they look fast and simple to make.
500 g wet noodles is about equivalent to 2.9 cups, 18 ounces (oz), or 1.1 pounds (lb). If your noodles are dry, hydrate about half the g/c/oz/lb to attain the correct amount when wet.

** “Black” soy sauce is also known as “Dark.” It is thick and sweet. If you cannot find it, opt for “Sweet Soy Sauce.”
“Thin” soy sauce may be called “White,” “Regular,” or “Light” (in color, not low sodium, but low sodium may be used).
Oyster sauce adds an umami flavor to the dish. Vegan oyster sauce is available and tastes great!

*** Veggies – Gai Lan is also known as “Chinese broccoli.” Chinese kale, young kale and Bok Choy are good substitutes. Feel free to get creative with your veggies, a variety of colors makes this dish beautiful. One of my favorite variations includes coarsely chopped cabbage and carrot slices.

**** Dietary Restrictions – This recipe is dairy-free and vegetarian and can be modified to fit almost any diet.
More or less oil, soy sauces, oyster sauce, and/or sugar may be used to reach desired taste, texture, or healthiness.
Gluten-Free – Sen Yai noodles do not contain gluten, but soy sauce does. Try substituting hoisin for dark and tamari for light.
Non-Vegetarian – An easy addition is to add cubed chicken breast to the garlic before the greens, if you desire meat.
Pescatarian – This dish is beautiful with shrimp or prawns. Toss them in whole with the garlic. You can eat the head and shell. Both flavor the dish in its entirety, and the shell locks in moisture to prevent the shrimp from drying out.
Vegan – If you are vegan, use a vegan “oyster” sauce and omit the eggs. If desired, add cubed or crumbled tofu to the browning garlic before the greens.

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