Pad See Ew Noodles (Easy & Authentic)

Name: Pad See Ew Noodles
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: ~8 oz flat wide rice noodles (dry); ~1/2 lbs beef sirloin (sliced into strips, cross grain); 3 tbsp oyster flavored sauce; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tsp dark soy sauce; 2 tsp fish sauce; 4 tsp sugar; 2 tsp water; 4-5 cups Chinese broccoli (gai lan) (chopped); 6-8 cloves garlic; 3 large eggs; 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil

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Pad See Ew Noodles is one of our favorite Thai dishes. Flat rice noodles stir fried in a savory soy-based sauce with a hint of sweetness, tossed with some greens and an egg.

We have a deep love for Pad See Ew in our household, so I took on a challenge – make the Pad See Ew magic happen in our kitchen.

AND IT SURE HAPPENED. Let’s just say this Pad See Ew recipe is so legit, so MIND-BLOWINGLY GOOD, that it might be a long time before we will be ordering it at restaurants again!

Pad See Ew Noodles tossed with beef and eggs

Table of Contents

What is Pad See Ew

Pad See Ew is a popular noodle dish and street food in Thailand. Its popularity has spread all over the world today, and you can find it in many Thai restaurants outside of Thailand as well.

It is made by stir frying it on the stovetop under extremely high heat, and has a combination of savory and sweet flavors.

Noodles, vegetables and protein are tossed in a savory sweet homemade sauce made using a few simple Thai and Asian sauces.

Believe it or not, Pad See Ew is actually fairly simple to make at home! I’m not trying to brag, but after I started making my homemade pad see ew, we don’t really go out to order it anymore!

I have all the tips and tricks list on here, along with ingredients and step-by-step methods, to help you make the best pad see ew ever. So buckle up, and let’s get cooking!

Appliances Needed

I highly recommend using a wok for making pad see ew. However, if you do not have a wok, a large non-stick skillet that can withstand high heat will be your next best thing.

A large skillet enables the pad see ew noodles to move around freely when stir frying (so that it cooks evenly). Rice noodles are super sticky so a non-stick surface will make stir frying the rice noodles much easier.

A bowl of pad see ew with strips of beef

Ingredients

The good news is, even though pad see ew is a traditional Thai dish, we can find a lot of the ingredients here in the U.S. today. Most of them can even be found in the mainstream grocery stores!

Here are what you need:

Wide rice noodles – you can find them in mainstream grocery store in the Asian aisle. They come in dry form, packed in a see-through plastic package most of the time. Some Asian grocery stores will carry the fresh kind, but it is not necessary to get the fresh kind. To softened dry noodles, it will need to be soaked in water.
Beef – sirloin, strip steak, even skirt steak (it’s slightly tougher) can be used. Slice into strips cross grain.
Chinese broccoli (Gai Lan)- you can typically find this in the Asian grocery store. Broccoli can be used as a substitute.
Vegetable oil – any stir fry will require a decent amount of neutral oil. Canola oil can be used as well.
Soy sauce – this is what we would consider the regular, everyday soy sauce. If you want, Thai soy sauce works the best for this, but it is not necessary to use Thai soy sauce.
Dark soy sauce – this is a thicker, more viscous soy sauce. It also has a lower salt content than regular soy sauce.
Fish sauce – do not be intimidated by the initial fishy smell, this produce amazing flavors and is an important ingredient in many Thai dishes.
Oyster (flavored) sauce – another common sauce in Asian cooking that is crucial in bringing umami flavors to this dish.
Garlic – fresh garlic is strongly recommend. Do not use garlic powder in place of it.
Eggs

Chinese broccoli (gai lan) in a colander — *Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan)*

How to make Pad See Ew Noodles?

Step 1: Prepare ingredients

Just like any other stir fry, prep your ingredients, because the actual stir frying process goes fast, and you want to make sure you have everything at arm’s length once you heat up that wok.

Note that there are two things you want to start working on ahead of time (at least 30-45 minutes prior to stir frying pad see ew):

marinate the meat
soak the rice noodles

Sauce

First, put together the sauce, which is a combination of (regular) soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, dark soy sauce and sugar, and mix well.

You’ll want to do this before marinating the meat because part of the sauce will go into marinating the meat, and the other part is for the actual stir frying of your pad see ew.

Beef

Bring 2 tablespoon of the sauce to the sliced beef and let it sit for ~30 minutes. You can marinate for longer if you have the time.

We are using beef for this recipe but feel free to use chicken, pork, shrimp, or another protein.

Flat Rice Noodles

As for the noodles, I am using wide flat rice noodles sticks (dry version) to make my pad see ew because they are easier to handle than the fresh ones. This is basically wider rice noodles than the ones used for Pad Thai.

Soak the noodles in warm water for ~30 minutes (or see the package instruction for soak time, as it may vary).

Soaking rice noodles in water — *Soften Wide Flat Rice Noodle Stick by soaking in water*

At the end of the soak time, make sure the noodles are separated (not clump together) before cooking.

You can use fresh noodles, and it will most likely need to be softened and separated too. Follow package instruction on how to do so.

Chinese broccoli (Gai Lan)

Next, we will prepare the vegetables. The authentic version of Pad See Ew uses Chinese broccoli (gai lan). However, if you really cannot find Chinese broccoli, I find that broccoli is the next best thing.

Wash and slice the vegetables. If you are using Chinese broccoli, thinly slice the stalks as it will take a long time to cook if it is not thinly sliced.

If the stalk is very large and bulky, slicing the stalk slightly slanted will help (see picture below).

Chopped Chinese broccoli (gai lan) — Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan)

Garlic

Next, a small but incredibly powerful spice, garlic, is an important part of this dish.

Mince the garlic, lots of them!

Line all the ingredients next to the stove before you start cooking, as the process will go really fast, and you want your ingredients at arm’s reach! Meat, rice noodles (drained), sauce, garlic, Chinese broccoli, eggs, and vegetable oil.

Step 2: Stir Fry Noodles

Add vegetable oil to wok, and heat up wok under high heat. Once the wok is heated up, add all the beef, stir fry until it is done, then remove promptly and set aside.

Next, I highly recommend cooking one serving at a time, because this will enable the noodles to move around freely in the wok, and they taste so much better that way.

Again, get the wok to high heat, add vegetable oil and garlic.

Stir fry for 30 seconds or so, then add Chinese broccoli. Stir fry till Chinese broccoli turn darker green. Do not overcook – vegetable will look wilted if overcooked.

Next, add softened rice noodles and sauce. Constantly move it around (it’s called stir fry for a reason!), then add the cooked beef to it.

Immediately after that, move everything to one side of the wok and crack an egg to the other side.

Pad See Ew Noodles cooked in a wok with an egg cracked onto it

Break the yolk and let the egg cook for a few seconds, then move all the noodles onto the slightly runny egg.

Let it sit for a few more seconds, stir the noodles around to mix the egg into it, then remove promptly. Do not overcook or the rice noodles will turn soggy!

Phew – I feel like stir frying is this fast process that happens in a blink of an eye. If you take too long you will overcook it, but at the same time you want to make sure everything is cooked.

It’s a balancing act, and one that takes practice to perfect it. But when you do, it’s so yummy and rewarding!

So keep practicing and you will get there! It definitely took me a little while to perfect my stir fry. 🙂

And here it is, the gorgeous, delicious end product. Say hello to your own homemade pad see ew.

I love the chewy texture of the rice noodles, combined with crunchy veggies and tender slices of beef.

The sauce is savory, with hints of sweetness, and has a slight punch from the fish sauce, which I love. What can I say – I love me some Pad See Ew Noodles!

Make this Pad See Ew today right in the comforts of your own kitchen! It is completely doable, and taste so darn good!

Stir Fry Tips

Stir frying is a bit of an art. It takes time to truly master the art of stir fry, but every time you do it, you’re going to get better at it, and it’ll also get easier (and tastier!).

Here are some tips for sitr frying this pad see ew recipe:

Use a large wok (or skillet) so that you can move items around easily which will help cook them evenly.
Use a wok (or skillet) that retains heat well.
Cook on high heat and wait for your wok or skillet to turn hot (it should be radiating heat) before you add any items. We only stir fry pad see ew in high heat so this is important!
The stir fry process goes fast…get the ingredients ready and in arm’s reach before heating wok and stir frying.
Make sure to keep stirring the whole time – it’s called stir fry for a reason. 😉
If doubling or tripling the recipe, make sure to cook one serving (or two if your wok is big enough) at a time. Do not crowd your skillet by cooking too many servings in one go.

If you need additional stir fry tips, check out my article – 8 Tips to a Great Stir Fry!

A bowl of Pad See Ew Noodles topped with eggs and chinese broccoli and beef

Frequently Asked Questions

If I’m doubling the recipe, what should I do differently?

Make sure to still stir fry your noodles one or two servings at a time.

Can I use chicken, pork or shrimp instead of beef? What would you do differently?

You definitely can! You don’t have to marinade shrimp if you do not want to. As for the others, I would keep the whole process the same.

How do I reheat pad see ew?

I typically drizzle a few drops of water and microwave it.

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