Pad See Ew (Thai soy noodles with beef)
Making Pad See Ew at home is easier than you think! You'll have delicious, savoury soy noodles to devour in less than 30 minutes!
Video
Ingredients
- 1kg / 2.2lbs fresh wide rice noodles (NOTE 1)
- 4 tbsp (80ml / 2.7floz) peanut or vegetable oil
- 4 large garlic cloves (minced)
- 260g / 9oz Chinese broccoli (Gai lan) (NOTE 2)
- 2 large eggs
BEEF AND MARINADE
- 400g / 14oz rump or sirloin steak (fat removed and sliced thinly against the grain) (NOTE 3)
- 2 tsp light or regular soy sauce (NOTE 4)
- 2 tsp oyster sauce (NOTE 5)
- ½ tsp baking soda (bi-carb soda) (NOTE 6)
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black or white pepper
SAUCE
- 2 tbsp (40ml / 1.4floz) light or regular soy sauce
- 2 tbsp (40ml / 1.4floz) oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp (20ml / 0.7floz) dark soy sauce (NOTE 7)
- 1 tbsp (20ml / 0.7floz) kecap manis or Thai sweet soy sauce (NOTE 8)
- 2 tsp fish sauce (NOTE 9)
- 1 tbsp (20g / 0.7oz) white sugar
Instructions
- Mix the beef thoroughly with its marinade and let it sit at room temperature while preparing the other ingredients. Wash the Chinese broccoli and chop into 2 inches / 5cm pieces. If the stalks are too thick, cut them lengthwise in half or thirds
- In a separate bowl, mix all the sauce ingredients with a whisk or fork and set aside.
- Prepare the noodles by carefully separating them by hand. If they're too hard, zap them in the microwave for 10 to 20 seconds. Set noodles aside for later.
- In a large wok or deep frying pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil over high heat and once the oil starts to smoke, put in the beef. Create a single layer of beef at the bottom of the pan for even frying, then leave it untouched for 2 to 3 minutes before sauteing. Saute the beef until it's fully cooked, then transfer onto a plate, and set aside.
- Wipe the same wok clean, then heat over medium high heat with the remaining 2 tbsp of oil. Quickly saute the garlic for about a minute until fragrant, being careful not to burn it. Add in the Chinese broccoli and saute for 2 minutes or until slightly wilted.
- Push the broccoli to one side of the wok and add the eggs. Scramble the eggs, and once semi cooked, add in the noodles and sauce. Toss the noodles, taking care not to break them as much as possible. Once the noodles have softened, toss in beef and cook until heated through. For some noodle char, increase heat to high and leave noodles to cook untouched for 1 to 2 minutes. Pad see ew is best served immediately to prevent soggy noodles.
Notes
(NOTE 1) Wide rice noodles - For convenience, I used readily available fresh rice noodles from my local Asian grocer. You can find packets of these noodles in their fridge section.
(NOTE 2) Chinese broccoli (Gai lan) - You can usually find Chinese broccoli at green grocers and supermarkets, often near the bok choy or other leafy Asian vegetables. Its thick green leaves and stems have a slightly bitter taste, but overall pleasant. You could swap Chinese broccoli with bok choy or broccolini.
(NOTE 3) Steak - I used rump (or sirloin steak), but you could use any meat you like, such as pork, chicken, duck or seafood. For vegetarian version, so with tofu or just add extra vegetables.
(NOTE 4) Light or regular soy sauce – Not to be mistaken with the dark or sweet soy sauce varieties, as these aren’t interchangeable.
(NOTE 5) Oyster sauce - Despite its name, oyster sauce does not have a strong oyster or fishy flavour. Oyster sauce adds a depth of flavour to dishes and has a rich, savoury and with a slightly sweet flavour profile. Find oyster sauce by looking in the international section at a supermarket or visit an Asian grocer.
(NOTE 6) Baking soda (bi-carb soda) - While uncommon in Thai cooking, I included a bit of baking soda with the marinade to help tenderise the steak. Doing this softens the beef and makes it juicy, but you could just omit the baking soda. There's no need to rinse the meat before cooking, as you won't be able to taste it.
(NOTE 7) Dark soy sauce - The dark soy sauce variety is mainly used to add colour to a dish. It's less salty, but sweeter and thicker than regular or light soy sauce.
(NOTE 8) Kecap manis - I swapped Thai sweet soy sauce for kecap manis as it's similar and more widely available. Kecap manis is a sweet, thick, and syrupy soy sauce with a molasses flavour found in some supermarket and in Asian grocers.
(NOTE 9) Fish sauce - My favourite brand is 'Squid' fish sauce from Thailand, but any brand of fish sauce would work. Despite its strong fish odour, fish sauce imparts a distinctive savoury taste to dishes. You should be able to pick up a bottle at the supermarket or at an Asian grocer.
I've used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 ServingCalories: 490kcalCarbohydrates: 67gProtein: 7gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 1372mgPotassium: 242mgFiber: 4gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 420IUVitamin C: 47mgCalcium: 53mgIron: 1mg