Pad See Ew

Ingredients

• 6 oz protein of your choice, thinly sliced
• 3-4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 4-6 stalks Chinese broccoli, stems thinly sliced, leaves roughly chopped
• 1 lb fresh rice noodles
• 4 tsp sugar
• ground white pepper
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1.5 tsp fish sauce
• 0.5 tbsp Golden Mountain sauce
• 2 tsp black soy sauce
• Thai or other hot chiles, chopped
• 5 % distilled vinegar

Method

Pad See Ew is a stir-fried noodle dish built on aggressive high-heat-cooking and the char that comes from searing rice noodles directly against hot wok metal. This isn't a gentle toss — it's about controlled combustion. The sauce coats everything, but the noodles' job is to develop colour and bitterness that balances the sweet-savoury-umami weight of the liquid seasoning.

Start by combining all sauce components in a bowl: the soy, oyster, black soy, fish sauce, Golden Mountain, and sugar. Taste it — it should be assertively salty with a savvy undercurrent from the fish sauce. If you're making chilli vinegar, submerge sliced chillies in the distilled vinegar and leave them to steep while you work. Prepare your protein by slicing it thin — chicken breast, pork loin, or beef sirloin all work — and season it generously with white pepper. If you have time, a thirty-minute soak in a tablespoon of soy and a teaspoon of cornstarch will give you better texture, but it's not critical.

Heat 1.5 tablespoons of oil in a wok-cooking|wok over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers and moves in a single sheet. Add the garlic and cook for 15–20 seconds until it turns pale gold and perfumes the air — don't let it brown. Crack the eggs in, let the whites set for 10 seconds, then break the yolks and scramble the whole mass for another 10 seconds. You want soft, still-wet curds. Add the broccoli — stems first, since they need more time — and toss hard for 45 seconds until the leaves are wilted and the stems have started to soften.

Spread the fresh rice noodles into the wok and pour in the sauce. Turn the heat to high and toss relentlessly for two minutes, breaking apart any clumps and ensuring every strand is coated. The noodles will begin to stick and separate from each other. Spread them flat across the base of the wok and let them sit for 15–20 seconds — you want to hear and smell the sizzle, feel the resistance when you stir. Flip the noodle cake and sear the other side for another 15 seconds. Add the cooked protein and fold it through with two quick scoops of the wok turner. Plate immediately and drizzle with the chilli vinegar on the side for heat and sharpness. soy-sauce|Umami and char should dominate; acid is the finishing accent.