Thai Soy Sauce Noodles (Wide Rice Noodles with Beef and Chinese Broccoli)
Quick answer
Pad see ew is a Thai stir-fried noodle dish built around wide rice noodles, beef, Chinese broccoli, and egg, all tossed in a sauce of soy sauce, oyster sauce, and dark sugar.
What makes this special
- Thai rice noodles stir-fried with beef and Chinese broccoli for a smoky, caramelized char.
- Hot enough pan creates a smoky caramelized char instead of steaming the noodles
- Pre-mixed dark soy, oyster sauce, black sugar sauce added all at once for speed
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Soak 250 g wide rice noodles in cold water for 1 hour, or dip them in boiling water for 2 minutes.
- 2 Mix 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1.5 tablespoons oyster sauce, and 1 teaspoon br...
- 3 Cut 150 g Chinese broccoli into bite-size stems and leaves, keeping the thic...
Pad see ew is a Thai stir-fried noodle dish built around wide rice noodles, beef, Chinese broccoli, and egg, all tossed in a sauce of soy sauce, oyster sauce, and dark sugar. The central technique is wok hei through extreme heat. Without a properly scorching pan, the sauce pools at the bottom rather than adhering to the noodles, and caramelization never happens. Beef goes into the hot pan first to develop a seared surface before anything else is added. Gai lan and cracked eggs follow, the eggs scrambled loose in the same pan, then the soaked noodles and the pre-mixed sauce go in together and the whole thing is tossed hard and fast. During those few seconds of high contact heat, the sauce binds to the noodle surface and develops a slightly charred, smoky-sweet aroma that is the defining character of the dish. The thick stems of Chinese broccoli keep a satisfying crunch and introduce a mild bitterness that cuts the sweetness of the sauce. Egg fragments distributed throughout the noodles add pockets of soft, creamy texture. The finished noodles are deeply stained, and every strand carries the sauce.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Heat
Soak 250 g wide rice noodles in cold water for 1 hour, or dip them in boiling water for 2 minutes.
Drain well and separate the strands so they do not clump before stir-frying.
- 2Season
Mix 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1.5 tablespoons oyster sauce, and 1 teaspoon brown sugar before heating the pan.
Stir until the sugar dissolves, because the noodles need fast seasoning once they hit the heat.
- 3Prep
Cut 150 g Chinese broccoli into bite-size stems and leaves, keeping the thick stems ready to hit the pan first if needed.
Spread 150 g thin-sliced beef so it can sear quickly instead of steaming in a pile.
- 4Control
Heat the pan over high heat until it is very hot, then add 2 tablespoons cooking oil.
Add the beef and stir-fry for about 1 minute, just until the surface browns without fully drying out.
- 5Heat
Add the Chinese broccoli and stir-fry briefly until the stems look brighter and slightly tender but still crisp.
Push ingredients aside, crack in 2 eggs, and scramble them softly so small curds form.
- 6Control
Add the drained noodles and all the sauce at once, then toss hard over high heat for about 1 minute.
Stop when the noodles turn deep brown, the sauce clings, and a few edges look lightly charred.
After the steps
Pick a recipe that fits this dish.
Continue with shared ingredients, meal pairings, or a similar method.
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