Thai Soy Sauce Noodles (Wide Rice Noodles with Beef and Chinese Broccoli)

Quick answer

Total time: 30 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients: 8

About this dish

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.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

Wide rice noodles (sen yai)250 gg

Thin-sliced beef150 gg

Egg2 piecepiece

Chinese broccoli (gai lan)150 gg

Soy sauce (si-ew)2 tbsptbsp

Oyster sauce1½ tbsptbsp

Brown sugar1 tsptsp

Cooking oil2 tbsptbsp

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Heat

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.
2

Season

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.
3

Prep

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.
4

Control

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.
5

Heat

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.
6

Control

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.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Thai rice noodles stir-fried with beef and Chinese broccoli for a smoky, caramelized char.
Finish cue: Add the Chinese broccoli and stir-fry briefly until the stems look brighter and slightly tender but still crisp.
Avoid this: Drain well and separate the strands so they do not clump before stir-frying.