Cycle 14 – Item 164

18 (Sun) June 2023

Pad See Ew

3.5

by me

at home

-Changgok, Sujeong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-

with IZ

Pad See Ew is a Thai dish.  Consists of noodles (e.g., rice noodles) + meat (e.g., sliced beef) + vegetable (e.g., gailan) + scrambled egg, which are stir-fried (pad) with light and dark soy sauce (see ew) and other seasonings (e.g., oyster sauce, fish sauce).  One of the most popular/common dishes in Thai cuisine, widely available at street carts and in fancy restaurants.

Watching a random video on YouTube for Chinese stir-fried noodles, I was intrigued by a tip to marinate the noodles in the sauce before stir-frying to ensure that they retain the dark color.   I applied the technique to pad see ew, which I made for the first time.

It turned out very very well.   Even before going into the wok, the marinade kept the noodles moist and loose, so the stir-fry got started right way (sometimes the noodles stick together at the outset).  Then, the sugars in the marinade helped the noodles to sear quickly, enhancing both color and caramelized char flavor that is critical to the dish.  At long last, this is the solution to making a proper noodle stir-fry, which has long eluded me (see most recently 13.204 Rice Noodles with Chicken & Bokchoy; 13.158 Lo Mein with Asparagus, Broccoli Stems, and Shiitake).

After a couple more tries, I’ll be ready to post a recipe.

(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)