What is Pad See Ew?

In Thai, pad means to stir fry and see ew means soy sauce, so...soy sauce stir fry? The unspoken word is guay tiew or "noodles," so it's full name is guay tiew pad see ew. It's a popular Thai stir-fried noodles that you can find all over Thailand, but it has its roots in Chinese cuisine which came to Thailand with the millions of Chinese immigrants.

It's a homey dish of fresh rice noodles seasoned primarily with soy sauce, and stir fried in a hot wok along with slices of meat and Chinese broccoli. In Thailand, pad see ew is a quick solo lunch, so you often find it sold at food courts and by street vendors. They're kind of like the sandwiches of Thai cuisine!

Ingredients

Pad see ew ingredients are short and simple, but using the right noodles and the right sauces are key.

• Fresh wide rice noodles. These tender chewy rice noodles are what make dishes like pad see ew and drunken noodles (pad kee mao) so lovable. These are called sen yai in Thai, but they are also often referred to by their Cantonese name, ho fun. You can buy these at some Asian grocery stores, usually in big cities, in the refrigerated section.
  If you can't find them, don't worry, homemade rice noodles are better anyway! Dried wide rice noodles do exist and can be used if necessary, but they are quite different and not nearly as good as the fresh ones.
• Protein of your choice, thinly sliced. This can be chicken, pork, beef, tofu, or seafood such as shrimp. In Thailand, pork is the most common.
• Soy sauce for marinating the meat, omit if using shrimp which do not need to be marinated.
• Vegetable oil or another neutral oil of your choice
• Garlic, chopped
• Eggs
• Chinese broccoli, also known as gai lan. Choose smaller stalks if you can as they are more tender and are less likely to be bitter. If you cannot find gai lan, broccolini is a good substitute. I don't suggest using bok choy as it is much more watery and lacks the crunchiness of gai lan stems. 
• Sugar. White sugar is fine, but brown sugar will also work.
• Ground white pepper, to taste. This is a common condiment to pad see ew, and the aroma of ground white pepper on top of pad see ew is truly iconic!
• Prik nam som, Thai-style chili vinegar that is a classic condiment that I highly recommend. Pad see ew is sweet and salty, and drizzling a little spicy vinegar really brightens the dish and makes a more balanced flavour. It can be as simple as blending chilies and vinegar, but there are variations which I talk about in my prik nam som recipe here.

Pad See Ew Sauce Ingredients

Watch The Video Tutorial

All my recipes come with video tutorial to ensure success. If you've never made pad see ew before, I highly recommend watching the video first as this dish goes fast, and you'll need to know exactly what to do once the heat is on!

5. Once the meat is browned, toss until the meat is fully cooked. Remove from pan and set aside. If there is meat juices left in the wok, wipe it with a paper towel.
6. From this step onward, I recommend cooking 1 portion at a time for best results, so before cooking, divide up your ingredients into single portions. Heat the wok over medium high heat then add a little oil and 1 portion of the garlic; sauté until the smallest bits of garlic starts to turn golden.
7. Add 1 egg and scramble briefly.
8. Add 1 portion of the Chinese broccoli and toss to coat it evenly in the oil, about 10–15 seconds.

9. Add 1 portion of the noodles (8oz/225g), 1 portion of the sauce (2 tablespoon + 1 tsp/35 ml) , and 2 teaspoon (10 ml) of sugar. Turn the heat up to high and toss to coat the noodles evenly in the sauce.
10. Spread the noodles out and let them sit without stirring for about 15-30 seconds until some of the noodles have charred on the underside.
11. Flip or toss the noodles and let them sit again to further toast the noodles. Repeat the tossing and toasting 1-2 more times.
12. Add 1 portion of the cooked protein back in without adding any meat juices that has accumulated in the bowl, and toss briefly to mix. Plate and enjoy with white pepper and chili vinegar.

Common Pad See Ew Problems and How to Avoid Them

After many years of teaching this recipe, I've noticed there are a few things that commonly trip people up. Read these carefully to avoid the same problem! 

• Broken noodles. Assuming you're cooking 1 portion at a time as recommended, you're likely stirring too aggressively. Fresh noodles are very delicate, so you want to flip and toss gently, pushing noodles around from the edges rather than haphazardly stirring. Also avoid metal spatula as they can cut noodles more easily.
• Mushy noodles. You might be crowding the pan and trapping too much moisture, which overcooks the noodles and/or your heat is too low. I stress that you should cook one portion at a time to prevent trapping too much moisture under a big pile of noodles. Remember these noodles are already fully cooked, so it doesn't take much additional moisture for them to become over cooked and mushy!
• They don't taste right. Did you eyeball ingredients? Did you measure everything? Pad see ew is one of those dishes where the ratio between sauce and noodles is everything. Unlike meat-and-veggie stir fries, these noodles absorb ALL of the sauce you give them, so if there's too much, it'll be too salty, and if there's too little, it'll be bland...so measuring is crucial!
• Noodles stuck to the pan. Fresh rice noodles love to stick. Make sure your wok or skillet is well seasoned. You can use a nonstick pan but those typically should not be heated over high heat so the noodles may not get a good char.
• There is no wok hei. Wok hei is that smoky wok flavour that many people consider a key ingredient of a good pad see ew. To get wok hei, you need a carbon steel wok on very high heat so the noodles can char and the oil can smoke. Not crowding the pan is also key. Sometimes, this just isn't possible to create given our home equipment, but I think it's still good without it!

How to Use Dry Rice Noodles Instead

I'll be honest...pad see ew made with dried noodles is not nearly as good as fresh. They have a totally different texture and flavour. I much prefer fresh, and once you experience the wonderfulness of fresh rice noodles... you kinda can't go back.

With that caveat, I understand that in desperate times, sometimes you just gotta get some kind of pad see ew on the table. So if needed: Don't follow package instructions for cooking the noodles, those can be unreliable. Here's what to do:

The best way to keep leftover pad see ew is...to freeze??

Yes! But first let me say that pad see ew, like all rice noodle dishes, is best consumed fresh off the stove. That is how you will get the best soft-chewy noodle texture with crunchy veg. So the best thing to do is to not make anymore than you can eat in one meal.

However, sometimes leftovers are inevitable, and you might be surprised that the best way to store pad see ew is to FREEZE it. Yes! This is because if you refrigerate them, the noodles will continue to absorb moisture from the meat and veggies, and eventually become soft and mushy. One day in the fridge, reheated pad see ew noodles will be noticeably less chewy, but 2 days in the fridge and they're basically inedible by my standard.

When you freeze them, however, this moisture absorption does not happen, so when you reheat, the noodles will still maintain their chewiness to a surprising degree, albeit slightly less so than when fresh. And of course the veggie stems will no longer be crunchy, but that's the price you have to pay.

More Thai Stir-Fried Noodle Recipes

Once you've mastered pad see ew, here are a few other Thai recipes to satisfy your noodle cravings:

• Pad kee mao or "drunken noodles". If you love pad see ew and you love spicy, this is a must try. You can think of this as the spicy sister of pad see ew, or a noodle version of pad gaprao.
• Rad na sometimes spelled as lad na, this is one of the most underrated Thai noodle dishes! The same fresh wide rice noodles are charred in a wok, and served with a pork gravy over them.
• Pad See Ew with Vermicelli. If wide noodles are not available, try going the other extreme and make PSE with the thinnest of noodles! It's also a very quick and easy dish!

Will Any Char Siu Recipe Work?

Yes. The recipe I show you here is the closest to what a Thai street vendor would make, and it is also a bit simpler. But if you already have your own trusted char siu recipe, or you've made my super popular authentic Cantonese style char siu recipe, each will work just as well. All of these styles have the same flavour profile, just slightly different ingredients.

Choosing Pork for Kao Moo Dang

Chinese style char siu typically uses port butt or pork shoulder, which works fine for this, however the Thai style is leaner and we like to use pork loin. This works because there's gravy to keep the dish moist even though the meat is lean.

Buy a pork loin roast (pic shown in the video), then cut it lengthwise with the grain into long strips about 2"x1" in diameter. Try to cut it in such a way that each piece has a bit of fat on it, because this fat will help keep everything moist and tender.

If you can, get the fatty end. When I went to get my pork from the specialty butcher, he was cutting my roast from a whole piece and asked if I wanted the "lean and pretty end" or the "fatty end". Turns out the two sides of a pork loin are different! Either will work depending on whether you like fatty or lean meat, but it's nice to have the option! I got the fatty end, naturally.

How about pork chops? If you can't find pork loin roast, pork chops will work but you want to make sure they are at least 1-inch thick. The pork needs time to brown and char slightly without overcooking the inside.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe and important notes about them. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.

Thai-Style BBQ Pork (Moo Dang)

• Pork loin roast, you can also use tenderloin if you prefer that.
• Soy sauce
• Golden Mountain Sauce. This is a type of soy sauce with a different flavour. You can also use Maggi Seasoning which has a similar flavour, or simply sub more soy sauce.
• Black soy sauce. This is added for a dark, rich colour. You can sub Chinese dark soy sauce, but because it is saltier you should reduce the amount of regular soy sauce slightly.
• Five spice powder, store bought or see my homemade recipe
• Honey
• Toasted sesame oil
• Garlic
• Ground white pepper
• Red food colouring (optional). In Thailand the pork is typically dyed bright red. If you're not going for the classic look, it can be omitted.

Gravy:

• Pork or chicken stock, unsalted or low sodium. See my homemade pork stock recipe here.
• Pork marinade from above
• White sesame seeds, toasted
• Tao jiew fermented soybean paste. This is basically the Thai version of miso, but it is runnier and comes in a glass bottle. You can substitute equal amount doenjang or miso.
• Chopped palm sugar or light brown sugar
• Black soy sauce (optional) to adjust colour as needed. Chinese dark soy can also be used.
• Cornstarch or tapioca starch to thicken the gravy.

Dark Soy Chili Vinegar (optional):

This is a condiment typically served with kao moo dang, it adds bright spicy acidity which works nicely with the dish. But it is optional as not everyone uses it.

• Sweet soy sauce or packed brown sugar
• White vinegar
• Soy sauce
• Thai black soy sauce or sub Chinese dark soy sauce and omit the regular soy sauce
• Chopped chilies, to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Here are some ingredients you may not have and how to substitute. You can also watch my video where I explain all the different sauces used in Thai cooking.

• Thai seasoning sauce (Golden Mountain Sauce is a brand most commonly available). This is a type of soy sauce with a different flavour from our regular soy sauce. Maggi Seasoning or Bragg's Liquid Amino will work fine.
• Tao Jiew or Thai fermented soybean paste. This is the Thai version of miso, except the consistency is runny and the soybeans are whole. It's very salty and comes in a glass jar; typically Healthy Boy Brand is the one most commonly available. You can substitute Japanese miso paste or Korean doenjang paste although they do taste slightly different; use them in equal amounts.
• Five Spice Powder is a Chinese blend of spices that is absolutely key to the identity of this dish and is not substitutable. You can buy it, but if you have a lot of spices in your cabinet you can probably just make it. It's as simple as blitzing them in a coffee grinder. I prefer to make it from whole spices because the flavours are so much fresher than pre-ground spices. Check out my recipe for homemade five-spice powder here.
• Thai black soy sauce is what we use to add dark, delicious-looking colour to various dishes like pad see ew. It's not very salty and has a molasses-y, slightly sweet flavour. You can substitute Chinese dark soy sauce, but because the Chinese one is much saltier, you have to be careful how much you add, and you may need to reduce the amount of the regular soy sauce a bit. You can also omit it altogether if you don't care about the colour.
• Sweet soy sauce. Think brown sugar syrup + soy sauce. Indonesian sweet soy sauce will work just as well as the Thai one. As the name suggests it is mostly sweet and is very thick. In this case you can use dark brown sugar instead.

How to Make Chinese BBQ Pork & Rice (Kao Moo Dang)

Here are all the steps to make this recipe. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

1. Cut pork loin into long strips, about 1" x 2" wide (see video to get a better idea of what this looks like). You can then cut each strip in half if you wish.
2. Place them in a large zip-top bag or a dish that's just big enough to contain the pork in one, even layer.
3. Combine all marinade ingredients together and stir to dissolve the honey then pour over the pork, mixing well to ensure all surfaces of the pork are coated.
4. Marinade for 24 - 48 hours, flipping the bag or turning the pork over half-way through to ensure even marinating.
5. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) with the rack set in the middle. Allow it to preheat for at least 30 mins.
6. While the oven preheats, pull the pork from the fridge so that it has time to come to room temp a bit before roasting. Also now is a good time to get the rice going and prep any other garnishes you're serving. 
7. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and put a rack on it. Remove the pork strips from the marinade (don't throw away the marinade!), shaking off as much excess as possible, and place them on the roasting rack. If your pork is quite lean, it's a good idea to brush with some vegetable oil.
8. Roast for 30-35 minutes or until the internal temperature registers 155°F for well-done but still juicy pork. If you want medium doneness, pull them at 145°F. 
9. While the pork is roasting, make the gravy: In a small pot, add the stock and the pork marinade and bring to a boil. 
10. While you wait for it to boil, in a mortar and pestle crush the toasted white sesame seeds briefly just until they're broken but still look mostly whole. You should be able to smell the aroma once they're sufficiently broken. Remove from the mortar.
11. Add the Thai fermented soybean paste to the mortar and crush until there are no more chunks of soybeans; if using doenjang or miso you don't need to do this. 
12. Once the stock is boiling there will be a lot of congealed scum floating on top; this is just cooked pork juice, and you can skim it off with a fine mesh skimmer and discard.
13. Add the tao jiew, white sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon of the palm sugar, and just enough of the black or dark soy sauce to get a nice rich brown colour (if using Chinese dark soy sauce, add a little at a time as it can become too salty.)  Allow the gravy to simmer gently for about 5 minutes then taste and adjust seasoning with more soy sauce or sugar as needed. 
14. Mix the cornstarch with a splash of water and stir to dissolve, then pour the slurry into the gravy while stirring. Bring the gravy to a boil, stirring constantly, until it's thickened.

For the dark soy chili vinegar

1. Combine all ingredients together and stir. This can be made well in advance and any leftovers will last in the fridge for several weeks. 

Assembly:

1. Once the pork is done, allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. The pork can even be served room temp if the gravy and rice are hot. 
2. While the pork rests, slice the cucumber, cut the boiled eggs in half, and prep any other sides you're serving.
3. Slice pork into thin pieces and place on top of the hot rice, ladle some gravy on top and serve with the eggs, cucumber slices, and Chinese sausages, if using.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

1. In a mortar and pestle, pound the lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime leaves, and Thai chilies until fine.
2. Stir in all remaining tom yum paste ingredients.
3. Make fried eggs, if you wish. For Thai style fried eggs use plenty of oil and add the egg while the oil is very hot so you get browned crispy edges. You can fry eggs in the same wok you'll use to cook the rice, but if making many fried eggs it's best to use a skillet so you can fry multiple eggs at once.
4. In a wok, add enough oil to coat the bottom and sear the shrimp until they're halfway cooked. Flip and sear the other side until fully cooked. Remove from the wok.

5. In the same wok over high heat, add more oil if needed, then add onion and saute until translucent. Add Chinese broccoli and toss briefly until the leaves are wilted slightly and turn bright green.
6. Add the rice and toss briefly to mix with the veggies, then pour the sauce over and toss until all grains are coated evenly in the sauce and the rice is dry.
7. Add the tomato and cooked shrimp, toss briefly just to mix, then turn off the heat and stir in green onions and/or cilantro.
8. Plate the fried rice, sprinkle with more green onion and/or cilantro if desired, and top with fried egg.

Recipe Card

Thai Tom Yum Fried Rice

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review

• Author: Pailin Chongchitnant
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: Serves 2

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Description

The beloved flavours of Thai tom yum soup infused into this satisfying fried rice and topped with a fried egg!

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Ingredients

Tom Yum Paste

• 3 slices galangal, chopped
• 3 inches lemongrass, thinly sliced (use bottom half of the stalk only)
• 3 kaffir lime leaves, center rib removed, thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp Thai chili paste, store-bought or make your own
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• Thai chilies, to taste
• 2 Tbsp lime juice

The Fried Rice

• 2 eggs 
• 10 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• ¼ cup diced onion
• 2 stalks Chinese broccoli, stems thinly sliced, leaves roughly chopped
• 300 g cooked rice (1¾ cup) (see note)
• 1 tomato, seeds removed, bite-sized pieces
• 1 green onion, chopped
• A few sprigs chopped cilantro

Note: This fried rice has quite a lot of liquid in the sauce, so it's very important that your rice is quite dry to begin with, otherwise you might have mushy fried rice. Day-old, refrigerated rice works well (as long as it wasn't too soft), but if you're making rice specifically for this dish, follow the tips in my Pineapple Fried Rice video (@4:00)

Ingredients and Kitchen Tools I Use

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Instructions

To make the tom yum paste: In a mortar and pestle, pound together lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and Thai chilies until fine. Stir in all remaining tom yum paste ingredients. Alternatively, you can add all ingredient into a blender and blend until smooth.

To make Thai-style fried egg: Add about 1 cm of vegetable oil into a wok or a small frying pan. Heat the oil over medium high heat until very hot but not smoking. Crack the egg into the oil, then lower the heat to medium. If the oil is hot enough, the egg white should bubble excitedly right away. Let the egg fry for about 1:30 minutes or until the edges are browned. If you don't like your yolk runny, turn the heat down to medium low after adding the egg so the yolk has time to set without the white burning. If the egg sticks to the bottom of the pan, let it fry for a minute until the bottom of the yolk firms up before gently nudging it off with a thin spatula. Reserve the oil for another use. 

To make the fried rice: In a wok or a large sauté pan, add just enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom (you can use the oil from frying the egg) and heat over medium high heat until hot. Add the shrimp and sear until browned on one side; flip and brown the other side until done. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same pan, add a little more oil if needed, then add onion and saute until translucent. Add Chinese broccoli and toss briefly until the leaves turn bright green. Add the rice and toss until most lumps are broken up. Pour the sauce over rice and toss until all grains are coated evenly in the sauce and the rice is dry. Add the tomato and cooked shrimp, toss briefly just to heat them up. Remove from heat and stir in green onions.

Plate the fried rice, sprinkle with chopped cilantro, and top with fried egg. Enjoy!

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Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need, and important notes about them. Amounts and full instructions are in the recipe card below!

• Garlic, chopped. This recipe calls for fried garlic, so try to chop them evenly for even frying, and aim for the pieces to be about ⅛-inch wide, but you don't need to be precise.
• Neutral oil for making garlic oil. I use avocado oil but any neutral-flavour oil is fine.
• Roasted peanuts, coarsely ground. I pound the peanuts in a mortar and pestle, but you can blitz them in a small food processor or finely chop them with a knife.
• Fresh wonton noodles (egg noodles). You can find these in the refrigerated section at most Asian grocery stores. They are fresh and tossed in flour and are usually labelled as "wonton noodles". You can also sub any other kind of egg/wheat noodles, such as ramen noodles. Rice noodles, such as those used for pad thai, will also work. See my post here for all about how to cook different kinds of rice noodles.
• Ground pork. Or sub ground chicken or turkey.
• Asian meatballs or fish balls, cut into bite sized pieces if large. Other types of cooked protein will also work, such as cooked shrimp or sliced meats of any kind. Pro tip: while at the Asian supermarket, you can grab some Chinese BBQ pork (char siu), which would be fantastic in this!
• Bean sprouts.
• Green onion, chopped.
• Cilantro, chopped. If you don't like cilantro, just green onion alone is fine. 
• Juicy limes, cut into wedges. When choosing limes, go with ones with smooth, tight-looking skin that gives into a bit of pressure when squeezed - these are the juicy ones!
• Chili flakes, to taste. Any hot chili flakes or powder will do for an extra kick, but if you want to DIY, here is an easy recipe for Thai style roasted chili flakes.

Sauce Ingredients

• Soy sauce. I use Healthy Boy Brand Thai soy sauce, but any regular soy sauce will do.
• Golden Mountain Sauce. This is another kind of soy sauce that tastes similar to Maggi Seasoning (which you can use instead). You can also just sub with more regular soy sauce.
• Fish sauce. See my post about choosing a good quality fish sauce.
• Thai Black soy sauce. I prefer Healthy Boy Brand Black Soy Sauce for this because it gives an intense dark colour. Dragonfly brand comes out quite light and it doesn’t look as tasty, but it’s still okay to use flavour-wise. You can also try using Chinese dark soy sauce, but since it is much saltier than Thai black soy sauce, I would omit the Golden Mountain Sauce altogether and then taste and adjust. 
• Sriracha-style hot sauce. Doesn't have to be the famous rooster brand, any brand is fine.
• Brown sugar, dark is preferred but light is fine.

How to Make Thai Tossed Noodles

Here's a bird's eye view of the process. Many of the components can be made in advance if you want to have it for a weeknight. See more advance prep tips below. Also if this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

1. Fry the garlic in neutral oil over low heat until golden and the bubbling has subsided.
2. Strain and keep the oil and garlic separate. Set aside.
3. Add a splash of water to a pot over high heat, once the water boils, add the ground pork and stir just until it's fully cooked. Set aside.
4. Combine all the sauce ingredients and add about a tablespoon of the pork juice to the sauce then stir until the sugar is dissolved. When ready to cook and serve, heat up the sauce in the microwave or stovetop so it doesn't cool your noodles down too much.

5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, meanwhile, cut the noodles to shorten and loosen them up, making sure they're not sticking together.
6. Boil the meatballs in the water just until hot, then fish them out and set aside.
7. Blanch the bean sprouts in the water for 3 seconds, fish them out, shake off all excess water and add to a large mixing bowl.
8. When the water boils again, cook the noodles until fully cooked; timing will vary depending on the size, but mine takes about 3 minutes. Fish them out, shake off all water, and add to the bean sprouts.

9. Add the garlic oil to the noodle bowl and toss to coat.
10. Add the ground pork (hold back the excess liquid), peanuts, chili flakes, green onions, and the warmed-up sauce.
11. Toss to mix well.
12. Divide into serving bowls, top with meatballs, fried garlic, cilantro and a wedge of lime. Remember to squeeze the lime on before eating!

Advance Prep Tips and Storage

As with many Thai noodles, there are a lot of little things to prepare but they're all very simple and quick. I still find, however, that preparing everything all at once can feel like a lot and doing just a few things ahead of time makes serving day seem so much simpler.

Here are somethings you can do ahead of time.

• Make the garlic oil and fried garlic. If you only do one thing in advance, this should be it. You can also make a lot and keep it (oil and garlic separated) in the fridge for another use. Fried garlic and garlic oil are incredibly versatile and are used often in Thai cooking.
• Mix the sauce up in advance. Keep the sauce in the fridge and it'll last indefinitely. Reheat the sauce in the microwave or stovetop before using. You can also make the sauce in bulk, just remember to measure the total volume of sauce, then divide by the number of batches this makes (or by portion, however you want to do it) so you know how much sauce you need to use each time you cook.
• Cook the pork in advance. The pork can be cooked and kept in the fridge for up to 1 week. Simply reheat in the microwave or stovetop when ready to use.
• Chop/grind the peanuts in advance. It's a small thing, but it makes a big difference when you can just grab the container and pour without having to do anything with it!

Tips for Using Rice Noodles

If you want to use rice noodles, you absolutely can! Here is how you'll need to prep them.

If you buy rice noodles dry, I recommend small or medium size (like ones used for pho and pad thai). They need to be soaked until fully pliable in room temp water. Medium size takes about 1 hour to soak, small size takes about 30 minutes. If you're in a rush, you can use warm tap water to shorten the time, but be careful not to over-soak. Read more about cooking with rice noodles here.

Once soaked, drain the noodles well, then blanch them in boiling water for about 10 seconds or until cooked through. As rice noodles overcook quickly, it is always safe to err on the side of undercooking them. Take them out using a wire skimmer so the water is still there, then if they're a little too firm, add them back to the pot for another 10 seconds or so.

How Instant Noodles Went Viral and Became Iconic

"Jeh O" is the name of the auntie chef-owner of this a 60-year-old restaurant that was originally known for khao tom ped, a duck version of this Thai rice soup. Around 2015, Jeh-O's son made a tom yum mama noodle soup for himself (Mama being Thailand's favourite instant noodles). But instead of using just the seasoning powder for the soup, he made creamy tom yum soup from scratch and dressed it with a lot of toppings. He posted it on social media and it looked so impressive that his friends asked him to make it for them.

He served it right in the pot, with lots of toppings, and when he plopped it on the table people said, "Oho!" which is Thai for "wow." So he named the dish "Mama Oho."

When Jeh O consulted her son about how to draw in more customers during the quiet late night hours, he suggested putting his Mama Oho on the menu because mama is a popular late night snack for many Thais.

And people went wild for it. After they announced the new item on social media, lines were forming around the block on day 1. Literally overnight an iconic dish was born. It has been many years, and Mama Oho has stood the test of time and people are still lining up for it today, and I was one of them!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need, and important notes about them. For amounts, see the full recipe card below.

For the Noodle Soup

• Creamy Tom Yum Mama noodles. You can find these at many Asian grocery stores. If this flavour is not available you can also get regular tom yum flavour, but note that creamy tom yum flavour is bigger than other flavours (90 g vs. 55 g), so you'll need to get more packs of the smaller size.
• Makrut lime leaves, aka kaffir lime leaves.
• Lemongrass, bottom half only as this is the most flavourful part.
• Galangal, thinly sliced
• Thai chili paste (nam prik pao) aka Thai chili jam. This is an important part of this dish, so there is no substitute! If you can't find it in stores, you can make your own following my Thai chili paste recipe.
• Thai chili paste oil. This is the oil that is on top of every jar of Thai chili paste when you buy them. If you're using a half-used jar and there isn't any more oil, you can substitute another chili oil as long as it's doesn't have too-strong flavours of other "irrelevant" spices.
• Fish sauce, read about how to choose food fish sauce here.
• Fresh lime juice, yes fresh only, no bottled!
• Thai chilies, chopped. Put as much or as little as you can tolerate, but the dish as served at Jeh O is about medium spicy.
• Pork stock, unsalted (If you're making the meatballs, you can just use the meatball cooking water as your stock). Otherwise see my pork stock recipe here.
• Egg whites, which will be mixed into the broth. Keep the yolks for topping.
• Evaporated milk. If you can't have dairy, you can substitute coconut milk.

For the Toppings

Mama Oho is not complete without elaborate toppings, this is what makes it WOW! Feel free to pick and choose the toppings here, but I highly recommend the meatballs!

• Thai style pork meatballs or what we call moo deng, recipe included beloe.
• Crispy pork belly, store bought is fine, or if you're feeling ambitious you can make it using my crispy pork belly recipe
• Shrimp, large ones for the same impressive effect. Ideally at least size 21/25.
• Squid or crab meat, whichever you prefer, or both!
• Sawtooth coriander or cilantro
• Lime slices, these are just for show, feel free to omit.
• Egg yolks

For the Meatballs (moo deng)

• White peppercorns
• Garlic
• Ground pork, preferably not lean, but lean is fine
• Soy sauce
• Fish sauce
• Sugar
• A small ice cube, optional
• Food processor, optional. Ideally you'll also need a food processor for the meatballs (small one is fine). If you don't have one, it's ok.

How to Make Mama Tom Yum Noodles - Jeh O Style

Here's a bird's eye view of the process, for the full recipe with complete instructions and ingredient amounts, see the recipe card below.

1. Pound the garlic and pepper into a paste (not shown). Add the pork, the garlic paste, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar and a small ice cube into a food processor.
2. Process the pork into a paste. Without a food processor just knead all ingredients together well with your hand.
3. Roll them into little balls and cook them in boiling water for about 2 minutes or until cooked through.
4. Remove the meatballs and, using the same water, blanch the shrimp until fully cooked. If using squid, blanch them in this water too. Keep the water as a base for the soup.

5. Into a medium pot, add the lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, fish sauce, lime juice, Thai chilies, chili paste, chili paste oil, and all of the seasoning powder and chili paste packets that came with Mama.
6. Add the pork stock (or meatball cooking water) and bring to a vigorous boil.
7. Add the noodles and pour the egg whites on top of the noodles. Keep pushing on the noodles until they start to loosen and try to get all the noodles to be submerged.
8. Once the noodles are softened (takes only 1 minute) turn off the heat and stir in the evaporated milk. *Noodles are already cooked, they just need to be rehydrated and they'll continue to soften in the hot broth, so do not overcook the noodles!

9. Immediately pour into a serving bowl and top with toppings. Do this quickly as the noodles will swell up too much if you take too long.
10. Take a quick photo of this masterpiece, and enjoy immediately!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients for drunken noodles and important notes about them. Ingredient amounts will be in the recipe card below. You can change up the vegetables and I love using carrot and Chinese broccoli, though traditionally baby corn, long beans, and straw mushrooms are often added.

• Soy sauce. I use Healthy Boy Brand soy sauce which is a classic Thai brand, but any other kind of regular or light soy sauce can be used.
• Golden Mountain Sauce. This is another kind of soy sauce with a slightly more intense flavour, you can substitute Maggi Seasoning which is very similar, or use more soy sauce.
• Oyster sauce. See this post for how to choose good oyster sauce.
• Fish sauce. See this post for how to choose good fish sauce.
• Sugar
• Chinese broccoli, also known as gai lan. Choose young, small stems if you can as they are less bitter.
• Carrot
• Young peppercorns. These are totally optional. They can be found fresh or brined in glass jars at some Southeast Asian stores. They are added whole and still on the stems, and when eating you can pick out the peppers and eat them for extra heat.
• Fingerroot (grachai). Also optional but they do add a lovely herbaceous aroma. They can be found fresh or brined in a glass jar at Southeast Asian stores.
• Holy basil. Holy basil can be hard to find, you can sub regular Italian basil or Thai basil instead, but I do find Italian basil to have a flavour more similar to holy basil.
• Garlic
• Thai chilies. Add as many as you want depending on your spice tolerance. If your tolerance isn't high, add just one to start.
• Large, mild red chilies such as spur chilies (pic below), anaheim peppers or red bell pepper.
• Protein of your choice, I'm using shrimp. If using chicken, pork, or beef, a quick and simple marinade will be helpful. Instructions in the recipe card below.
• Fresh rice noodles also known as ho fun noodles. If you buy them from the store they may be cold and stuck together in a block. You'll need to reheat them before separating, following instructions in the recipe card. It is possible to use dried large rice noodles instead but it is not as good, and you will need to cook them first before using.

Why I use 2 types of chilies in this recipe

Pad kee mao uses a lot of chilies, so the chili flavour, not just the heat, is part of the flavour profile. If we only used the fiery Thai chilies, we can only add a few before it becomes too spicy, and not enough chili flavour would come through. So we also use the milder chilies to add more chili flavour without the heat.

In Thailand, prik chee fa, or spur chilies are used, but any mild red pepper such as anaheim peppers or even red bell pepper would work in a pinch.

How to Make Authentic Drunken Noodles

Be sure to check out the detailed recipe and full video tutorial in the recipe card below to ensure success - but here's a bird's eye view of what you'll need to do.

1. Make a rough paste with chilies and garlic.
2. Cook off the protein and remove from the pan.
3. Sauté the chili garlic paste.
4. Add gai lan stems, carrots, grachai and young peppercorns.

5. Add the noodles, the sauce, and sugar and toss until the sauce has been absorbed.
6. Let noodles sit and char slightly before tossing. Then repeat the charring a few times.
7. Add gai lan leaves and holy basil.
8. All done!

7 Secrets to Epic Pad Kee Mao

It is not hard to make a decent plate of drunken noodles, but an epic one? Not so simple. There are a few things you need to know:

1. Do not eyeball the ingredients. Weigh the noodles, and measure all sauce ingredients. There are times when winging it is okay, and using your cook's intuition is romantic. But this is not one of those times. The noodle-to-sauce ratio is extremely important, and there's nothing more disappointing than pad kee mao that's bland, or worse, too salty (which cannot be fixed afterward).
2. Make a chili and garlic paste. One of the great flavours of drunken noodles come from the garlic and chilies. Adding chopped garlic and chilies can only get you so far, but pounding them into a paste in a mortar allows for more flavour to come out and infuse into the whole dish. Also, adding extra peppers that are not spicy gives more chili flavour without it becoming too spicy.
3. Cook 1 portion at a time. This is the secret to well-charred noodles that are not broken or soggy. Crowding the pan traps too much moisture and causes you to stir more which breaks the noodles. If you have a large wok and a high BTU burner, you can probably get away with 2 portions at a time. It seems tedious but watch the video below and you will see that once the prep is done, each batch literally takes 3 minutes to cook!
4. Cook the protein separately, and do a "mini brine". By cooking off the protein first and adding it back in at the end you can control exactly how long it cooks, ensuring perfectly cooked protein every time. Good news is you do not have to cook the protein 1 portion at a time, just cook it all off together in the beginning. Also, if using chicken, pork, or beef, marinate it with seasoning plus a little extra water, like a mini brine, to get extra juicy meat.
5. Allow noodles to char. Once noodles are mixed with the sauce, allow them to sit and "grill" a bit on the hot pan. This creates a little browning, a little smokiness, and a little extra flavour that makes all the difference.
6. Use fresh noodles. Yes, dry rice noodles exist; and they will work, but it is not the same and not nearly as good as fresh. Cooked previously-dried rice noodles do not yield the same soft and springy texture of fresh noodles, in the same way that cooked dried pasta is not the same as fresh pasta. I understand you gotta use what you have, but if you can, it's worth either looking around for them or making them yourself.
7. Use a stick-resistant pan. These fresh rice noodles are notoriously sticky. So it's important you use either a well-seasoned carbon steel wok, a well-seasoned cast iron skillet, or a nonstick wok. BUT if using a nonstick material that cannot be used with high heat, you will have to give up some noodle charring.
   *If you only have a stainless steel pan, you can try this: Heat the pan until very hot - until water sprinkled onto the pan beads up into little balls and glides around - then add the oil and begin cooking. This is a trick that turns stainless steel pan nonstick which I've tried with eggs with success, but have not tried with fresh rice noodles.

ALSO IMPORTANT: Make sure you watch the video in the recipe card below! You'll see me cooking pad kee mao in REAL TIME with no cuts. It'll show you how it's done in only 3 minutes, give you an idea of how the process goes and how to organize your prep, and I promise it'll be so helpful for when you cook!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need and important notes about them. For amounts, see the the full recipe card below. Don't be deterred by the list of ingredients! May of the ones listed are optional but I want to give you the whole range of possiblities, and the basics that you really need are not that many!

For the Pork Stock (or chicken stock)

There are times when store bought stocks are totally fine, and this is not one of them. The pork stock is the foundation of the soup, and it really needs to be made Thai style to have the right flavour and aromatics. If you don't eat pork, you can substitute chicken bones.

• Pork neck bones or back bones, I prefer neck bones because it has more meat which you can either save for another dish of simply top the noodle soup with it. Sub chicken bones if you don’t eat pork.
• Daikon. I used to think that daikon was an optional stock aromatic, but after having made stocks with and without daikon, I now believe it is essential. It makes the stock so sweet and flavourful, and is a must have in Thailand for stocks.
• Garlic.
• Onion. Onion is not actually added to stocks in Thailand, but I love the added sweetness that it gives, and don't we always have an onion around the house anyway? 🙂
• Cilantro roots, or cilantro stems, smashed gently to bruise.

For the Broth

• Good Thai style pork stock from above.
• Soy sauce.
• Fish sauce. See my post on how to choose good fish sauce here.
• Sugar.
• Ground white pepper, to taste

Noodle Soup Components

• Noodles of your choice. The noodle soups vendors will always offer several noodle options. You can choose whichever you prefer, and I've listed them all, along with cooking instructions below.
• Asian style fish cakes/fish balls, or other types of Asian style meatballs of your choice. You can buy fish cakes at any Asian grocery stores, either fresh in the seafood counter or frozen. There are many flavours, and you can use anything you like, but try to stick with ones with fewer ingredients as they tend to be of higher quality.
  Other protein options: Because the soup is quite plain, I encourage you to use protein that is flavourful such as: the meat you picked off from the bones after making the pork stock tossed with some soy sauce and pepper, chopped leftover meats that is flavourful like a good steak or roast chicken, thinly sliced marinated pork or chicken, or ground pork cooked with some soy sauce.
• Bean sprouts.
• Fried garlic and garlic oil. Really important toppings for Thai noodle soup! You simply need to fry some chopped garlic on low heat until golden, but you can see the full recipe for fried garlic here.
• Chopped cilantro and/or green onions for garnish
• Optional: "tang chai" preserved cabbage bits. These are little bits of crunchy salted cabbage that we often add to our noodle soups. You can see them at the end of the video, but they are totally optional.

Optional Tableside Condiments:

Thai people always provide extra condiments for noodle soup so people can make it taste exactly how you want it. You can also make it “tom yum style” which is a hot and sour version (more on this below).

• Chili vinegar, the basic version is simpley chopped chilies and white vinegar. You can also blend the chilies and the vinegar together. Read more about this on my chili vinegar post.
• Fish sauce, if you want to soup to be more salty.
• Sugar.
• Roasted chili flakes, or any kind of spicy chili powder if you want to make it spicy. this is also needed for the tom yum style. You can buy or easily make your own roasted chili flakes.
• Lime, only for tom yum style, more about tom yum style below.

How to Make Classic Thai Noodle Soup

Here's a bird's eye view of the process. The full instructions are in the recipe card below, and if this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success!

1. Simmer pork neck bones in water for about 30 minutes, then skim off the scum.
2. Add the daikon, onion, garlic, cilantro roots/stems, and white pepper and simmer for another hour, at minimum.
3. Remove the pork bones and vegetables; the stock is now ready to use. Once the bones are cool, pick off the meat from the bones and you can season it with some soy sauce and use it to top the noodle soup, or save it for another dish.
4. If using rice noodles, soak them in room temperature water until they are fully pliable. Timing varies between noodles, more on this below.

Noodle Options and Cooking Instructions

At most Thai noodle soup vendors, you will have several noodle options and they all need slightly different preparations below. You can learn more about how to cook rice noodles properly in my post on mastering rice noodles.

• Rice vermicelli (sen mee) - The smallest of noodles and the quickest to prep. Simply soak them in room temp water for 5-15 mins (timing varies between brands) until they are completely limp, then drain. DO NOT OVERSOAK as these overcook very easily.
  To cook, blanch them in boiling water, one portion at a time, for 3 seconds.
• Small dry rice noodles (sen lek) - The most classic option. These noodles are 1.5 mm wide when dry. Soak in room temp water for 20-30 minutes or until they turn opaque white and are completely limp - they should have lost all of the kinks - and then drain.
  To cook, blanch them in boiling water, one portion at a time, for 5 seconds.
• Glass noodles (woon sen) - woonsen is thin, delicate, and has a neutral flavour and is delicious in boat noodles. Soak in room temp water for 10 minutes until softened before cooking.
  To cook, boil in hot water for 2 minutes. You can cook all of the glass noodles at once since they take a longer time to cook, then separate into portions immediately after draining.
• Fresh wide rice noodles (sen yai) - This is the noodles commonly associated with pad see ew. If cold and stuck together, microwave the noodles until they are hot and soft, so they can be peeled apart without breaking. Separate all the noodles before cooking.
  To cook, blanch them one portion at a time for literally 1-2 seconds just to heat them up and wash off the oil that's used to coat them. Do not let them linger in hot water for too long because they're already fully cooked and will quickly turn mushy.
• Wonton noodles or egg noodles (bamee) - These vary greatly between brands, so you'll have to change the cooking time according to what you've got.
  But if you have thin wonton noodles like the one shown in the pic (fresh and coated in flour), loosen the noodles and boil them in hot water for 1 minute. If you're making many portions, you can cook them all at once and separate them immediately after draining.
• Mama Instant Noodles (sen mama) - Mama are the Thai instant noodles and they are super tasty in boat noodles! Buy any flavour of mama since you won't need the seasoning packets, but make sure the noodles are the classic wheat fried noodles as shown in the pic.
  Boil the noodles in water for about 1 minute, and you can cook all portions together and separate them after draining.
• Medium size rice noodles (not pictured): These are 3mm wide rice noodles, but they are actually not offered in Thailand for noodle soups because they are meant for stir fries. But if these are what you have, soak them in room temp water for 1 hour until fully pliable, then blanch in boiling water for 8 seconds.

Advance Prep & Storage

The only thing that takes time is the pork stock, everything else is super easy to come together. So I would make the pork stock in advance, and that should be all you need to do.

You can also soak rice noodles in advance, drain, and keep them in the fridge. But do not soak rice vermicelli in advance as I find they tend to become mushy as they sit in the fridge and absorb excess moisture around them.

You can store leftover soup in the fridge for up to 1 week, and you can freeze it of course.

What is Khao Soi and Where Did it Come From?

Khao soi ข้าวซอย is a northern Thai noodle soup that uses wheat-based egg noodles and is served in a coconut milk curry broth. It's typically made with chicken or beef, and the bowl is topped with crispy deep fried noodles. Although it is sometimes called "Chiang Mai Noodles" in the West, it is not unique to, nor originated from, Chiang Mai. 

Khao means rice and soi means to julienne. It's an interesting name because there is no rice involved in the process. Some say this is because the dish used to use rice noodles made by julienning sheets of dough. Others say khao is short for khao salee which means wheat. Yet some think that the word came from a similar Burmese dish called ohn no khao swe, which I think is more likely because the two dishes are really quite similar.

The exact origin of khao soi is debated, but the prevalent theory seems to be that it came into northern Thailand via Chinese-Muslim immigrants from the Yunnan region, which is why khao soi is not usually made with pork; despite the fact that pork is the most common meat in Thailand.

The Yunnanese, or jeen haw in Thai, would've had to travel through Myanmar in order to get to Northern Thailand, so it is possible that they encountered ohn no khao swe there and brought it with them to Thailand, hence the similarity of the two dishes.

Khao soi in Thailand can vary significantly. This is because after khao soi arrived in Thailand, in whatever form that was originally, Thai people in various places started to modify the dish to suit their own palate. So when you're in Northern Thailand, don't just try one khao soi and think you've "been there done that!"

For example, in northern Thailand you can find something called "Yunnanese khao soi" that bares almost no resemblance to this recipe - the broth has no coconut milk, and the noodles are big fat rice noodles. Aside from the fact that they're both noodles in soup, and a few common ingredients...there is very little else alike. This is possibly as close to the "original" khao soi as it gets.

Noodle Soup Ingredients

• Coconut milk, read about how to choose good coconut milk here.
• Chicken drumsticks or drumettes. Drumsticks are the most common in Thailand as the bones make the broth rich and flavourful. If you're short on time, use drumettes and they will cook in half the time of drumsticks. You can substitute boneless chicken with some caveats; see more on this in the FAQ below.
• Soy sauce. It might surprise you to see soy sauce used in a Thai curry, but that's because this is a dish of Chinese Muslim origin! See more on the history of khao soi above.
• Fish sauce. Optional, I use fish sauce to do my final seasoning adjustment because I like the flavour, but you can also just use more salt or soy sauce.
• Palm sugar, finely chopped. But brown or granulated is fine also.
• Wheat-based egg noodles, also known as wonton noodles, can be bought fresh in the refrigerated section at Asian markets. Most commonly khao soi uses flat noodles, but sometimes round ones are used, so whatever you prefer is fine. Some of these noodles will be used for frying as crispy noodles on top.
• Chopped cilantro for garnish, optional (not pictured).

Condiments for Khao Soi

These four condiments are iconic, and khao soi is not complete if served without them! However, if you don't eat spicy, you can skip the fried chili flakes.

How to Make Khao Soi Step-By-Step

Here's a bird's eye view of the process. Since all the components can be made in advance, I recommend you spread the work out over two days to make it easier. See more on advance prep below. Also if this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

For khao soi curry paste

1. Remove the seeds from the black cardamom pods and place the seeds into a medium dry skillet along with the coriander seeds. Toast over medium high heat, moving them constantly, until the coriander seeds darken slightly. Set aside.
2. In the same skillet over high heat, place the ginger and turmeric slices down and let them sear until they're slightly charred. Then flip and char the other side and remove from the pan.
3. In the same skillet, add the shallots and let them char; stirring them around to char them more evenly. Remove from the pan.
4. Cut the chilies into chunks and pour out most of the seeds.

5. In a coffee/spice grinder, grind the chilies, black cardamom and coriander seeds into a powder, remove and set aside.
6. In a heavy-duty mortar and pestle, pound the ginger and turmeric into a fine paste. (*You can also double the recipe to get more volume and use an immersion blender, as shown in my red curry paste recipe.)
7. Add the shallots and the coarse salt and pound; and once it starts to get wet and slippery, add some of the ground spices to help absorb moisture and add friction.
8. Pound into a fine paste, then add any remaining dried spices and pound to mix.

For khao soi broth

9. Add ½ cup (120 ml) of the coconut milk and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the curry paste and stir for a few minutes until the mixture is very thick and coconut oil starts to sizzle around the edges of the paste.
10. Add the remaining coconut milk and stir to dissolve the paste. Then add water, soy sauce, black soy sauce, and sugar.
11. Add the chicken drumsticks and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently for 40 minutes or until the drumsticks are fork tender. (Now's a good time to prep condiments and fry the noodles.)
12. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more fish sauce if it needs a little more salt.

13. For crispy noodles: Cut the noodles for frying to about 4 inches, then fry them in a 350°F oil, pressing them down to keep them submerged. Once they are golden brown and the bubbling has almost completely stopped, remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel.
14. When ready to eat: Boil the noodles until they are fully cooked - timing will vary between brands and noodle sizes. Mine take 3 minutes. Drain and divide into serving bowls.
15. Place 1 or 2 drumsticks into the bowl and ladle the curry on top.
16. Serve immediately with the condiments.

For The Fried Chili Flakes (optional)

Of the 4 khao soi condiments, this is the only one that needs to be prepped beyond chopping, but it's a snap. It is also optional and only needed if you want to let your guests to make it spicier.

1. Add the chili flakes and oil to a small pot or skillet - you can make as much as you want here, it keeps indefinitely in the fridge. Then add just enough oil so that the chili flakes look like wet sand.
2. Turn the heat on medium low and keep stirring until the chilies start to darken and smell smoky. Transfer into a small bowl immediately to stop the cooking.

Advance Prep Tips

There are several components to khao soi, so unless you're doing this as a weekend project, I suggest you break the work up over a couple of days. Here are the things you can do ahead of time and how to store them.

• Make the curry paste in advance. If you do one thing in advance, this should be it. Make the curry paste, and then if you'll be cooking the curry in the next day or two, keep it refrigerated. Beyond that amount of time, you should freeze the curry paste. It can be frozen for a few months so you can make a big batch and freeze the remainder.
• Make the curry broth in advance. The broth will keep well in the fridge for up to a week. You can even freeze it in smaller portions if you want to save it for a rainy day. It will actually taste better once it's had time to sit.
• Fry the noodles in advance. The noodles can be fried and kept in an airtight container for up to a week. If you're frying them a few days ahead, fry them until all the bubbles are completely gone to make sure there is no moisture left in them. This will ensure they stay crispy for a long time.
• Prep the condiments. Getting the condiments together is the kind of fiddly thing that I hate dealing with on the day I'm busy serving guests. So I prep the condiments the day before and put them in little bowls/ramekins, put them on a plate, then wrap the whole thing and refrigerate. Then you just bring the whole plate out when ready to serve.

Frequently Asked Questions

A note on the chicken stock

Though store bought stock is okay to use, if you want it to taste like in Thailand, you'll get best results with homemade, Thai style chicken stock. At the very basic level, you can simply simmer chicken bones in water and you'll have chicken stock. But to boost the flavour, adding some aromatics will help.

I like to use daikon and/or onions, garlic, white pepper and cilantro roots or stems. But If you're making the stock specifically for Hainanese chicken rice, adding a few slices of ginger works wonderfully.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

Salted Fish Fried Rice in Thailand

In Thai, this dish is called khao pad kana pla kem ข้าวผัดคะน้าปลาเค็ม which literally means fried rice with Chinese broccoli (gai lan) and salted fish. The fish would normally be salt-cured king mackerel which is commonly available at any market.

It's a simple, rustic dish you can commonly find at food courts and some ahaan taam sung shops which are street-side restaurants that offer a variety of quick, wok-based dishes.

Fun fact: ahaan taam sung อาหารตามสั่ง means "food as you order," which conveys the idea that whatever you want, as long as they have ingredients and can be booked in the wok, they can make for you. Most commonly these are simple stir fries such as pad kra pao, fried rices and stir-fried noodles.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

What is boat noodles?

"Boat noodles" is a direct translation from the Thai name, guay tiew ruea. It's so named because originally they were actually sold from boats along Bangkok's canals; though nowadays most vendors have moved on land, and you can find them all over the country.

This is why boat noodles in Thailand come in little bowls - it wasn't practical to pass around large bowls of hot soup on a wobbly boat. So it's not uncommon for someone to eat 3-5 boat noodle bowls in one meal!

The heart of boat noodles is the uniquely aromatic and rich broth. The broth is dark thanks to the various soy sauces, and it has a lot of herbs and spices infused into it. The most unique part about boat noodles is that it is extra rich due to the added blood! (Before you get squeamish, it doesn't taste like blood at all, but it's optional.)

What is guay tiew ruea nam tok?

You'll often hear boat noodles referred to as guay tiew nam tok. "Nam tok" means waterfall, and it refers specifically to boat noodles with the blood added. Nam tok tends to be the default (unless you're at a touristy place), so when you're ordering boat noodles in Thailand, if you don't want the blood you'll have to say mai tok (no waterfall).

But why does "waterfall" mean blood? While it is not proven, the most popular story seems to be this: Back in the day vendors would have the raw sliced meats sitting on ice on top of a woven bamboo tray, and over time, the meat juices and ice would melt and "fall" through the tray into a receptacle below. Vendors would then use meat dripping to add back into the bowl. Nowadays fresh blood is used instead of these drippings.

Ingredients and Notes

Boat noodles have A LOT of ingredients, but don't let the length of the list deter you. You probably have many of these in your kitchen already, and gathering them is really the hardest part, the rest is super easy!

Broth Ingredients

• Pork neck bones, are my favourite bones to use for the broth because they have a lot of meat on them which will become tender and delicious when we're done. But you can also use pork back bones, beef bones or veal bones.
• Cinnamon stick, crush it just until broken into smaller pieces so it'll be easier to toast
• Star anise
• Coriander seeds
• Galangal, sliced into thin rounds. If you don't have it, it's fine to omit or use dried galangal.
• Cilantro roots or cilantro stems. Smash them gently just to bruise and release the flavour.
• Daikon, peeled and cut into big chunks. This helps sweeten the broth and make it extra delish. WIthout it, you can add more onion instead. Once done, the daikon will also be super delicious, so don't throw them away! Serve it with the noodles or save it for another meal.
• Onion, cut into big chunks
• Garlic, crushed until broken to help release the flavour
• White pepper, ground. Black pepper is fine too.
• Pandan leaf, optional. Pandan leaves are used mostly in desserts, but it's commonly added to boat noodles. You won't taste the pandan in the finished product, and it is fine to omit.
• Soy sauce. I use Thai soy sauce but other kinds are fine. See more about soy sauces here.
• Golden Mountain Sauce. Golden Mountain is a brand of "Thai seasoning sauce" that is the most popular so the brand has become genericized. It's a type of soy sauce with a different flavour. Healthy Boy Brand also makes a seasoning sauce (green cap), and Maggi Seasoning or Bragg's Liquid Aminos taste very similar and can be used instead. You can also simply use more of the soy sauce.
• Taojiew, this is Thai fermented soybean paste; basically the Thai version of miso paste. You can sub miso or doenjang instead. If your taojiew looks particularly chunky, mash it with a fork so it distributes better.
• Thai black soy sauce or dark soy sauce. If using Chinese dark soy sauce it tends to be a bit salty, so I'd hold back on the regular soy sauce and then add more as needed.
• Fish sauce 
• White vinegar
• Rock sugar or granulated sugar. Rock sugar is traditional, but it'll make no difference whatsoever if you use granulated, so use it only if you already have it!
• Liquid beef or pork blood. You can find blood at some Asian grocery stores, usually frozen. Do not buy cooked blood, which is solid, or fresh blood without the anticoagulant added.

Noodle Bowl Ingredients

• Pork shoulder, (not pictured) for making marinated sliced pork. If you already have the meatballs and meat from the pork neck bones, you can skip this to simplify a bit.
• Dry rice noodles, (picture below) size small, or another noodle of your choice. This is my favorite noodle for boat noodles, but in Thailand you'll be offered many noodle options, so you can choose one of those that I talk about in the noodle options section below.
• Asian style pork or beef meatballs. You can buy these at many Asian grocery stores, refrigerated or frozen. If you are in a DIY mood you can also make them from scratch using my Asian meatballs recipe.
• Water spinach or spinach, cut into 2-inch pieces. Water spinach (aka morning glory) is the classic greens added to boat noodles. Regular spinach or another kind of greens work just fine.
• Bean sprouts
• Cilantro and/or green onions, chopped
• Thai basil or holy basil (optional)

Optional Condiments

In Thailand you'll find these condiments on the table at boat noodle restaurants and you can add as much of them as you like, (though you'll have to pay for the pork rind if you add it!); except the fried garlic that is, which the vendor will add to your bowl for you.

• Chili vinegar. Technically optional but I highly recommend it! You can make chili vinegar from scratch but I sometimes cheat by mixing 1 part sambal oelek with 2 parts white vinegar and it works just fine.
• Crispy pork rind. They add a lovely crunch to the noodle soup!
• Roasted chili flakes, but only if you want to make it spicy. Store bought is fine, or you can make your own roasted chili flakes easily!
• Fried garlic & garlic oil. You can make your own fried garlic easily and it keeps well. I always have it on hand in the fridge! Here's my fried garlic recipe.

Noodle Options and Cooking Instructions

When you go to order boat noodles at any vendor, you'll be given the option of several noodles. Here they all are, and how to prep them:

• Rice vermicelli (sen mee) - The smallest of noodles and the quickest to prep. Simply soak them in room temp water for 5-15 mins (timing varies between brands) until they are completely limp, then drain.
  To cook, you'll need to blanch them in boiling water, one portion at a time, for 5 seconds just like I showed in the video.
• Small dry rice noodles (sen lek) - The most classic option. These noodles are 1.5 mm wide when dry. Soak in room temp water for 20-30 minutes or until they turn opaque white and are completely limp - they should have lost all of the kinks - and then drain.
  To cook, blanch them in boiling water, one portion at a time, for 5 seconds as shown in the video.
• Glass noodles (woon sen) - woonsen is thin, delicate, and has a neutral flavour and is delicious in boat noodles. Soak in room temp water for 10 minutes until softened before cooking.
  To cook, boil in hot water for 2 minutes. You can cook all of the glass noodles at once since they take a longer time to cook, then separate into portions immediately after draining.
• Fresh wide rice noodles (sen yai) - This is the noodles commonly associated with pad see ew. If cold and stuck together, microwave the noodles until they are hot and soft, so they can be peeled apart without breaking. Separate all the noodles before cooking.
  To cook, blanch them one portion at a time for 2 seconds in hot water just to heat them up and wash off the oil that's used to coat them. Do not let them linger in hot water for too long because they're already fully cooked and will quickly turn mushy.
• Wonton noodles or egg noodles (bamee) - These vary greatly between brands, so you'll have to change the cooking time according to what you've got.
  But if you have thin wonton noodles like the one shown in the pic (fresh and coated in flour), loosen the noodles and boil them in hot water for 1 minute. I find it easier to cook these 1 portion at a time, but if you're making many portions, you can cook them all at once and separate them immediately after draining.
• Mama Instant Noodles (sen mama) - Mama are the Thai instant noodles and they are super tasty in boat noodles! Buy any flavour of mama since you won't need the seasoning packets, but make sure the noodles are the classic wheat fried noodles as shown in the pic.
  Boil the noodles in water for about 1 minute, and you can cook all portions together and separate them after draining.

How to Make Boat Noodles

Here's the bird's eye view of the process so you get an idea of what's involved; the full instructions are in the recipe card below. It's not hard, but there are a lot of moving parts and it can be confusing for first timers, so I highly recommend watching the video tutorial, especially the assembly part, and it'll make much more sense!

1. Simmer the pork bones in water for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, toast the dry spices until slightly charred.
3. Put the spices in a soup infusion bag of cheesecloth, along with the galangal and cilantro roots/stems.
4. After 30 mins, skim the scum from the broth.

5. Add the spice bag, daikon, onion, garlic, pepper, pandan leaf (tie it into a knot) and all of the seasonings except salt. Simmer gently for 1 hr 15 mins, topping it up with water as needed to keep the bones completely submerged.
6. Meanwhile combine pork shoulder slices with soy sauce and sugar and set aside.
7. When the broth is done, remove the vegetables (can be eaten), spice bag (discard), and pork bones. Pick off any meat from the bones and reserve. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt as needed.
8. Bring the broth to a simmer and place the pork shoulder in a sieve or wire skimmer and dunk it into the broth, stirring it around until cooked, this should take less than 1 minute. Lift it up from the broth and set aside.

9. Bring the broth back to a boil then gradually add the blood WHILE STIRRING and watch the broth thicken! Add the meatballs and keep the broth hot on low heat and covered, until ready to serve.
10. Bring a LARGE pot of water to a FULL boil, place 1 portion of the soaked rice noodles, bean sprouts and water spinach in a noodle strainer or sieve, and blanch for 5 seconds (shake it around in the water) then place into serving bowl. (If using other kinds of noodles, see noodle options section for instructions.)
11. Ladle the broth along with a few meatballs over the noodles.
12. Top with marinated pork, meat from bones, and all the toppings and condiments as desired. Enjoy!

Advance Prep and Storage Tips

Boat noodles takes time to make, but if you prep all the components ahead of time, assembly is super quick and you'll have dinner on the table in 20 minutes!

Here are all the things you can do ahead of time:

• Make the broth and cook the meat in advance. This is the most important thing you need to do ahead of time. You can also cook the marinated pork once the broth is done and this will save even more time on the day. The broth will last at least 1 week in the fridge and can be frozen indefinitely. Keep the cooked meat separately in an airtight container and it'll also last up to a week.
• Soak noodles in advance. If you're using any of the noodles that require soaking, soak them in advance, drain, then keep in a covered container in the fridge and they'll last up to one week. Make sure to rest the noodles on a kitchen towel to absorb excess water before storage; any pooling water in the container will continue to get absorbed by the noodles and make them mushy.
• Make the condiments. If you're going to have chili vinegar, fried garlic, or the roasted chili flakes, get them done ahead of time and keep them in the fridge. Make sure to keep the fried garlic and garlic oil in separate containers!

What Is Sen Chan Pad Pu?

This dish is what I like to call pad thai's easier cousin. It's a rice noodle stir fry with that same sweet-salty-sour flavour profile as pad thai, and it is made typically with crab or shrimp. Sen means noodles, and chan is short for Chanthaburi, a province in Thailand famous for making rice noodles with a chewy texture that are perfect for stir fries. And this dish is Chanthaburi’s local specialty because it features their signature product.

And not just the noodles! Chanthaburi is a coastal city with abundant seafood, so in Thailand you'll see this dish made with seafood only, most commonly crab. (Pad pu means stir fried with crab.) Since crab isn't as accessible for most people, for this recipe I'll show you how to work with both shrimp and crab.

Sen Chan Pad Pu vs. Pad Thai

On the surface the two dishes look similar - sen chan pad pu looks kinda like an orange pad thai. Indeed the two dishes share most of the core ingredients: noodles, tamarind, fish sauce, palm sugar, bean sprouts and garlic chives. But sen chan pad pu is flavoured with chili paste, hence the orange colour, and doesn't have any eggs, tofu, peanuts, preserved radish or dried shrimp.

Because it's made with fewer ingredients sen chan pad pu is easier than pad thai, and I find it to be totally doable on a weeknight. Side note: you can also make regular pad thai weeknight friendly by making the sauce and doing some prep work up front, and I share how to make that happen in my post on how to make pad thai in 5 minutes!

PS. On the subject of orange pad thai, unlike in America, most pad thai in Thailand is brown, not orange (with a few exceptions). American takeout pad thai is often orange because restaurants like to add ketchup or paprika to make the colour more vibrant, but this isn't traditional.

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you need and important notes about them. For amounts, see the full recipe card below.

• Dried chilies. This is what gives the iconic orange colour. You can use spicy or mild dried chilies depending on how spicy you want it. I use a combination of 1 small guajillo (mild) and a few smaller spicier dried chilies giving me a nice medium spice level, but feel free to adjust this ratio.
• Garlic
• Shallots
• Palm sugar. Palm sugar adds complexity to the sweetness. See my post all about palm sugar here if you want to learn more about it. You can also sub light brown sugar.
• Tamarind paste. This is what gives sourness to the noodles. Make sure you buy Thai tamarind paste (aka tamarind concentrate) that is a pourable brown liquid, not Indian tamarind which is much more concentrated. You can also make tamarind paste from pulp quite easily!
• Fish sauce. It's important to use good quality fish sauce. See more about how to choose good fish sauce here.
• Shrimp and/or crabmeat. If you have crabmeat, you'll be making the "original" version, but shrimp also work just as well!
• Rice noodles. I'm using Pine Brand (our sponsor!) which has great chewy texture because of the added tapioca starch. If using other brands, make sure you get one that is 3mm wide (⅛ inch) for the right size!
• Bean sprouts
• Garlic chives
• Cucumber. This is served on the side to help lighten the dish. It's quite important!
• Lime wedge for serving. This is optional, depends on how sour your tamarind is. I find that if you're using homemade tamarind paste, the acidity is quite strong and the lime isn't necessary, but it's always good to have on hand just in case you want that extra zing.

How to Make

Here's a bird's eye view of the process, if this is your first time I highly recommend watching the full video tutorial. For full instructions and ingredient amounts, see the recipe card below.

1. Soak noodles in room temp water until completely pliable and then drain. (30 mins - 1 hour depending on the brand, more on this below.)
2. Remove seeds from the dried chilies and grind into a powder. Alternatively, soak the chilies in hot water for 30 mins until rehydrated, then pound into a paste in a mortar and pestle.
3. Pound garlic into a paste in a mortar and pestle, then add chopped shallots and the ground chilies and pound into a rough paste.
4. The paste can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for a few days or frozen.

5. Saute the chili paste in oil for about a minute or so over medium heat.
6. Add the palm sugar and stir until mostly dissolved.
7. Add the water, tamarind paste and fish sauce and bring the sauce to a boil.
8. Add the shrimp and cook until done, then off heat and remove the shrimp.

9. Bring the sauce back to a boil over medium high heat and add the noodles.
10. Keep tossing until the noodles absorb all of the sauce, then taste, and if the noodles are too chewy, add a splash of water and keep cooking until done.
11. Add the shrimp, crabmeat (if using), garlic chives and bean sprouts and toss just until the bean sprouts are wilted.
12. Plate and serve with chopped cucumber, extra bean sprouts and a wedge of lime. Top with more crabmeat for garnish. Enjoy!

Tips and Shortcuts for Soaking Noodles

One of the keys to success in stir frying rice noodles is properly soaking the noodles. Here are some tips:

• To check if noodles are done soaking, lift the noodles up and they should droop completely and have lost all kinks. I soak my noodles in room temp water because it results in the most even hydration and the lowest risk of over-soaking.
• The warmer the water temperature, the shorter the soaking time, so as a shortcut, you can use warm or even hot water, but you have to drain the noodles promptly or they will over-soak and become mushy after cooking.
• It is possible to over-soak noodles in any temperature water, but in room temp water, you have a big buffer, so just check on them once in a while. If using warm or hot water, they will over-soak quickly so keep an eye on them.
• In the case of absolute emergency, i.e. you forgot to soak the noodles, you can soak them in hot off the boil water for exactly 3 minutes (set a timer!) and drain them immediately. I have only tried this with Erawan brand noodles size M (3mm), and timing may vary if using other brands. I don't do this regularly because the risk of over-soaking is high.

Advance Prep Tips

Here are a few things you can do in advance to make this dish even faster to make!

• Soak the noodles in advance, then drain well and keep in the fridge. I rest the drained noodles on a kitchen towel briefly before storing to absorb excess water because you don't want any pooling liquid in the container or they will over-soak in the fridge. They should last in the fridge for up to a week.
• Make the paste in advance. You can keep the chili paste for up to a week in the fridge or freeze it indefinitely.
• Make the sauce in advance. Take it a step further and make the sauce! Saute the paste, then add the palm sugar, tamarind paste, fish sauce and water. Keep this in the fridge and it should last you a couple of weeks. You can make the sauce in bulk, but remember to measure the volume of the sauce once finished and make a note to yourself how much sauce you need per batch.

Storage and Reheating

Like pad thai, rice noodles stir fries in general do not reheat well. This is because the noodles continue to absorb moisture in the fridge, so when you reheat, the noodles will be softer than they were when fresh, and after a few days, they might even be mushy.

This is not a big deal if you have leftovers and you want to eat it the next day. It'll still taste great despite the not-as-chewy texture. But I don't recommend making this as meal prep for your lunch for the week! For that, I suggest trying my glass noodle pad thai which reheats much better.

To reheat, you can microwave or saute it in a non-stick skillet. Make sure to reheat the rice noodles until steaming hot or they will not be soft and may be a bit crunchy and rather unpleasant.

Pho Broth Ingredients

• Dry rice noodles: I use Erawan brand, size small. They need to be rehydrated for 20-30 minutes in room temp water until they turn an opaque white and are fully pliable. Drain after soaking as you don't want to over soak them! Size medium will also work if needed, but they will take up to an hour to soak.
• Bean sprouts
• Raw beef slices: (Pictured under the broth ingredients by mistake) This will be added raw to your pho bowl, and it will cook from the heat of the broth. Because the beef needs to be very thin, I recommend buying pre-sliced beef which you can get from Asian supermarkets in the "hot pot" section. If you're going to manually slice, do it when the beef is partially frozen as it'll be easier. Choose any cut of beef that fits your budget here; if it's sliced thin enough it won't be chewy. I used rib eye in my video but sirloin steak also works fine.
• Asian style beef meatballs (optional): (not pictured) I didn't use this in my bowl, but they're a classic if you like them. Buy them frozen or fresh at Asian supermarkets, or here's a homemade Asian pork meatballs recipe where you can simply substitute beef instead.
• Lime wedges: Technically optional but I think a little bit of acidity really makes a difference!
• White or yellow onion, thinly sliced: Soak the sliced onion in cold water and it'll soften their pungency and make them crisper.
• Fresh herbs - choose any of the following: green onions, cilantro, Thai basil, sawtooth coriander.
• Hoisin sauce and/or sriracha hot sauce: I don't think these are traditional and I don't add them, but wanted to mention them, as in N. America they are standard pho condiments. The hoisin sauce is used to dip your meat in, and the sriracha can be used as a dip or can be added to your bowl for a little heat.

• Large stock pot - a minimum of 7 qt in volume; 8 quart is better
• Noodle strainer or a metal sieve for cooking the noodles
• Soup infusion bags or cheesecloth to wrap the toasted spices
• Fine mesh skimmer for skimming scum

1. Wash the bones and meat and place in the stock pot. Cover with 4L of water and bring to a simmer.
2. Broil the onion and ginger for about 10 minutes, or until the onions are charred. Slice the broiled ginger into a few pieces.
3. Toast the cinnamon stick, star anise, black cardamom, and green cardamom in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until the green cardamom pods brown slightly. Crush the cardamom pods until they break open.
4. Reduce the heat to medium and toast the coriander seeds.

5. Place all the spices in a soup infusion bag or wrap them in cheesecloth.
6. Add the salt, sugar and beef stock powder to the broth. Simmer gently (don’t let it boil) for 1 hour.
7. Skim off the scum and fat once a bunch has collected on the surface.
8. Add the onion, ginger, spice bag, and daikon. Simmer for at least 2-2.5 more hours, or however long it takes for the largest piece of meat or oxtail to be fork tender.

9. Soak noodles in room temp water for 20-30 minutes until fully pliable (don't over soak). Drain and separate into portions and place each portion into their own serving bowl.
10. Once the broth is done, remove the spice bag, ginger, onion, and bones and discard. Pick off any meat or tendon attached to the bones as they're delicious!
11. Final seasoning - add all of the fish sauce, then taste and add hot water as needed until it is no longer too salty. If you find that it actually needs more fish sauce, go ahead and add more fish sauce. You can also add more sugar.
12. Slice the brisket into thin slices. Cut the daikon into smaller pieces. Leave the oxtail in the broth.

13. Blanch the bean sprouts in boiling water for 5 seconds and fish them out with a slotted spoon or skimmer and place on a serving plate.
14. Bring the water back to a rolling boil, place a portion of noodles in the noodle strainer and wiggle it in the water for 5 seconds. Place into serving bowl.
15. Top the noodles with the raw beef slices. Make sure the broth is boiling and ladle it over the beef until the noodles are submerged.
16. Top the noodles with the oxtail and whatever toppings you like and enjoy immediately!

• Soak the noodles in advance. Drain and keep the noodles in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. After draining, place the noodles on a tea towel to absorb excess water; you do not want the noodles sitting in a pool of water in the container.
• Prepare all of your toppings on a platter the day before or the morning of, so you don't have to mess with a million little things while you're trying to finish your broth. (But don't blanch the bean sprouts until serving time.)
• Make the broth in advance and it'll keep for up to 7 days in the fridge. The broth and the beef can also be frozen.