History

Pad see ew (literally fried with soy sauce) is a Chinese-Thai adaptation of southern Chinese chow fun, brought into Bangkok's Yaowarat district by Teochew migrants in the 19th century. The Thai version swapped Chinese gai lan for the local Chinese broccoli (kana) and added the dark-soy-and-palm-sugar finish that gives the noodles their lacquered glaze. The dish is a workday lunch staple sold from every wok stall in the city. Bangkok's best versions are night-market style: scorching wok, blackened wide noodles, freshly cracked egg.

Common allergens: Gluten, Soy, Egg, Shellfish

Make it at home

Yield 2Hands-on 15 minTotal 20 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 300g fresh wide rice noodles (sen yai), separated by hand
  • 200g pork loin, chicken thigh or peeled prawns, sliced thinly
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 200g Chinese broccoli (kana), stems sliced 5mm, leaves left whole
  • 2 large eggs
  • 30ml dark sweet soy sauce (kecap manis or si-ew dam)
  • 15ml light soy sauce
  • 15ml oyster sauce
  • 5g caster sugar
  • 30ml neutral oil with a high smoke point
  • White pepper, to finish
  • Pickled green chilli in vinegar (prik nam som), to serve

Method

  1. Marinate the meat with 5ml of the light soy sauce for 5 minutes.
  2. Heat a wok or wide carbon-steel pan over the highest flame your stove will produce. Add half the oil; swirl.
  3. Add the meat; sear hard for 60 to 90 seconds without stirring much, then break up and cook through. Push to one side of the wok.
  4. Add garlic and the Chinese broccoli stems; stir-fry 30 seconds. Push to the side.
  5. Crack the eggs into the cleared space; let them set 15 seconds, then scramble lightly.
  6. Add the remaining oil and the rice noodles. Spread them flat against the wok; do not stir for 30 seconds so the noodles can char.
  7. Drizzle the dark sweet soy, light soy, oyster sauce and sugar over the noodles. Now toss everything together; fold in the broccoli leaves last.
  8. Cook another 60 seconds, tossing only every 15 seconds to let the noodles char in patches.
  9. Plate; dust with white pepper. Serve with pickled chilli vinegar on the side.

Tip from the editors. Wok hei is the point; on a weak stove, cook in two batches not one. Soften dried sen yai in just-boiled water 5 minutes; drain very well before it hits the wok.

Where to eat pad see ew

Pad see ew in Bangkok

Sukhumvit Soi 38 night noodle stalls ★ 4.0

Street food฿Daily 18:00-02:00 (vendor hours vary)Cash only

Sukhumvit Soi 38 in Bangkok was the city's canonical late-night noodle alley, with pork noodle counters and stir-fry stalls feeding the Thonglor and Ekkamai.

Try: Pork noodles, kuay teow stalls, satay

Tip: The remaining stalls cluster near the Thonglor BTS end of Soi 38. Late-night queues from 22:00; cash only, bring small notes.

Sukhumvit Soi 38, Phra Khanong, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110

Yaowarat night market street stalls ★ 4.7

Street food฿Daily 18:00-02:00 (vendor hours vary)Cash only

Yaowarat Road in Bangkok's Chinatown is the city's most theatrical street-food strip after dark, with grilled seafood, noodle counters and dim sum carts.

Try: Grilled seafood, dim sum, noodle stalls

Tip: Start at Soi Texas (Phadungdao) corner for grilled prawns; Nai Mong Hoi Tod and Lek and Rut are the canonical seafood stalls.

Yaowarat Road, Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100

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