Easy Bangkok-Style “Drunken Noodles” (Pad Kee Mao)
This spicy noodle dish from Bangkok is traditionally eaten in the middle of the night to help one continue to the end to the party. Even milder versions are delicious, so if your spice-o-meter tends to stay near mild, not to worry – this noodle recipe is delicious with or without chilies. And it can be made vegetarian or with shrimp or chicken, according to your taste. As a bonus, the addition of lots of vegetables means these noodles are healthy as well as delicious.
Ingredients
For the noodles
- 280 g Asian-style flat wide wheat noodles
- 2 makrut lime leaves sliced very thinly, or cut into thin strips with scissors (remove stems)
- 2 shallots thinly sliced and diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2.5 cm piece of ginger thinly sliced or grated
- 1 red chilli pepper sliced finely, and deseeded to reduce the heat level
- 200 g bite-sized pieces of cooked chicken or prawns or firm tofu
- 3 tomatoes cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 head broccoli cut into florets, or 100 g pak choi or Chinese cabbage
- 200 g bean sprouts
- 20 g coriander leaves
- 20 g fresh basil roughly chopped
- Vegetable oil as needed, for stir-frying
For the stir-fry sauce
- 1½ tablespoons ground bean sauce also called yellow bean sauce, found in Asian food shops
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or white vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons fish sauce or soy sauce
- 1½ tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ –1 teaspoon Thai chilli sauce or 2 fresh red chillies, minced (optional)
- Fresh basil chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Place noodles in a pot of boiling water over medium-high heat and stir to separate. When cooked al dente (chewy—not too soft), drain and rinse with cold water to prevent sticking. Set aside.
- Place all sauce ingredients in a cup and stir well. Do a taste test (note: this stir-fry sauce will be very strong at this point, but will be diluted later when added to the noodles). If too sour, add a little more sugar. If not salty enough, add more fish sauce.
- In a wok or large frying pan over medium to high heat, add a few tablespoons of oil plus the lime leaves, shallots, garlic, galangal (or ginger), red chilli, and tofu. If you are using chicken or prawns, add them at this point as well. Stir-fry for 1 minute, or until fragrant. If the wok/pan becomes too dry, add a little water, 1 tablespoon at a time (instead of more oil).
- Add the broccoli and stir-fry another 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the broccoli has turned bright green.
- Then add the stir-fry sauce plus the noodles and tomatoes. Stir-fry for 1–2 minutes, turning the noodles as you fry in order to incorporate the sauce.
- Remove from the heat and add the bean sprouts and coriander leaves. Toss in the wok to combine. Do a taste test for salt, adding more fish sauce (instead of salt) if needed. If too salty for your taste, add another squeeze of lime juice. Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve with Thai chilli sauce or minced chillies. Enjoy.