ผัดซีอิ๊ว (Phat Si-iu)

Pad see ew is a Thai stir-fried noodle dish flavored with a soy-based sauce [1]. It is an evolution of Chinese chow fun adapted to local tastes, and this influence is evident in the ingredients: rice noodles from Southern China, Chinese broccoli, and the liberal use of local fish sauce. It has a relatively short ingredients list, making it one of the simplest noodle stir fries to do at home!

Ingredients

8 oz broad rice noodles
8 oz chicken thighs, sliced
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
6 oz Chinese broccoli, chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 eggs
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
vegetable oil
Salt to taste
White pepper to taste

You can use either fresh or dried broad rice noodles for this dish, though dried rice noodles are far more widely available. Fresh rice noodles should be used within a day or two of purchase. They often come uncut, and should be cut to the desired width.

Dried rice noodles must be rehydrated before use. Soak the noodles in hot (just boiled) water for 30 to 40 minutes, or until they are soft and pliable. Depending on the brand of the noodles and their thickness, you may have to soak the noodles for longer [2].

Next, prepare the chicken with a simple marinade. Chicken thighs are recommended for this stir fry, as they retain moisture better than chicken breast meat. Cut the chicken into pieces against the grain, about 1 cm thick. Mix with 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch. Set aside to marinade for 20 minutes. The salt in the soy sauce will help the meat stay moist when subjected to high heat.

While the noodles soak and the chicken marinates, we can prepare the other elements of the stir fry. Thinly slice the garlic and set aside. Cut up the Chinese broccoli, separating the stems from the leaves. Splitting the stems lengthwise will allow the broccoli to cook more uniformly, and the flat surface is a good opportunity to get some color on the vegetables.

When the chicken is ready to cook, heat about a teaspoon of vegetable oil in a pan over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces and fry for 1 minute. Let the chicken sear without moving it in the pan for the first 30 seconds, so it develops some crust and color. Then toss the chicken to cook the other sides.

After one minute, add the sliced garlic and broccoli stems to the pan. At this point, the chicken is not yet fully cooked. Our goal is to time the introduction of each of the ingredients properly, so that the chicken, broccoli stems, and broccoli leaves all reach optimal doneness at the same time. Cook the chicken, garlic, and broccoli stems for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the broccoli leaves to the pan and cook until they just begin to wilt, about 1 additional minute. Remove the chicken and broccoli mixture from the heat, and place it in a heatproof bowl.

Next up are the eggs [3]. Add a bit more vegetable oil if needed, then add the two beaten eggs to the pan. Scramble the eggs, breaking them up into small pieces. When the eggs are cooked, remove them from the heat and add them to the broccoli mixture.

When the noodles are sufficiently softened, drain them well. Prepare the sauce by combining 2 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 2 teaspoon fish sauce, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Mix well, and set aside. We are ready to bring the elements of the dish together!

As with other noodle stir-fries, it is important that we maintain dry heat. If we add all the noodles at once to the pan, we risk boiling the noodles instead, so unless you have a very large pan or wok, I’d recommend doing the final stir-fry in two batches.

For one batch, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over high heat. When it’s hot, add half of the drained noodles. Pour over half of the sauce, and toss gently. Broad rice noodles are relatively fragile, so do your best not to break too many noodles when tossing [4]. Cook, moving constantly, until the noodles are uniformly coated in sauce and begin to color and char, about 2 to 3 minutes. Return half of the broccoli, chicken, and egg mixture to the pan and toss gently to combine.

Cook for an additional minute, allowing the vegetables and protein to come up to temperature. Add salt and white pepper to taste, and remove from the heat. Repeat for the second batch, and serve the noodles hot, with chili sauce and lime on the side if desired.

Substitutions

Pad see ew is often prepared with different proteins, such as pork, beef, or shrimp. To make a vegetarian version, omit the meat entirely, or substitute shiitake mushrooms or bean curd.

As a substitute for oyster sauce, you can use a combination of 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 tsp cornstarch, and an additional 2 tsp of sugar.

If you can’t find Chinese broccoli, substitute broccoli florets. Mung bean sprouts are also a great addition to this dish.

Look for fresh or dried broad rice noodles. These can be labeled as “rice noodles,” “rice sticks,” “Pad Thai noodles,” or “He Fen” (河粉). If you can’t find broad rice noodles, you can use other shapes of rice noodles, but avoid using noodles made of different kinds of starches.

[1] Phat si-io translates literally to “soy sauce fry.”

[2] Palin of Hot Thai Kitchen has an excellent guide to using rice noodles, linked here.

[3] With a traditional wok, the method is to push the meat and vegetables to the edge of the wok, where the heat is low, and to fry the egg in the center. However, this method is not very effective in a pan—it is better to work in series.

[4] If you find when cooking that the noodles are insufficiently softened, you can recover by adding a tablespoon of water to the pan and covering, letting the noodles steam until softened.

Recipe

Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 15 min Total Time: 45 min
(+20 min inactive)

Difficulty: 2/5

Heat Sources: 1 burner

Equipment: pan

Servings: 4

Ingredients

8 oz broad rice noodles
8 oz chicken thighs, sliced
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
6 oz Chinese broccoli, chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 eggs
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
vegetable oil
Salt to taste
White pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Soak the dried rice noodles in hot water for 30-40 minutes, or until soft. When the noodles are pliable, drain the noodles well.

2. Cut the chicken into 1 cm wide pieces, and mix with 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp vegetable oil, and 1 tsp cornstarch. Set aside to marinade for 20 minutes.

3. In preparation for stir frying, cut the Chinese broccoli, separating the stem pieces from the leafy pieces. In a bowl, combine 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, 2 tsp fish sauce, and 1 tsp sugar to make the sauce.

4. Heat about 1 tsp vegetable oil in a pan over high heat. Add the marinated chicken to the pan and sear for 1 minute.

5. Add the broccoli stems and garlic to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the broccoli leaves and cook until just wilted, about 1 minute. Remove the cooked chicken and broccoli from the heat.

6. Add additional vegetable oil, and add the two beaten eggs to the pan. Scramble the eggs, and add the cooked eggs to the broccoli mixture.

7. Bring together the dish in two batches (unless you have a very large wok). Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil to the pan over high heat, and add half of the softened rice noodles. Add half of the sauce and toss gently, coating the noodles in the sauce. Cook for 2-3 min, tossing occasionally, until the noodles color and just char.

8. Return half of the broccoli, chicken, and egg mixture to the pan, toss to combine, and cook for an additional minute.

9. Add salt and white pepper to taste, and remove from the heat. Repeat steps 7 and 8 for the second batch.