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Pad See Ew [ผัดซีอิ๊ว]
Pad see ew [ผัดซีอิ๊ว] was one of my favorite Thai take-out dishes as a kid: Big shout out to Thai Thai! Did you know there are 300+ Thai restaurants in Chicago, nearly one in every neighborhood? Besides Thais being natural cooks, the Thai government promotes gastrodiplomacy, meaning they sometimes financially support Thai restaurants around the globe! Honestly, that's diplomacy I can get behind. Anyway, back to pad see ew: It's simple, easy, and just an all around great savory dish. The name literally translates to "fried with soy sauce", and usually includes a protein, Chinese broccoli, garlic and egg.
Pad See Ew
[2 servings]
Ingredients
2 servings wide rice noodles
[300g fresh noodles, or 200g dry noodles]
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 tbs. canola oil
2 tsp. garlic, minced (about 3 cloves)
1 large bunch gai lan (Chinese broccoli), rapini, or collard greens 1 king trumpet mushroom or portabella cap, diced into ½” chunks
2 eggs, beaten or Quick Black Bean Tofu (optional)
Sauce
1 tbs. soy sauce or tamari
1 tbs. oyster sauce (or vegan oyster sauce)
1 tsp. Golden Mountain sauce
2 tsp. black vinegar
2 tsp. sweet soy sauce
4 tbs. water
Method
If using dry noodles, soak in lukewarm warm water for at least 30 minutes and drain. If using fresh noodles, soak in warm water for 5 minutes and drain.
Mix all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
Rinse and drain greens (gai lan is traditional, but in a pinch rapini or collard greens work). Dice stems (don't use stems if using collard greens) into ½” pieces and chop greens into bite size pieces.
In a wok or large frying pan, heat sesame oil and 1 tbs. canola oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes until soft.
Add the stems of the gai lan/greens and mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the leaves of the gai lan/greens and cook 1-2 minutes, until greens soften and become bright. Do not over cook.
When par cooked, take greens and mushrooms out of the wok and set aside. Add 1 tsp. canola oil to the pan and add beaten eggs. Stir as you would for scrambled eggs, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set the cooked eggs aside with the greens.
Add 2 tsp. canola oil to wok, still over medium high heat. Add the noodles and stir once or twice. Add the sauce mixture and stir to combine. Let the sauce begin to soften the noodles, and start to caramelize, about 2-3 minutes.
Once the noodles look like they have softened (you can test one for doneness!), add greens, mushrooms and egg and give a quick stir to reheat everything.