Dinner Tonight: Pad See Ew
I always do this. We had friends over for dinner and instead of making something that I have some experience with, I made something completely new. It was comical, to say the least. The first round of this Thai dish was nearly inedible because I hadn't cooked the noodles properly. They were crunchy and stiff. The second round was better, but the flavor of the sauce was still not right.
A few days later I remade it following a different recipe and liked it a little more. And now, for the third time, I remade pad see ew. Nothing like failure to get me going.
I had numerous problems that necessitated the three versions. My first one used some rather authentic-looking recipes, and nearly all of them called for dark soy. Something I just couldn't find at my local Asian market. I tried. I really did. So I had to move on. And that's when I found this recipe from Appetite for China. Instead of dark soy, it called for mushroom-flavored soy sauce and dark brown sugar. I'm not sure if this is authentic, or whatever. But of all the versions I have tried this is the best.
The only hard part is cooking over high heat. You need to make sure everything is cut and ready to go. Because I didn't have a big wok, I cooked everything separately and combined them at the end. If you don't have mushroom-flavored soy sauce, then regular soy sauce is fine.
Pad See Ew
- serves 2 to 3 -
Adapted from Appetite for China.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup mushroom-flavored soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 block tofu, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
2 eggs
1 bunch Chinese broccoli, chopped
8 ounces dried wide rice noodles
3 tablespoons peanut oil or Canola oil
Procedure
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook for about 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together the soy sauce, mushroom-flavored soy sauce, and brown sugar. Set aside.
3. Heat a wok or iron skillet over high heat. Add a tablespoon of the oil and toss in the Chinese broccoli. Cook, stirring often, for a few minutes until the leaves are wilted and the stems are soft enough to eat. Transfer to a bowl.
4. Pour in another tablespoon of oil and toss in the tofu. Cook for two minutes, stirring constantly to keep the tofu from sticking. Transfer to the bowl with the broccoli.
5. Pour in the last of the oil, add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the eggs and scramble in the skillet. Stir until they aren't soft. Then add the noodles. Cook for about 2 minutes with the egg and garlic, stirring every few seconds. Add the broccoli and tofu. Then pour in the soy sauce mixture. Stir until everything is nicely coated. Kill the heat and serve.
About the author: Nick Kindelsperger is a freelance writer in Chicago. He is the co-founder of The Paupered Chef and spends most of his time playing with the new cooking gadgets he got from his wedding.
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10 Comments:
This is my absolute favorite dish from Thai restaurants. Looks pretty easy to make at home, too. Can't wait to try it!
July at 5:50PM on 04/27/09
this is one of my favorite thai dishes as well. but every time i've had it there was always egg in it too. and i prefer it with either chicken or beef
dozertx at 6:13PM on 04/27/09
I use Pad See Ew as my test to see whether a Thai restaurant is worth visiting again.
We've tried mastering it at home and we're getting closer all the time. The dark soy sauce (See Ew) is essential in my opinion. We can easily acquire it here in the Portland, OR area where Thai and Asian ingredients are all over the place. It's almost like soy molasses and is the key flavoring element in this dish. Without it, I don't think the dish is worth eating.
ArtoriusRex at 6:19PM on 04/27/09
Throw some crushed red pepper flakes and crushed peanuts on it!
alligator king at 12:36AM on 04/28/09
mushroom and dark soy sauce are the same thing
funnyname at 1:04AM on 04/28/09
I wouldn't say they're the same. Dark soy sauce is aged longer than light soy sauce, and is thicker. Mushroom soy sauce is considered a dark soy sauce, but it is flavoured with mushrooms so if you don't want mushrooms in your dish you shouldn't be using it. Kind of like the difference between regular ketchup and flavoured ketchup - still ketchups, but different tastes.
anonymoose at 3:56PM on 04/28/09
I'd love mail order or long island based hints on where to get the dark soy and wide rice noodles.
Could also use suggestions for places in westchester near bronxville.
Also, best places to shop for this type of ingredient in the city.
Thanks for any suggestions . . .
bettb at 12:52PM on 04/30/09
@bettb: if you don't mind going into the city, you can go to any of the Chinatowns (Bklyn/Queens/Manhattan)---all the local supermarkets in those neighborhoods will have the dk soy sauce (as well as mushroom flavored soy sauce) and wide rice noodles.
shellyc at 1:27PM on 04/30/09
Nick, this is great information - any word on an excellent Pad Thai recipe???
atammal at 12:54PM on 05/04/09
I know exactly what you're missing! Pad see ew lover here, looking for the best recipe.. but I know the 2 things that make pad see ew my favorite dish! Are you ready? Fish sauce and tamarind paste! Fish sauce is in almost every Thai dish. Made from fermented fish - like anchovies, creates natural flavor enhancer! Some people even put it in their pasta sauce!
thunkened at 4:03AM on 05/28/09