Beef and bon choy pad see ew, this is the ultimate weeknight noodle dish. It's easy to prepare, packed with umami and flavor. You'll be questioning why you've never made this at home and the mystery of restaurant cooking will disappear.
Jump to RecipeWhat is Pad See Ew?
Pad see ew (commonly known as Phat-si-low, Pad Siew, or Pad Siu) is a stir fry noodle dish originating in Thailand. It translates literally to "fried (with) soy sauce. It has some Chinese influence from the soy sauce and oyster sauce. You can think of it as the Thai version of a Chinese dish.
Don't be scared of the oyster sauce or fish sauce. It won't taste fishy, it will taste like an umami bomb. Umami is the "fifth" flavor or a meaty/savory flavor. The same one you experience with msg. Fear not! You will love it. Trust me.
Pad See Ew is traditionally made with a protein, Chinese broccoli, and fresh rice noodles known as sen-yai. Sen Yai translates to big noodle or big strip. You can find these in the refrigerated section in most asian markets. Feel free to make your own substitutions. Heres how I do it:
I like to use the wide dried rice noodles because it's something I keep in my pantry. I also substitute bok choy because it's one of my favorite vegetables.
How to cook Pad See Ew With Beef and Bok Choy
Marinate your meat while you prepare the other ingredients.
Follow the directions on your package for cooking dried noodles. There is two schools of thought for these. One is that you always soak rice noodles in cold/lukewarm water and finish cooking in the pan. The other school of thought is to cover with hot/or warm water for 5 to 10 minutes until the noodles soften.
I like to pour hot water over the noodles and let it sit for 5 minutes. Trust me on this one. The noodles at this stage will still feel very firm and not even "al dente". That's okay because we will cook them more in the pan later.
Using a nonstick pan or wok cook your meat until just done or slightly under cooked. Remove all meat and set aside. Sautee the bok choy until the whites are tender.
Next, work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Take half the noodles, beef and bok choy and half the sauce and cook together. Stir constantly over medium high heat to coat the noodles and ensure no noodles are stuck together. This should only take a few minutes. Repeat the process with the other half.
Finally cook the egg. Push the noodles to the side. The way to cook the egg for this dish is to add a small amount of oil to the pan. Crack the egg directly onto the pan until the white begins to set. Scramble the egg with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula and continue cooking. Mix everything together.
If you like a bit of added crunch you can add baby corn or water chestnuts at this point. I like to add chili oil to make a spicy beef noodle stir fry. Serve with Som Tum Thai Salad, Easy Thai Lettuce Wraps, Khao Soi, or Green Thai Curry Enjoy!
Beef and Bok Choy Pad See Ew
Equipment
- Non stick pan or wok
- Medium mixing bowl
- Wooden spoon or spatula
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 2 lb beef flank steak, or steak sliced thinly for stir fry
- 1 ea bok choy whites sliced thinly, leaves sliced thicker
- 1 ea dry wide rice noodles
- 2 tbs oil use a high heat oil such as canola, vegetable, peanut, or coconut
- 2 ea eggs large
- 1/4 cup sliced water chestnuts optional
- 1/4 cup sliced baby corn optional
Beef Marinade
- 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1/4 cup Shaoxing wine you can substitute sherry or white wine
- 2 tsp Sugar
Pad See Ew Sauce
- 2 tbsp Oyster Sauce
- 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Brown sugar
- 2 tbsp Fish Sauce
Instructions
Marinade
- Combine all ingredients for beef marinade. Submerge beef in marinade
Noodles
- Cook the noodles according to the manufacturer's instructions. If no instructions are provided soak the noodles in warm/hot water for 5 minutes until they begin to soften but they are not fully cooked through. They should still be "raw" at this stage as we will cook them more in the pan later. Do not soak for too long or they will over cook.
- Drain soaked noodles and set aside.
How to make pad see ew
- Preheat a nonstick pan or wok over medium high heat. Add oil and sear beef until it is almost cooked through or just cooked through. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside.
- Add the bok choy to the same pan and cook until the whites begin to soft. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan combine half the noodles, beef, and bokchoy, and half of the sauce. Continue cooking over medium high heat for 1-2 minutes. Stir constantly to coat the noodles and separate any that are sticking togeher. Repeat the process with the other half.
- Push your noodles to the side to clear a spot in the pan. Crack an egg directly into the pan. Wait for the white to begin to set, then scramble it with a spoon or spatula. Mix the cooked scrambled egg into the dish.
- If you like extra crunch add in water chestnuts and/or baby corn.
- Enjoy the ULTIMATE week night noodle dish.
FAQ
What is the pad see ew pronunciation?
Pad ( like a lily pad) see (like I see you) and ew (like a gut reaction EWW)
Where do you buy pad see ew noodles?
Any asian store will carry them. Whole Foods probably has some wide rice noodles. Check the international section of your grocery store.
Is pad see ew gluten free?
So generally, soy sauce and oyster sauce contain gluten. There are regularly available gluten free versions of both sauces. You can find gluten free soy sauce anywhere. Whole Foods or any asian market will carry gluten free oyster sauce. The rice noodles and the rest of the dish are gluten free.
Pad see ew vs pad thai????
This dish is more of a soy sauce based stir fry and uses wider noodles. With pad thai you're using thinner noodles and it has a more sour flavor profile from the tamarind or lime. They're both equally delicious.
Can you substitute the oyster sauce
?
I guess most people don't have a bottle of oyster sauce in their fridge... I guess the closest thing would be hoisin sauce but it's different. Go pick some up it is a great cooking base to keep around.
Add noodles and sauce, toss to caramelise (just 15 seconds), then add chicken and vegetables back in Reason: A signature flavour in Pad See Ew is the caramelisation of the noodles. Restaurants and street vendors achieve this with super powered gas stoves with fiery heat that you ll never find in a home kitchen. The only way to replicate that caramelisation on the noodles on a home kitchen stove is to declutter the wok and cook the noodles separately the noodles will caramelise in 15 seconds.