A stir-fried noodle dish that combines wide, flat rice noodles, assorted seafood and flavourful sauces. It is a spicy and aromatic dish with a perfect balance of flavours. Pad kee mao, or Drunken Noodles, is a dish with a name that grabs attention – it’s famously thought of as a hangover cure. Just a heads-up, if you’re not a fan of super spicy food, it’s best to go easy on the chilli!
200 g wide, flat rice noodles
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
200 g chicken breast, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 birds eye chillies, finely chopped
2 large hot red chillies, finely chopped
3–4 chestnut mushrooms, sliced
100 g baby corn, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 yellow (bell) pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
50 g mange tout, cut into bite-sized pieces
Handful of Thai basil leaves, plus extra to garnish
SAUCE
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
3 tablespoons hot water
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons brown sugar
SERVES 2
Soak the rice noodles in warm water for 30 minutes, then drain and set aside until needed.
Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large pan or wok over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes until just cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
In the same pan, add the remaining vegetable oil. Sauté the garlic and chillies for 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Add the mushrooms, baby corn, yellow pepper and mange tout. Stir-fry for 3–4 minutes until the vegetables are slightly tender but still crisp. Return the chicken to the pan and add the drained rice noodles. Stir well to combine.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl, mix together the oyster sauce, light soy sauce, hot water, dark soy sauce and brown sugar. Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss everything together until evenly coated and heated through.
Stir in the Thai basil leaves and cook for a further 1 minute until fragrant. Serve the noodles immediately while hot.
This recipe is from Lanna by Chariya Khattiyot. To get more great blog posts like this one - direct to your inbox – be sure to sign up to our mailing list here.