"I should try something new, I always order the same thai food." That's how Karl introduced me to one of my favorite thai dishes back when we first started dating. New relationships, new food... Variety is the spice of life. Literally. Pad Kee Mao, otherwise known as Drunken Noodles or Spicy Noodles is one of my go-to thai dishes.
variety is the spice of life. - Karl
Between visiting Thailand and living in San Diego for 10 years - I've been spoiled when it comes to these flavors. On any given weekend, it wasn't IF we should get pho or thai, it was "Which one should we go to?"
Bozeman has two thai places that are very pricey and no pho to speak of. Karl has perfected making panang, red and green curry, but we have been hesitant to re-create the spicier taste of Pad Kee Mao. After 8 months of avoidance, it was time to tackle this challenge!
I researched several recipes for Pad Kee Mao, none of them seemed quite right on their own. The Italian part of me decided I could taste my way through this and I got lucky. Really lucky.
I give this recipe a 9 out of 10 and I now understand why no two Pad Kee Mao dishes have been the same...
Pad Kee Mao with chicken on 4/13/15
Pad Kee Mao with shrimp & mushrooms on 4/17/15 - I like this one better, with the wide noodles though...
Buy these noodles online, they make the dish!
Pad Kee Mao - serves 4
*This recipe is a 3 out of 10 spiciness, add or remove thai peppers to alter this & don't touch your face after touching the peppers, only after you've washed your hands!
Ingredients:
16 oz. of rice noodles (the best kind is wide, but not always available)
2 chicken breasts, chopped into bite sized pieces
4 thai peppers (small green or red peppers), crushed and chopped finely
2 anaheim chiles or 1 green pepper, sliced thin into matchsticks
3 kale leaves, sliced thinly - stems removed
6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups of finely chopped basil
4 scallion stems, chopped finely
1 lime for serving
option: 2 scrambled eggs
Sauce:
6 TBSP oyster sauce
6 TBSP soy sauce (tamari for gluten free) (3 light and 3 dark (normal) if you can find light - not lite)
4 tsp sugar
4 TBSP water
Salt to taste if you don't have light soy sauce (I didn't and the salt made all the difference in flavor)
Preparation - 15 minutes
Cook time - 7 minutes
Directions:
1. Soak rice noodles/prepare according to package for stir fry - they need to be completely softened before you start cooking. Usually it's pouring boiling water over them to sit for 5 minutes, then rinse in cool water. Make sure they're ready before you turn on the frying pan. Once you start cooking, it takes about 7 minutes to make this dish. (that's why thai food comes out so fast!) The chopping is the hardest part.
2. Chop and prepare all ingredients according to list above, don't mix anything. I use little glass dishes to separate all my ingredients and have them ready.
3. Make the sauce.
4. Heat canola or vegetable oil on med-high heat in a frying pan large enough to fit everything.
5. Heat the garlic and thai peppers for 10 seconds, don't breath it in!
6. Add the chicken and stir fry until cooked - 3 minutes.
7. Add enough sauce to coat the chicken.
8. Add the anaheim chile and kale - cook for 1 minute.
9. Add the noodles, remaining sauce and mix it all together - 1 minute.
10. Turn off the heat, add the basil and scallions
You can add 1-2 scrambled eggs at the end also, I didn't try this - but it's easy enough to do
Best of luck to you! Leave a comment below after you've made it and post a photo on my facebook page.
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