Chicken Pad See Eiw

There is a wonderful Thai restaurant that my daughter and I order food from in Oklahoma City sometimes when I visit, called Tana Thai Bistro. Of all the curry dishes and soups and salads, my favorite was always their Pad See Ew, $12.00 for a large serving.

I’ve always wanted to make this dish, but it wasn’t until I discovered this NY Times recipe that I finally made it. This recipe includes chicken, mushrooms, and tofu. The ingredients call for gai lan, or Chinese broccoli; I substituted regular broccoli. I’m able to order many Thai products from Amazon, like the fried garlic, but I made the prik nam som from the recipe below, shown below right.

The recipe author is Chef Arnold Myint, whose book is Family Thai, published in 2025, with very impressive accolades. In this book, “Arnold shares his boldly flavorful food in a welcoming, heartfelt approach for home cooks everywhere.” I now own this book and have many more recipes planned!

From the author: “This version of pad see ew, is a kid favorite that I will never give up on. The char on the chewy rice noodles, the fresh and leafy gai lan, and the fluffy bites of egg make this dish a textural masterpiece. I’ve never gotten sick of it. “Pad” means stir-fry or wok-fry, and “see ew” means soy sauce, so the dish is exactly what it claims to be.”

Myint grew up in a restaurant opened by his mother, called International Market; this book is dedicated to her legacy.

Chicken Pad See Ew

For the Noodles
1 (8-ounce/225-gram) package dried long, flat rice noodles or fresh noodles

For the Oyster-Soy Sauce Chicken
1/2 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup black soy sauce (see Tips)
2 tablespoons sugar
6 ounces skinless, boneless chicken thighs, sliced (I used 1 – 7.5 oz breast)

For the Stir-fry
2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as sunflower
2 large eggs
4 ounces firm or extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/4-inch-wide rectangles
1/4 white onion, sliced
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
2 cups mixed mushrooms (4 ounces), such as trumpet, oyster, shiitake and cremini, trimmed and sliced
4 ounces gai lan (Chinese broccoli), cut into 2-inch pieces
4 scallions, pale green and white parts only, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper, plus more for serving
Store-bought or homemade fried garlic, for serving
Store-bought or homemade prik nam som (chile vinegar), for serving

If using dried rice noodles, put the noodles in a large bowl and pour warm water over them (for other types of noodles. Let stand until soft, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and set aside. Just before cooking, fill a large saucepan three-quarters full of water and bring to a boil over high heat. (I didn’t have flat noodles so I had to boil mine for 5 minutes.)

In a medium, nonreactive bowl, combine the oyster sauce, Thai seasoning, black soy sauce and sugar, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Coat the chicken with 1/4 cup of the sauce and let stand for 5 minutes to marinate. Reserve the remaining sauce.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over high until it shimmers. Crack the eggs into the pan and cook until the whites begin to set and the yolks harden, breaking them slightly. They’re not scrambled in pieces but should look more like a broken omelet. Add the marinated chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is opaque, about 2 minutes.

Add the tofu, onion and garlic, and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, gai lan and scallions, and stir until combined. Stir in the white pepper. (I pre-steamed the broccoli for about 5 minutes prior to using.)

Blanch the drained rice noodles in the boiling water for 10 to 15 seconds. Drain the noodles, transfer them to the skillet and stir together. Drizzle in as much of the remaining oyster-soy sauce as desired, adjusting to taste (and keeping in mind that the sauce will reduce and intensify as it heats), and cook, stirring, until the sauce deepens in color and the noodles are tender, about 2 minutes.

Transfer to a platter and then garnish with fried garlic and white pepper, and serve immediately with a side of prik nam som.

Ground white pepper is something I use a lot, and I also keep a white pepper grinder for freshly ground.

Well this Thai dish is outstanding, and I especially loved the prik nam som with it. Fried garlic I’m not fond of, which is why I don’t brown or fry fresh garlic.

I didn’t have any Thai beer, so I used a Korean “vodka” called Jinro (soju) in my sake cups!

To make prik nam som, combine 1 cup distilled white vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a 16-ounce lidded glass jar. Cover and shake until the sugar is fully dissolved. Add 6 sliced large garlic cloves and 4 sliced large serrano chiles, then cover and shake again to combine. Store in the refrigerator overnight. Serve at room temperature. (The vinegar will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.)

To make fried garlic and garlic oil, combine 1/2 cup chopped garlic and 2 cups neutral oil in a saucepan over medium heat and cook until the garlic starts to bubble, about 5 minutes. Then increase the heat to high and cook until the garlic starts to dance around and turn a pale golden color, about another 2 minutes. Quickly use a fine-mesh strainer to remove the garlic before it burns and transfer to a paper towel. Sprinkle the crispy garlic with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cool completely. One can save the oil, the garlic, and also the oil with some garlic for a bonus garnish.