Simple delicious Thai beef pad see ew recipe made with flat wide rice noodles, tender juicy beef, gai lan or choy sum leaves and savoury authentic sauce. One of the most popular Thai rice noodle dishes that every family member will love! It's so fast and easy to make at home and ready in 30 minutes!
If you love Thai stir-fried noodles with different flavours, Spicy Drunken Noodles ( Pad Kee Mao ) and Pad Thai are our readers' favourite recipes you don't want to miss!
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What is Pad See Ew?
' Pad See Ew ' is called ' ผัดซีอิ้ว ' in Thai and it means stir-fried soy sauce noodle. It is a Chinese-influenced popular Thai street food rice noodle dish. A perfect combination of protein, noodles, vegetables, and savoury sauce.
Pad See Eww is originally a Chinese rice noodle dish but is adapted to Thai taste and flavour. Very similar to Chinese Chow Fun, Thai Drunken Noodles ( Pad Ke Mao ), and Malaysian/Singaporean Char Kway Teow which are also made with flat wide rice noodles, a choice of protein meat or seafood, veggies, and savoury sauce. Only a few sauces, vegetables, and chillies vary.
It is not a surprise that this delicious chewy fried rice noodle is one of the most popular street foods in Thailand besides Pad Thai and Khao Pad. Nowadays, it’s commonly eaten not only in Thailand but also around the world. It’s also available at most Thai and Oriental Asian restaurants in Europe, the UK, the US, Australia and across the world.
Ingredients and substitutes
Flat rice noodles - Flat wide rice noodle is the main ingredient in making this dish. You can either you fresh or dried flat rice noodles.
Thai flat rice noodle is called Sen Yai and is widely known as Hor Fun noodles in Chinese. I usually use dried rice noodles which I can always buy at local supermarkets or grocery stores. Fresh wide rice noodles are only available at Chinese grocery stores here in the UK.
Protein Choice - Use your choice of flank steak, rump, sirloin, flank, rib-eye, etc. I love to cook pad see ew with beef but you can substitute with chicken, pork, prawns/shrimp, squid, boneless fish meats, or mixed seafood!
Egg - The fluffy fried scrambled egg is ideal for this recipe.
Vegetables - Use gai lan/kai lan ( Chinese broccoli ), choy sum, boy choy, pak choy, or tenderstem broccoli ( broccolini ).
Pad se ew sauce - You will need 4 essential stir fry sauces, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and fish sauce. Add sugar to balance out the sweet and saltiness flavour.
Expert tips
- Preparing dried rice stick - You can also cook the noodles in hot boiling water for 6-8 minutes then rinse with cold water. Drizzle 1 tbsp of vegetable oil over the noodles and toss it well to prevent it from sticking.
- Rice noodle boiling time - Please be aware that cooking time can be varied according to the different brands and types of rice stick you use. Make sure not to overcook the noodles. My tips is to boil 1-2 minutes less then packet instructions because you are going to cook it again in the with sauces.
- Fresh rice noodles tips - If you use fresh rice noodles you might want to loosen up the noodles by heating it 1-2 minutes in the microwave or submerging in the warm water for 4-5 minutes.
- Love Wok Hei? - If you love the charred breath of wok ' Wok Hei ', you need to use high heat traditional well-seasoned high heat wok.
- Suggest to add all of the stir fry sauces without missing or skipping one in order to achieve the authentic Thai flavour. The sauces used in this recipe can be easily bought at local supermarkets, Asian grocery stores, or Amazon online.
How to make beef pad see ew
- First, soak the dried rice stick in the hot water for 15-20 minutes. Then drain the water out and rinse with cold water. Or you can prepare by the packet instructions.
- Cut the beef into thin slices against the grain. Marinate with light soy sauce, corn starch, and cooking oil. Set it aside.
- Chop up the vegetables and combine the stir fry sauce ingredients in small bowl. Whisk it well until sugar dissolves.
- Heat the large wok or pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle 1 tbsp of oil and fry the eggs and scramble them into small pieces. Remove from wok and set it aside.
- In the same wok, drizzle 3 tbsp of oil. Add the marinated beef slices and sear one side for 2-3 minutes then filp the beef and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes. Add chopped garlic and stir it well for a few seconds until fragrant.
- Add choy sum stem parts and toss it well for a few seconds and follow with the leaves.
- Next, add the rice noodles and pour the sauce mixture in. Bring to heat to high. Combine everything well and continue stir fry until the sauce is absorbed and noodles become glossy.
- Place the scrambled eggs in and make a quick toss. Transfer to serving plate and serve immediately.
How to serve this dish?
This dish is delicious on it's own but I love to add some Thai chilli dipping ( Prik Nam Pla ) for a kick of heat. Pair this dish with a bowl of spicy Thai soup, Tom Yum Soup, Tom Ka and Thai spring rolls or Spicy Thai Wings and make it a complete dinner.
Most asked questions
Pad See Ew is a bit different from Pad Thai in both recipe and taste, while Pad Thai goes to sweet, tangy, and nutty side, Pad See Ew goes for savoury salty side more. Pad Thai is cooked with narrow or medium rice stick while Pad See Ew is made with broader wide rice stick.
Beef pad see ew consists of tender beef slices, chewy charred rice noodles, tender-crisp green vegetables and it has a salty, savoury, umami taste.
You can swap beef with firm tofu, mushroom, or vegan meat and substitute oyster sauce with vegetarian stir fry sauce ( mushroom sauce ). Add vegan fish sauce or use regular soy sauce instead of fish sauce.
Pad see ew is flash-fry and you need to cook in an large high-heat wok or pan. If you want to prepare for a big batch, you can prepare all the ingredients and sauces ahead. Then stir fry in separate small batches just right before serving.
If you have easy access to Thai soy sauces and fish sauce brands like Healthy Boy, Golden Mountain, or Maekura, you can use them. If you don't have Thai soy sauces, you can add your everyday Chinese light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce etc.
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📖 Recipe
Easy Beef Pad See Ew ( Stir Fried Thai Rice Noodles )
Equipment
- Large wok/pan/skillet
Ingredients
Beef and marinade
- 200 g Beef steak ( About 7oz ) flank steak, rump, sirloin, flank, rib-eye, etc. ( see details in note )
- 2 tsp Light soy sauce
- 2 tsp Corn starch or potato starch
- 2 tsp Cooking oil Vegetable, sunflower, canola oil, etc
Ingredients
- 100-120 gram Dried rice noodles ( 10mm wide ) Flat dried rice noodles or 300 grams fresh rice noodles ( see details in note )
- 3-4 stalk Choy sum ( mustard leaves ) Chinese broccoli, gai lan/gai lan, pak choy, bok choy, tenderstem broccoli
- 2 Eggs
- Salt to taste
- 3-4 cloves Garlic
- 3-4 tbsp Cooking oil
Pad see ew sauce
- 3 tbsp Oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 2 tsp Sugar
Instructions
- First, soak the dried rice stick in the hot water for 15 minutes. Then drain the water out and rinse with cold water. ( Or you can prepare by the packet instructions. )
- Cut the beef into thin slices against the grain. Marinate with light soy sauce, corn starch, and cooking oil. Set it aside for 10-15 minutes.
- Chop up the vegetables and set them aside. Combine the stir fry sauce ingredients in small bowl. Whisk it well until sugar dissolves.
- Heat the large wok or pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle 1 tbsp of oil and fry the eggs and scramble them into small pieces. Remove from wok and set it aside.
- In the same wok, drizzle 3 tbsp of oil. Add the marinated beef slices and sear one side for 2-3 minutes then filp the beef and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add chopped garlic and stir it well for a few seconds until fragrant. Add choy sum stem parts and toss it well for a few seconds and follow with the leaves.
- Next, add the rice noodles and pour the sauce mixture in. Bring to heat to high. Combine everything well and continue stir fry until the sauce is absorbed and noodles become glossy.
- Place the scrambled eggs in and make a quick toss. Transfer to serving plate and serve immediately.
Notes
- Protein choice - instead of beef you can add chicken, prawns, shrimp, pork, etc.
- Marinade - marinating is the key to achieve the tender beef result. If you use cheaper beef cut you can also add ½ tsp of baking soda in the beef marinade to tenderize the meat.
- Boiling dried rice stick- Boil 1-2 minutes less than packet instructions to prevent it from overcooked. After boiling, rinse them in cold water.
- If you use fresh rice noodles make sure to loosen up the noodles before adding in the stir fry. Heat them in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or add in the warm water for 4-5 minutes. This makes easier to loosen the noodles.
- What type of wok to use? You can use traditional carbon steel, cast ion, or non-stick wok of your choice. If you wish to taste like a restaurants or authentic streetfood style charred flavour, use seasoned carbon steel wok, cast ion pan or skillet. If you prefer fast and easy clean up you can use your everyday non-stick wok/pan.
- Do not recommend cooking in big batch and do not overcrowd the pan. Fry with small batches to spread out enough heat to all ingredients.
Jodie says
I made this last night; well, kind of
I used chicken, doubled the sauce & added lots of vegetables. It was amazing
Thank you
ILARIA LANERI says
Amazing, just a bit salty. I’ll put a bit less soya next time xx
Nenette Milana says
Easy recipe to follow. I doubled the recipe because I love pad see ew. Always my favorite to order at Thai restaurant. The beef was salty for my taste so probably adjust the amount of marinate next time. Overall pretty good. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Khin says
So glad that you enjoyed it, Nenette. Thanks for taking the time and sharing your feedback.
Tan ku says
I love Thai food. This pad see eww recipe is easy and simple to make. I used to eat this noodles dish at street food stall in night market. Thank you so much for this recipe. I will try it for sure.