I’ve only recently discovered Thai noodle dishes. I’ve always avoided them in favour of saucy curries, but now I know what I was missing. My favourite is probably Pad Kee Mao or Drunken Noodles, but it has too much chilli for the kids. Pad See Ew on the other hand is mild and sweet – just the kind of food that kids love.
Pad See Ew is usually made with some form of protein such as pork or tofu, but I’m perfectly happy with just veggies and egg. Egg is often substituted for meat in my house. This dish can be made with whatever seasonal veggies you have on hand. Tonight it was asparagus, spring onion, mushrooms and tuscan kale. It should have also been cauliflower and sugar snap peas, but I forgot them on the other side of the kitchen bench.
Pad See Ew with seasonal veggies
500g fresh rice noodles (found in the fridge of asian grocers)
Oil with a high smoke point (I used rice bran)
As many fresh veggies as you like
Sweet soy sauce
Fish sauce (or light soy)
Rice vinegar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Microwave the rice noodles for 1 minute to heat slightly. This makes them easier to separate.
They come packed tightly in a plastic tub, so separate them into rough strips one sheet thick so they cook evenly.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok over high heat and cook the eggs into a rough omelette and set the omelette aside.
Return the pan to high heat and once it is smoking add any non-leafy veggies. In my case I added the white parts of spring onions (shallots), asparagus spears and the mushrooms. When they start to colour well add a little fish sauce (or light soy if you are a stickler for the vegetarian thing). Add the leafy veggies and a little more fish sauce. Once the leafy veggies have wilted, remove all the veggies into a separate bowl.
Return the pan to high heat and add a few more tablespoons of oil to the pan. Once it’s smoking add half of the noodles, spread out evenly over the cooking surface. Let them rest there for a few seconds to colour before starting to toss them around to cooker further. Add a tablespoon of sweet soy, stir and remove from the pan. Repeat with the second batch of noodles.
Combine all the ingredients back into the pan, including the omelette (broken up into pieces). Season with a splash of rice vinegar and taste for seasonings. You may need to add more sweet soy, fish sauce or vinegar.
Serve as-is to the kids, or with your favourite chilli sauce or sambal to grown-ups.
I have a terrible habit of breaking Linda’s rules for the Tuesday Night Vego challenge. This recipe is fast and seasonal, but fails the healthy test. There is quite a bit of oil in this one, but it’s a great way of increasing the veggie consumption in the kids.
500m2 in Sydney 