Velvet Pork Pad See Ew with Wok-Charred Noodles

Method

1. Slice the pork 3 mm thick against the grain, add the light soy, cornstarch and water and massage for 1 minute until the liquid is absorbed, then stir in the oil to coat and leave for 15 min. This velveting keeps the meat juicy even over fierce heat.

   Add in this stepPork shoulder, thinly sliced 200 gLight soy sauce (for velveting) 2 tspCornstarch (for velveting) 2 tspWater (for velveting) 2 tbspNeutral oil (for velveting) 1 tsp

2. Peel the fresh noodles apart and toss them with part of the dark soy and a little of the oil so every strand is coated brown. Pre-coated noodles don't clump in the wok and their surface caramelises.

   Add in this stepWide fresh rice noodles (sen yai) 400 gDark soy sauce (or Thai sweet dark soy) 2.4 tspPeanut oil (or neutral oil) 0.4 tbsp

3. Stir the rest of the dark soy with the light soy, oyster sauce, palm sugar and soybean paste until the sugar dissolves. For the chilli vinegar, slice the chillies thinly into the vinegar. Cut the gai lan into stems and leaves and mince the garlic.

   Add in this stepDark soy sauce (or Thai sweet dark soy) 3.6 tspLight soy sauce (for the sauce) 3 tspOyster sauce 4 tspPalm sugar (or brown sugar) 2 tspThai fermented soybean paste (tao jiao) or miso 1 tspWhite vinegar (for the chilli vinegar) 3 tbspBird's eye chillies (for the chilli vinegar) 2

4. Heat a 32 cm · 1× wok (the number after × is how many batches; with 2, halve everything) on high heat until smoking, add some oil and lay the pork in a single layer. Leave it for 2 min until golden underneath, flip, and when almost cooked tip it onto a plate.

   Add in this stepPeanut oil (or neutral oil) 1 tbsp

   high heat

5. Add a little more oil, half the garlic, the gai lan stems and 1 tablespoon of water, stir-fry, then add the leaves and cook for 2 min until still crisp; set aside.

   Add in this stepPeanut oil (or neutral oil) 0.4 tbspGarlic cloves 2Chinese broccoli (gai lan) or broccolini 200 g

6. Add more oil, fry the rest of the garlic for 10 seconds, crack in the eggs and leave them for 45 sec until the edges puff and crisp, then break into large pieces.

   Add in this stepPeanut oil (or neutral oil) ¾ tbspGarlic cloves 2Eggs 2

7. Add the remaining oil and the noodles, spread them out and pour the sauce around the edge of the wok so it sizzles and reduces. Leave untouched for 2 min to char, turn over in big folds and char for the same time again, then return the pork and gai lan and toss lightly.

   Add in this stepPeanut oil (or neutral oil) 1 tbsp

8. Plate, sprinkle with white pepper and serve with the chilli vinegar. In Thai style you can also put out sugar and chilli flakes so everyone adjusts their own plate.

   Add in this stepWhite pepper 1 pinch