Pad See Ew (Thai Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Soy)
Thailand's street-food favourite: wide fresh rice noodles charred in sweet dark soy with egg, chicken and Chinese broccoli, smoky and gently sweet.
Method
If the fresh noodles are stiff from the fridge, microwave them for 30 to 60 seconds or rinse briefly in warm water and drain, then peel them apart. Slice the chicken 3 mm thin and mix with the soy sauce and cornstarch. Cut the gai lan stems diagonally into 4 cm pieces (halve thick ones) and keep the leaves separate. Mince the garlic.
Add in this stepChicken thighs 200 gLight soy sauce (for marinating) 2 tspCornstarch (for marinating) 1 tsp
Mix the dark soy, light soy, oyster sauce and sugar in a small bowl. For the chilli vinegar, slice the chillies thinly into the vinegar. Once you start cooking there's no time to stop, so line everything up beside the stove.
Add in this stepDark soy sauce (or Thai sweet dark soy) 4 tspLight soy sauce (for the sauce) 4 tspOyster sauce 4 tspSugar 2 tspWhite vinegar (for the chilli vinegar) 3 tbspBird's eye chillies (for the chilli vinegar) 2
Heat a 32 cm · 1× wok (the number after × is how many batches; with 2, split everything in half and cook twice) on high heat until smoking, add the oil, fry the garlic for 10 seconds, then spread in the chicken and stir-fry for until no longer pink.
Add in this stepNeutral oil 1¼ tbspGarlic cloves 3
high heatAdd the gai lan stems first with 1 tablespoon of water, then the leaves, and stir-fry for more until the leaves are bright green and wilted.
Add in this stepChinese broccoli (gai lan) or broccolini 160 g
Push everything to one side, add a little oil to the empty space, crack in the eggs and scramble for until almost set, then mix with the rest.
Add in this stepNeutral oil ½ tbspEggs 2
Add the noodles and the remaining oil, pour the sauce over, spread the noodles out and leave them for so the bottom chars slightly. Turn them over in big folds with a wide spatula and char for the same time again. Lift and fold rather than stir so the noodles don't break.
Add in this stepWide fresh rice noodles (sen yai), or soaked wide dried rice noodles 400 gNeutral oil ¾ tbsp
Plate, sprinkle with white pepper and serve with the chilli vinegar to splash over to taste.
Add in this stepWhite pepper 1 pinch
Cook's tip
High heat and a wide wok are the key: a crowded pan steams instead of frying, so always cook 3 or more servings in batches. Dark soy adds colour and sweetness but little salt, so don't mix it up with light soy. Thinly sliced pork shoulder works well too.
Cooking it at camp
Camp burners are weaker, so cook one serving at a time in a cast-iron pan or wok and use enough oil that the noodles don't stick. Bring the sauce and chilli vinegar in jars, and slice and marinate the chicken at home and keep it in the cooler.