Pad see ew

Pad see ew is a standard lunch fare among Thais and is very popular here in the US. My sister's favorite too. It is not difficult to make and tastes great.

As kids, we loved pad see ew. It is a comfort food; nice and warm. Normally people make it spicier at the table (not in the wok) by adding red pepper sauce.

2 Servings

1	tablespoon	sugar
1/2	cup	pork, thinly sliced
2	tablespoons	light soy sauce
2	cloves	garlic, chopped
1	lb	fresh flat rice noodles
1		egg
1	tablespoon	dark soy sauce
1	lb	Chinese brocco

If your fresh flat rice noodles are not pre-cut, cut them into strips of 3/4 inch wide. Cut Chinese broccoli into 2 inch long pieces. Halve the stems lengthwise because thick stems take longer to cook. You are going to want to cook them at the same time.

Heat a wok to high heat and then add 2 tablespoons of oil. Drop in the chopped garlic and stir. Add the sliced pork. Stir to cook the pork. When the pork is somewhat cooked or turned from pink to light brown, add rice noodles. Stir to break up the noodles. Add light and dark soy sauce and sugar.
Stir to mix the seasonings into the noodles and pork. Open a spot in the middle of the pan, and drop the egg in. Scramble the egg until it is almost all cooked (not watery any more). Fold in the noodles and mix them all. Add the Chinese broccoli, stems first. I usually add half of the Chinese broccoli and stir until it wilts and then add the rest. But if you have room in your wok, you can cook all the Chinese broccoli at once. As soon as the Chinese broccoli is cooked, turn off the heat.

Put on a serving plate and sprinkle white pepper on top. Serve with the usual noodles condiments; sugar, fish sauce, vinegar and dried ground pepper. I usually like mine with ground chili peppers and vinegar.

Pad see ew that you find in Thailand is little sweeter than mine because many street vendors add more sugar than I prefer.

Baked Shrimp in Clear Noodles - Goong Ob Woonsen

I remember goong ob woonsen from wedding banquets. Many Thai wedding banquets serve Chinese and Chinese influenced dishes like this one. It usually comes in a clay pot. It is always one of my favourites.

2 Servings

1	Teaspoon	Sugar
1 1/2	tablespoons	soy sauce
6		shrimp
		sesame oil
30		peppercorns
1		onion
1	tablespoon	ginger
1	clove	garlic
1	bundle	clear noodles
5-7	sprigs	cilantro

Tips and substitutions

Cilantro roots are actually used in this recipe, but cilantro is rarely sold with roots in the US. If you have some cilantro roots, do use a couple in place of cilantro sprigs. I use 6 large shrimp for this recipe. I don't devein the shrimp or peel the shell off. Whole shrimp with heads and shell give a wonderful presentation.

Soak clear noodles in hot water for 5-10 minutes. Snip the noodles into smaller and more manageable lengths so they are easier to serve.

Ground garlic, ginger, cilantro, pepper in a mortar or food processor. I like using my mortar because the peppercorns seem to escape the knife. Use a medium size onion. Peel and slice onion thin.

Heat up a tablespoon of oil in a wok over low heat. Add the ground ingredients and stir fry for a minute. Add onion and stir until the onion is tender then turn off the heat. Drain and add the clear noodles to the pan. A little water in the noodles is ok since it will keep the noodles soft when baking. Baking tends to take the moisture out of the noodles and the dish loses its taste if it becomes dry when baking. Add soy sauce, sugar,and a few drop of sesame oil. Mix well.

Warm up the oven to 400 degrees. Pour the noodle mixture into an oven-proof dish or clay pot. Add shrimp on top and cover. Bake for 20 minutes or until the shrimp is done.

Serve hot with rice.