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Home Cuisines Thai Recipes

Pad See Ew (Thai Stir Fried Noodles)

By:Nagi
Published:28 Oct '21Updated:30 Apr '25
935 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Pad See Ew – the popular Thai stir fried noodles straight from the streets of Thailand made at home! While Pad Thai is sweeter and nuttier, Pad See Ew is salty, balanced with a touch of sour and a wonderful chargrilled flavour which you can create at home!

This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!

Close up of Pad See Ew noodles on a plate with chopsticks, ready to be eaten

Pad See Ew

Pad See Ew, which means “stir fried soy sauce noodles”, is an extremely popular Thai street food meal and one of the most popular noodles dishes at Thai restaurants here in Australia.

Making a great Pad See Ew at home simply comes down to two things:

  1. The right sauce. Basic recipes online will instruct you to use little more than just soy sauce and sugar. It takes a little more than that!

  2. Caramelising the noodles – Getting a little caramelisation on the noodles makes all the difference between an “ok” and “wow, it’s JUST like you get at restaurants!”.

    The trick? Remove the stir fry ingredients. Cook the noodles with sauce separately. Less stuff in the wok (or skillet) = easier to caramelise the noodles. At least, at home. If you’ve got a giant restaurant wok burner, you don’t need to do the noodles separately!

Chopsticks pulling up Pad See Ew

What goes in Pad See Ew

I can’t remember where I originally got the recipe from. Probably from David Thompson, the famous Australian chef who has dedicated his life to mastering the art of Thai cooking. I’ve made it so many times over the years, I can almost make it with my eyes closed. (Not really….but you know what I mean!)

So I had to actually measure the ingredients properly to share the recipe!

1. Pad See Ew Sauce ingredients

Pad See Ew has a sweet-savoury-touch-of-sour flavour, and this is made with a combination of the following ingredients:

Ingredients in Pad See Ew sauce
  • Dark soy sauce – For flavour and staining the noodles a dark brown.

  • Ordinary or light soy sauce – For seasoning (salt) and a bit of flavour. Most of the flavour comes from the oyster sauce and dark soy sauce. More on different soy sauces and when you can substitute with what in this About Soy Sauces post.

  • Oyster sauce – Key ingredient, it’s like 10 difference sauces mixed up in one bottle!

  • Vinegar – To balance the sweet and savoury. Some form of sour is a key ingredient in South East Asian cooking!

  • Sugar – For sweetness.


2. Pad See Ew ingredients

And here are the other ingredients for Pad See Ew:

Ingredients in Pad See Ew
  • Noodles – Pad See Ew is traditionally made with Sen Yai, which are wide, thin fresh rice noodles that are not easily accessible. Even most Asian stores in Sydney do not sell them – you usually need to go to a Thai grocery store.

    So it is perfectly acceptable, and just as delicious, to make them with any wide flat rice noodles. I use dried rice noodles labelled as “Pad Thai” Rice Noodles (pictured below) because they are the widest available at the supermarket.

    Once rehydrated, they’re essentially Sen Yai Noodles – just not quite as wide.

  • Chinese Broccoli / Gai Lan – This is a key authentic ingredient in Pad See Ew. Otherwise known as Gai Lan or Kai lan, it’s leafy and looks quite different to broccoli, but you’ll notice a similarity in the texture of the stems (hence the name).

    If you can’t find it, just sub with other Asian greens, or a combination of broccoli or broccolini + spinach.

  • Chicken and egg – Feel free to use other proteins if you wish. But chicken is by far the most popular.


How to make Thai Stir Fried Noodles

Usually when making stir fried noodles, we toss everything together in one big pan or a wok.

But for Pad See Ew made at home, I do things differently to best replicate a restaurant flavour and minimise noodle breakage:

  1. Cook chicken and vegetables first, then remove

  2. Add noodles and sauce, toss to caramelise (just 15 seconds), then add chicken and vegetables back in.

Reason: A signature flavour in Pad See Ew is the caramelisation of the noodles. Restaurants and street vendors achieve this with super powered gas stoves with fiery heat that you’ll never find in a home kitchen.  The only way to replicate that caramelisation on the noodles on a home kitchen stove is to declutter the wok and cook the noodles separately – the noodles will caramelise in 15 seconds.

The other reason is that rice noodles break if you toss them too much. Doing the two-stage toss makes it much easier and faster to disperse the sauce and bring the Pad See Ew together.

Trust me on this point. I’ve made a LOT of Pad See Ew at home in my time, and the two-stage toss it the easiest and most effective technique!

How to make the best Pad See Ew at home
  1. Garlic, chicken and Chinese broccoli STEMS first – Using either a wok or large skillet set over high heat, heat the oil then sauté the garlic until it goes light golden. Add the chicken then once it mostly changes from pink to white, add the Chinese broccoli stems which take longer to cook than the leafy part.

    Once the chicken is cooked (it should only take 2 to 3 minutes), toss the Chinese broccoli leaves in and cook for 30 seconds or so just until wilted.

  2. Push everything to the side to make room to scramble the eggs on the side. This is the traditional Thai way of scrambling eggs in Pad See Ew!

  3. Crack egg straight into the wok.

  4. Scramble egg – Then mix to scramble it. Speed is of the essence here – we want scrambled egg not a sunny side up egg!

How to make the best Pad See Ew at home
  1. Empty wok – Remove the chicken and vegetables onto plate. As mentioned above, the best way to cook Pad See Ew at home is to cook the noodles separately so we can get some nice caramelisation on them. If we don’t do this, then the noodles just stew instead of caramelising.

  2. Add noodles and sauce into the wok.

  3. Toss quickly for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes until the sauce is dispersed throughout the noodles and you see some caramelisation on the edges.

    PRO TIP: You want to be quick here because the longer and more you toss, the more noodle breakage you have. You’ll notice restaurants typically toss the noodles in the wok without using a wooden spoon or other tool for stirring – this too helps to minimise noodle breakage.

    A note on Noodle Breakage – That said, you WILL get some noodle breakage, and that is normal / perfectly acceptable. Ever notice how the wide, flat noodles in Pad See Ew served at Thai restaurants are not long strands? That’s just the way it is. In fact, traditionally, Pad See Ew is served in Thailand with a FORK or spoon instead of noodles for ease of eating.

  4. Add chicken and veg back in – Once the noodles are caramelised, add the chicken and vegetables back in. Give it a quick toss just to disperse, then serve!

Pad See Ew in a wok, fresh off the stove

As with all stir fries, once you start cooking, it moves very fast! So have everything prepared and ready to throw into the wok because there’s not time to be scrambling around the kitchen!

If you want to add a fresh side, try this Asian Slaw – it’s a great all rounder that goes with all Asian foods. – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!

Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Close up of Pad See Ew - Thai Stir Fried Noodles on a plate, ready to be eaten

Pad See Ew – Thai Stir Fried Noodles

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 8 minutes mins
Cook: 10 minutes mins
Total: 18 minutes mins
Noodles, Stir Fry
Thai
4.90 from 332 votes
Servings2 – 3 people
Tap or hover to scale
Print
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Recipe video above. Pad See Ew (which means Stir Fried Soy Sauce noodles) is one of the most popular Thai street foods. Traditionally made with Sen Yai which are wide, thin rice noodles which are not that easy to come by. So use dried rice noodles instead – I've eaten enough Pad See Ew at Thai restaurants to assure you that there is no compromise on flavour!
KEY TIP FOR SUCCESS: Cook the chicken separately from the noodles. Home stoves are no match for the fierce heat of restaurant and street vendor burners. You have to cook separately to get caramelisation on the noodles which is key for authentic flavour. If you don't, the noodles will just stew and your dish will lack flavour!

Ingredients

Noodles

  • 200g / 7 oz dried wide rice stick noodles , or 15 oz / 450g fresh wide flat rice noodles (Sen Yai) (Note 1)

Sauce

  • 2 tsp dark soy sauce (Note 2)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce (or all purpose, Note 3)
  • 2 tsp white vinegar (plain white vinegar)
  • 2 tsp sugar (any type)

Stir Fry

  • 3 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil , separated
  • 2 cloves garlic cloves, very finely chopped
  • 1 cup / 150g / 5oz chicken thighs (boneless, skinless), sliced (Note 4)
  • 1 large egg
  • 4 stems Chinese broccoli (Note 5)
Prevent screen from sleeping

Instructions

Preparation:

  • Chinese Broccoli – trim ends, cut into 7.5cm/3" pieces. Separate leaves from stems. Cut thick stems in half vertically so they're no wider than 0.8cm / 0.3" thick.
  • Noodles – Prepare according to packet directions and drain. Time it so they’re cooked just before using – do not leave cooked rice noodles lying around, they break in the wok.
  • Sauce – Mix ingredients until sugar dissolves.

Cooking:

  • Heat oil: Heat 1 tbsp oil in a very large heavy based skillet or wok over high heat.
  • Cook garlic and chicken: Add garlic, cook 15 seconds. Add chicken, cook until it mostly changes from pink to white.
  • Chinese broccoli STEMS: Add Chinese broccoli stems, cook until chicken is almost cooked through.
  • Chinese broccoli LEAVES: Add Chinese broccoli leaves, cook until just wilted.
  • Scramble egg: Push everything to one side, crack egg in and scramble.
  • REMOVE chicken from wok: Remove everything in the wok onto a plate (scrape wok clean).
  • Caramelise noodles: Return wok to stove, heat 2 tbsp oil over high heat until it starts smoking (HOT is key!). Add noodles and Sauce. Toss as few times as possible to disperse Sauce and make edges of noodles caramelise – about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.
  • Add chicken back in: Quickly add chicken and veg back in, and toss to disperse. Serve immediately!

Recipe Notes:

1. Noodles – Pad See Ew is traditionally made with Sen Yai fresh rice noodles which are wide, flat rice noodles. These are hard to handle and quite difficult to find, even at Asian grocery stores – you need to go to a Thai grocery store.
Easiest to use wide, dried rice stick noodles. I use Pad Thai noodles, the widest you can find at supermarkets.
Fresh rice noodle – Feel free to use, follow the directions in Char Kway Teow to prepare the rice noodles for cooking.
Other noodles – can be made with other noodles, fresh or dried, rice or egg noodles. However, I do not recommend using vermicelli as it is too thin for the strong flavours of the sauce.
2. Dark soy sauce has a stronger flavour than ordinary and light soy sauce, and stains the noodles brown. Can sub with ordinary soy, but noodles won’t be as dark and flavour will be slightly less strong.
3. Light soy sauce – Do not substitute with more dark soy sauce, the flavour is too intense. More on different types of soy sauces here.
4. Chicken – You can substitute the chicken with other proteins suitable for stir frying, even tofu or prawns.
5. Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan, kai lan)If you can’t find Chinese broccoli, you can substitute with other leafy Chinese vegetables such as pak choy or bok choy. Or use broccolini – cut them in half lengthwise.
6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 3 servings.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 260gCalories: 510cal (26%)Carbohydrates: 73.4g (24%)Protein: 25.1g (50%)Fat: 13.2g (20%)Saturated Fat: 2g (13%)Cholesterol: 105mg (35%)Sodium: 406mg (18%)Potassium: 169mg (5%)Fiber: 1.6g (7%)Sugar: 2.9g (3%)Vitamin A: 9600IU (192%)Vitamin C: 75.1mg (91%)Calcium: 40mg (4%)Iron: 1.4mg (8%)
Keywords: Pad see ew, Thai stir fried noodles
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

Originally published 2014, updated 2016. Updated over the course of the years with improved photos, the addition of ingredients and process photos as well as a recipe video. Recipe also updated with a more effective cooking method – cooking the ingredients in two batches. No change to ingredients, but yields a better caramelisation and easier to cook – read in post for explanation.

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

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935 Comments

  1. Rebecca says

    May 30, 2025 at 8:42 am

    4 stars
    I wondered if the amount of noodles required could be wrong for this recipe? I also had to double the sauce as it was dry and I note it says it serves two, with the 200g of noodles I added we had 4 servings🤷‍♀️

    Reply
  2. Janelle says

    May 26, 2025 at 10:04 am

    5 stars
    I didn’t have exactly what I needed on hand. Used broccoli rabe from the garden, and chicken breasts from our pastured birds, and still came out delicious. I would double the sauce and cut my chicken even smaller so the chicken can hold more of the sauce. I also love veggies so I’d add more broccoli. Delicious nonetheless and I’ll make it again with doubling the sauce.

    Reply
  3. Kathy from Minneapolis says

    April 20, 2025 at 11:01 am

    3 stars
    I would have to say meh. My husband loved it though. My noodles were not dark like the photo. Some said you should double the sauce and that might have helped. It didn’t have the depth that I wanted and probably because the noodles didn’t caramelize enough. The recipe said to caramelize the noodles for 1 1/2 minutes, but I think it should have been a lot longer and that is probably where it went wrong. I would also add a lot more vegetables. Nagi, how do you know it’s caramelized enough?

    Reply
  4. C says

    March 14, 2025 at 6:14 pm

    Oh Nagi, my timer didn’t make a sound for my noodles… so they were so overcooked. Not the recipes fault though, the flavour was really good and i’ll definitely make again.

    Reply
  5. Kathy says

    February 12, 2025 at 2:08 pm

    5 stars
    My weeknight try at this recipe used some mods due to what I had on hand, but the result was so tasty. Thank you, Nagi for another win!!!

    Reply
  6. Leecia says

    January 30, 2025 at 10:54 pm

    5 stars
    So so good, so easy, no fuss

    Reply
  7. Sue says

    December 5, 2024 at 1:16 am

    4 stars
    Delicious and very tasty but I used the wide rice stick noodles and they completely fell apart even after soaking them for a few hours as suggested in the comments. Not sure I will make it again.

    Reply
  8. Sam says

    November 3, 2024 at 4:22 pm

    5 stars
    Fantastic recipe, the sauce tastes amazing!

    Reply
  9. M says

    October 30, 2024 at 1:51 pm

    5 stars
    Such an amazing recipe! Have made this so many times now. Even my 4 year old loves it so much. He’s so excited for dinner tonight 🍜. Thanks for another great recipe, Nagi!

    Reply
  10. Benjamin Zuckerman says

    October 26, 2024 at 4:22 pm

    5 stars
    Fabulous. I made it tonight as part of a Thai dinner, and the sauce was PERFECT. Fortunately I can get fresh rice noodles quite easily here in Southern California. I highly recommend this recipe!

    Reply
  11. Noush says

    October 7, 2024 at 2:27 pm

    5 stars
    Another fabulous recipe! I used coconut aminos instead of the soy sauces and konjac noodles and it still tasted amazing. I might try doubling the sauce next time – it is very moreish!

    Reply
  12. Kiera says

    September 18, 2024 at 10:58 am

    This is so so good! I would definitely double the sauce next time. It’s going to be a regular in our house!

    Reply
  13. Becki says

    September 4, 2024 at 5:24 am

    This is a dish i absolutely LOVE. I’m hoping it’ll work with ground chicken or pork as I’m going to make it while rustic camping with limited shopping and trying to cut down on prep time

    Reply
  14. Micheal says

    September 3, 2024 at 8:36 am

    5 stars
    10000/10!!! Phenomenal dish, I use 900g fresh noodles with 2x sauce and 1 lb velveted top sirloin beef. If using beef, look into how to velvet it to really make it melt in your mouth good. Highly highly recommend for anyone on the fence to give this one a try. I scoop my ingredients one 1 by 1 into a large bowl to keep my large skillet nice and hot, then combine everything together at the end. This was my first Nagi recipe and I was blown away by how balanced and umami packed the sauce was. Made 3x in 3 weeks. Make it as written and you will not be disappointed

    Reply
  15. Mikela says

    August 17, 2024 at 2:39 pm

    5 stars
    This is such a perfect recipe! It’s on high rotation in our whare – so easy and great for a Friday night ‘fakeaway’. We use normal broccoli and always works out great.

    Reply
  16. Kristen Greazel says

    August 3, 2024 at 10:42 pm

    5 stars
    My family LOVED this recipe! Thank you!

    Reply
  17. Cath says

    July 19, 2024 at 8:21 am

    5 stars
    Flavours of this is awesome. Definitely needed more sauce – thanks to the other reviewers for the tip!

    Reply
  18. Dyane Lesch says

    July 11, 2024 at 2:25 am

    Wow, Nagi. So glad to see you tried biltong. Poor Dozer, chilli biltong can be so spicy; I hope his tummy was okay. Plain biltong would have been easier fir him to eat. From a South African.

    Reply
  19. Claire says

    June 30, 2024 at 6:24 pm

    5 stars
    Yum! My husband said to write and thank you Nagi for yet another delicious dinner.
    Loved how the noodles slurped up all the goodness of the sauce. Will make again.

    Reply
  20. Sally says

    June 18, 2024 at 8:30 pm

    5 stars
    This has become a regular dinner in our household now! I tripled the sauce ratio as I prefer it saucy 🤤

    Reply
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