Drunken noodles (pad kee mao)
Wide rice noodles stir-fried with chicken, garlic, fresh chiles and a big handful of Thai basil in a savory, peppery sauce. Thai takeout in 20 minutes.
- Prep
- 6 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Serves
- 2
- Per serve
- 760 kcal
Ingredients
Method
Boil a full kettle and, while it heats, slice the chicken, onion and bell pepper and chop the garlic and chiles. Put the dried noodles in a large heatproof bowl and cover with the boiling water. Soak, stirring now and then, until pliable but still firm in the center; they finish cooking in the wok. Carry on cooking while they soak.
Mix the oyster sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar and water in a small bowl.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Fry the garlic and chiles for 15 seconds, then add the chicken and stir-fry until cooked through with no pink inside.
Add the onion and bell pepper and stir-fry until just softened at the edges. Drain the noodles, rinse briefly with cold water, shake dry and toss with the remaining 1/2 tbsp oil.
Add the noodles and sauce and toss with tongs, letting them sit against the hot pan for a few seconds between tosses, until the noodles are soft, evenly brown and lightly charred in spots.
Turn off the heat, add the basil and white pepper and toss until the basil just wilts. Serve straight away.
Tips
- Fresh wide rice noodles (in the fridge at Asian grocers) are the takeout way: separate them gently and skip the soak.
- Pull the noodles from the soak while they still have a firm bite; soft noodles break up in the wok.
- For gluten-free, use tamari instead of soy sauce and dark soy, and a gluten-free oyster sauce and fish sauce.
