Pad See Ew

This is one of my favorite dishes to order whenever I go out to a Thai restaurant. Who knew it were so easy to prepare at home? I think the key to this one is a stove/wok that can get super hot so that you can get a nice charring on the noodles. The rest of the preparation is pretty easy; it's just a bunch of chopping, really. This serves 3-4 people.

Main ingredients:

1 lb. fresh flat rice noodles

2 eggs

9 oz. of Chinese broccoli (or as much as you want to have in the dish)

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

2-3 tbsp cooking oil

1 tbsp of thick soy sauce (or light if you have that; thick's for color)

1 tbsp of fish sauce (add more to taste if you wish)

1 tbsp of rice vinegar

Meat marinade ingredients:

0.75 lb of meat (chicken, pork, etc. - we used beef flap meat)

1/2 tbsp of fish sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp dark sesame oil

Instuctions:

1. Cut meat into bite-sized pieces. Combine in a bowl with marinade ingredients. Set aside.

2. Wash and chop up the Chinese broccoli. Separate the stem parts from the leafy portions as they’ll require different cooking times. The leafs can be cut into big pieces as they’ll cook down quite a bit.

3. Heat the wok on the highest heat setting. When the pan is hot, add the cooking oil. Throw in the broccoli stems and toss quickly in the hot pan for a few seconds. Add the leafy parts and the fish sauce. Toss again quickly until the leafy parts are wilted. Transfer the broccoli onto a plate and set aside.

4. Set the wok back on the burner and let it heat up. Add more cooking oil, making sure to coat the wok bottom completely (to avoid burning the noodles). Throw in the noodles; stir to ensure the noodles are coated with oil. Add the thick soy sauce and a few splashes of fish sauce. Continue stirring to distribute the sauce. Add more oil if the noodles get stuck to the pan. Spread the noodles around the wok to maximize contact with the heat and to get some charring on the noodles. When the noodles are done, transfer them to a plate and set aside. Scrape the wok to get all the burnt bits out.

5. Set the wok back on the burner and heat it up. Add some more cooking oil followed by the garlic. Stir it around for a few seconds before adding the marinated meat. Stir it around to distribute the heat, and when the meat is done cooking, push the meat to a side of the wok and crack the egg in the cleared space. Let the egg set for a few seconds and then stir everything together quickly. (You could also scramble the egg separately before adding everything back in for the next step.)

6. Toss the broccoli back into the wok. Stir quickly to mix, then throw in the cooked noodles. Mix well. Add fish sauce and/or soy sauce to taste. Add the tablespoon of rice vinegar and some pepper. Stir well. Serve.