Recipe: Thai Noodles in Sweet Soy Sauce

Thai Noodles in Sweet Soy Sauce is somewhere between Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Maw) and Pad Ee Sew, a simpler street-food dish. What they have in common is an addictive sweet and sour sauce intensified through wok char. Makes 6 main dish servings or 10 as part of an assortment of dishes.

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 T grated ginger
7 oz (more or less) chicken thigh or breast, pork or beef, or tofu, sliced thin into bite size pieces
½ lb or more gai lan (Chinese broccoli), chopped with stem and leaves separated
1 large egg
3 T neutral oil, plus more for noodles
1 lb flat rice noodles, fresh, cut or torn into bite size pieces; or 7 oz dried flat rice noodles

For the sauce
2 T sweet soy sauce (Healthy Boy Black) OR 2 T dark soy sauce and 2 T sugar
2 T oyster sauce
2 T soy sauce (any type)
2 T white vinegar
½ t Kosher salt
½ t white pepper, finely ground
2 T or more water

Optional garnishes:
¼ c Thai basil, Italian basil, mint, shiso or other bitter herb
2 serrano or Thai birds-eye chilis, sliced thin

Thai Noodles in Sweet Soy Sauce

Method: if reconstituting dried noodles, soak in hot (but not boiling) water till they reach the al dente stage. Heat the oil in a hot wok and quickly stir fry the garlic and ginger; add protein and cook, turning frequently till just done. Add gai lan stems and cook for 2 minutes; add gai lan leaves and cook two minutes more while stirring frequently. When vegetables are cooked but still crisp, push them aside to create an open area; crack the egg into this space and mix with wooden spoon or long chopsticks to scramble, then toss with other ingredients. Remove the ingredients from the wok and reserve in a bowl.

Add more oil to the wok if needed then add noodles. Let them cook for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently so all surfaces come in contact with the oil, then add the sauce and stir as it comes to a boil and is absorbed by the noodles. Continue stir frying a little longer; the sugar in the sauce in combination with the high heat will create wok char. IMPORTANT NOTE: if you don’t have a high-BTU stove burner consider cooking the noodles in batches, with part of the sauce added to each batch.

When noodles are done, add the reserved ingredients and toss to combine. Add optional basil and chilis and toss so they are steamed by the heat and their flavor is absorbed by the noodles. Good if served immediately but also tastes fine if reheated (in wok or skillet, not microwave).