Drunken Noodles

Name: Drunken Noodles
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 23 min
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 150 g fresh wide rice noodles; 100 g chicken thigh; 3 cloves garlic; 2 bird's eye chillies; 15 g holy basil leaves; 40 g green beans; 40 g red bell pepper; 1 tbsp oyster sauce; 2 tsp fish sauce; 1 tsp dark soy sauce; 1 tsp light soy sauce; 1 tsp palm sugar; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 wedge lime

Pad kee mao — wide rice noodles seared hard in a hot wok with garlic, bird's eye chilli and a fistful of holy basil, savoury-sweet from oyster sauce, fish sauce and dark soy. A Thai street-food classic, best eaten straight from the pan while the noodles still have their smoky edge.

Lunch & dinner 25g+ protein Under 30 min

23 min15 prep · 8 cookEasy889 kcalper serving

Method

If the 150 g of fresh wide rice noodles are fridge-cold and stuck together, microwave them for 30 seconds or dip briefly in warm water, then peel the sheets apart with your fingers into wide ribbons. Leave them at room temperature so they stay supple and don't shatter in the wok.
Pound 3 cloves garlic cloves and 2 bird's eye chillies in a mortar to a coarse, fragrant paste — a few visible flecks are wanted, not a purée. Slice 100 g of chicken thigh thinly across the grain, and have 40 g of green beans and 40 g of red bell pepper cut and ready beside the hob.
Stir together 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tsp fish sauce, 1 tsp dark soy sauce, 1 tsp light soy sauce and 1 tsp palm sugar until the sugar dissolves. Mixing the sauce in advance is essential — once the wok is hot there is no time to measure.
Set a wok over the highest heat until it just begins to smoke, then swirl in 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Add the garlic-chilli paste and stir for 10–15 seconds, only until it smells sharp and sweet — do not let the garlic brown.