hello hi everyone! Today we’re adding to our series on comically racist sh*t from TV and film with some liberal inspiration from that one wildly racist scene from Lady and the Tramp. If you’re like me, I certainly grew up using this clip as my main reference point for Siam, which is the former name of the geographic region now known as Thailand. Other than being one of the native origins of the Siamese cat, Thailand is home to some of the most delicious rice noodle dishes that you will ever eat. So! I thought I’d use this as an excuse to get to a request that a lot of folks have asked for, which is a Thai dish called Pad Kee Mao or “Thai Drunken Noodles,” as it is known as here in the states.
For those following along, a Pad Kee Mao actually has many similarities to another noodle dish which we have already done, which is a Pad See Ew. Not only do both rely heavily on the use of dark soy sauce and oyster sauce, but they also prominently features the ingredient which many of you may know as the my personal arch nemesis, which is fresh chow fun rice noodles. Aside from our chow fun and dark soy sauce elements however, a pad kee mao also contains a few additional veggies which you won’t find in a pad see ew, which traditionally just contain gailan. Hope you try it!
Serves 2-3
INGREDIENTS
4 cloves garlic
1 inch (about 1 tbsp) ginger
8 oz ground pork
16 oz fresh chow fun
1 red bell pepper
1/2 medium white onion
1 medium head broccoli (or gailan)
6-8 thai chiles
1/4 cup (about 30 leaves) thai basil
2 eggs
peanut oil (or vegetable)
INGREDIENTS (sauce)
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (or 2 tbsp full sodium soy sauce)
2 tbsp black vinegar
4 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp sambal oelek
2 tbsp oyster sauce
INGREDIENTS (marinade)
4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (or 2 tbsp full sodium soy sauce)
2 tbsp shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
1 star anise pod
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp corn starch
PREP
CRUSH and mince the garlic, set aside
FINE MINCE the ginger, set aside
SLICE the bell pepper into 1 inch strips, set aside
SLICE the onion, set aside
SLICE the broccoli into thin strips, set aside
SLICE the thai chiles, set aside
WHISK the eggs to combine, set aside
SEPARATE the chow fun noodles, set aside
COMBINE ground pork with all marinade ingredients, and let marinate for 30 minutes or up to 1 hour
COMBINE all sauce ingredients, set aside
ON THE STOVE
HEAT a wok as hot as possible, then add 4 tbsp of peanut oil, and long yao
ADD the garlic, ginger, and Thai chiles and bloom until fragrant (about 10 seconds)
ADD the ground pork and saute for 2-3 minutes until browned, then remove from heat
WIPE down the wok, reheat, add 4 more tbsp of peanut oil, and long yao
ADD the broccoli and bell pepper and saute for 1-2 minutes
ADD the onions and saute for an additional 2 minutes
MOVE the contents of the wok to one side, then add an additional 2 tbsp of peanut oil, followed by the Thai basil, and bloom until fragrant (about 10 seconds)
ADD the ground pork back to the wok, and toss to combine
ADD the chow fun a handful at a time, and toss gently to combine
ADD the eggs, and toss gently until set
ADD the sauce mixture 1/4 cup at a time to taste