Noodles are absolutely my weakness. I cant tell you enough how often I dream of it. Pad See Ewe ผัดซีอิ๊ว literally translates into Stir Fried Soy Sauce. The really authentic Pad See Ewe uses wide rice noodles, sliced Chinese kale, and scrambled eggs but what makes this dish similar is the the necessary fried work smell "Wok Hei", or breath of the wok in Cantonese. After I add the noodles to the pan, I intentionally let the noodles lightly burn to the bottom, completely with the residual garlic and blend of soy sauces, and scrape it off as I'm plating it.

For this dish you'll need two different soy sauces. The light thin soy sauce gives this dish a nice bright saltiness while the dark soy sauce gives the dish body, depth, and a bit of sweetness. I love how the two sauces play off of each other. My preferred brand is Kwong Hung Seng and is generally found in many Korean and Asian grocery stores. The white cap is light soy sauce, orange cap is the "superior" soy sauce, and the blue cap is the sweet soy sauce.

For this dish I used ramps even tho they're not native to Thailand. Why do chefs and foodies go crazy over ramps you ask? Because the season is so short and elusive. Being fairly rare, its a treat to have when in season. Its a more garlicky sister to a scallion but more oniony than a leek. I love how charred ramps play well to the desired burnt wok smell, aka Wok Hei, that makes Pad See Ewe so tasty. If ramps aren't in season for you at this time, go ahead and use green onions in its place.

This dish is typically served street side. Usually the same food stall the offers this dish also offers Pad Kee Mow, a very similar but spicier dish with basil. Though this dish isn't the exact authentic dish to the one found in Thailand, I found some beautiful ramps that I could not pass up. I hope this dish becomes your go to as much as it has been mine.

Beef and Charred Ramps Pad See Ewe

Ingredients

Printable Version

2 tablespoons oil for frying
3 cloves garlic, minced
8oz Wai Wai Sen Mee
1/2 lb of sliced beef
1 bunch of chopped ramps, can be substituted for green onions on the off-season
2 handful of washed and dry beansprout, optional
1 egg
2 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
½ teaspoon sugar

Directions

Soak the sen mee rice noodles in room temperature water for twenty minutes. Drain out liquid and trim noodles
Add one tablespoon of dark soy sauce and one table spoon of light soy sauce to the sliced beef to marinate.
Heat the wok (or frying pan) on a medium heat and add about 2 tablespoons of oil.
When the oil is hot, almost smoking, add the marinated beef. Fry until brown on the edges.
Add minced garlic and beansprouts and fry until the beansprouts soften.
Add ramps and fry until ramps get a little bit of color
Turn down heat of pan or move away from source of head and add drained .
Toss in the rice noodles 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce, and a ½ teaspoon of sugar.
Still on low heat, fold the noodles gently by picking them up with the spatula from the bottom, and folding them over. Sen me noodles cook very quickly. Use the spatula to scrap off the burnt bits, it add to the flavor.
Crank up the heat on the pan and Cook the noodles for about 1 -2 minutes. Drizzle oil in if the noodles get dry. The is where the flavor is added. The burnt oil taste is key.
Serve immediately and top with crushed dried chilli flakes or fresh chopped chillis in vinegar.