Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao) with Tiger Prawns Recipe

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About Drunken Noodles

Drunken Noodles (or “Pad Kee Mao”) is a dish native to central Thailand. Similar to lomo saltado, the dish was influenced by the Chinese who lived in Thailand and Laos. Drunken Noodles loosely refers to "Stir Fry for the Drunks"! The key ingredient to this dish is the Thai basil.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 tbsp. of water
• 3 tbsp. of sweet soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. of fish sauce
• 3 tbsp. of oyster sauce
• 3 tbsp. of vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp. of fried garlic (optional)
• 3 tbsp. of sambal chili garlic sauce (optional)
• 2 raw eggs (optional)
• 1 pound of fresh wide flat noodles (Ho Fun) or dry wide flat rice noodles, size XL. If using dry noodles, soak them in warm to hot water for two hours prior to cooking. For best results, use fresh Ho Fun noodles.
• 8 oz of tiger prawns (you may use beef, tofu, chicken, or pork, instead of tiger prawns)
• 3 stems of green onions, chopped into 2-inches strips (you may use wild garlic leaves or Chinese chives instead of green onions)
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 ½ cup of Thai basil leaves 
• 2-5 bird’s eyes Thai chili peppers, minced with seeds (you many use jalapenos or serrano chilis instead of Thai chili peppers)

Instructions

1. Prepare your Drunken Noodles sauce: use a small bowl and add fish sauce, sweet soy sauce, oyster sauce, fried garlic, sambal chili garlic sauce, and water. Mix well using a whisk.
2. Heat up a non-stick skillet over medium heat. I use a 10-12-inch non-stick skillet, but you can also use an 8-QT stock pot.
3. Add 3 tbsp. of vegetable oil and stir to coat the skillet evenly.
4. Add garlic and let it cook for 15 seconds or until the garlic turns lightly golden brown.
5. Add Thai chilis and cook for 10 seconds. Avoid inhaling the fume as it makes you cough.
6. Add tiger prawns and stir. Cook the tiger prawns for 1-2 minutes or until the tiger prawns turn light orange. 
7. Crack to open your eggs and add both egg white and yolk into the hot skillet. Then mix and scramble your eggs for 1-2 minutes and push it aside
8. Add the noodles to the skillet.
9. Pour the Drunken Noodles sauce over the noodles.
10. Mix the noodles with the Drunken Noodles sauce until the noodles soften. It can take 5-10 minutes for the noodles to soften depending on whether you are using fresh or dry noodles (dry noodles will take longer to soften).
11. Once the noodles are softened, add in the green onions and mix well.
12. Add Thai basil, turn off the heat and toss until the basil gets wilted.