Have you ever been so excited to see an ingredient that you simply had to cook it? It’s hard to explain my level of excitement when I found fresh rice noodles recently. But as soon as I bought them, I knew I had to make pad se ew, which is a traditional Thai street food. Fresh rice noodles just take this dish to a whole new level. The chewiness of the noodle, with the crispness of the broccoli, versus the sweet and tangy sauce. I could eat this all day long; heck, I have eaten this dish all day long! The advantages of having a noodle cart parked just outside my family’s house in Thailand. This reminds me of spending summers with my family in Thailand. I hope you enjoy it.

32 oz. fresh rice noodles
1/4 c oyster sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp molasses
1 tsp fish sauce
5 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 chicken breast, sliced thin
1/2 salt
1/2 white pepper
1 large crown broccoli, chopped into florets
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
4 eggs, divided

With fresh rice noodles, since they are cold, they need to be warmed through before cooking. The easiest way to do this is to place the noodles on a large plate, cover with a damp paper towel and heat through in the microwave for about 4 minutes. Allow to sit in the microwave for an additional minute. Remove the noodles from the microwave and separate them. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, molasses, and fish sauce. Mix well and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 3 tbsp of the oil. When warm, add the chicken, season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes, then add in the broccoli. Add a tbsp of your prepared sauce mixture. Mix together and cover with a lid for 3 minutes. Stir again to make sure the meat is cooked through. When cooked through, add the garlic and cook for an additional minute or until fragrant. The remainder of this meal will have to be cooked in batches, so place half of the meat and broccoli mixture in a bowl.

To the skillet, add half of the rice noodles and half of the sauce. Mix well to blend with the meat and sauce. Make a hole in the center of the noodles, add 2 tsp oil to the hole and top with 2 of the eggs. Scramble the eggs well, then cover them with the noodles to heat through. Allow to cook for additional minute. Then toss the noodles gently to blend the eggs throughout. Move to your serving bowl and cook the second half.

Enjoy!

This dish is usually served with a spicy pickled pepper sauce. This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for 6 months.

5 fresh Serrano peppers, sliced thin
1/2 c white vinegar

Combine the peppers and vinegar in a jar. Allow to “pickle” for at least a day.