Vegetarian Pad See Ew

Pad See Ew is Thai stir fried rice noodles with soy sauce. This recipe has tofu but can easily be swapped with a protein of your choice or made Vegan by omitting the eggs.

This popular Thai noodle dish is made with just a few ingredients, but the key to a good Pad See Ew is using fresh ingredients and some cooking techniques to make it really stand out.

I'm making this a Vegetarian Pad See Ew by using Tofu and Eggs as the protein, however you can also make it using Shrimp, Chicken, Pork, or Beef.

Don't confuse this dish with Pad Thai, which uses a different sauce and ingredients.

Jump to:

• Fresh Rice Noodles
• Preparing and Frying Tofu
• Gailon (Chinese Broccoli)
• Soy Sauce Mixture
• How to Serve and Store
• Pad See Ewe Recipe

Fresh Rice Noodles

Using Fresh rice noodles really makes pad see ew taste more authentic. I buy these rice noodle packages in the refrigerated section at my local Asian Market.

Purchase them 1-2 days max before making this recipe, since they spoil quickly. The same type of rice noodles can be used to make Rad Na or Pad Kee Mao.

Most stores will have the rice noodles either pre-cut like the package above, or in one big sheet. For the noodles in a sheet, just cut vertical strips in the width of your choice.

The noodles are also hard and need to be microwaved. I do 1 min on one side, flip them over and a minute on either side until warmed through. You can also place them in a steamer and steam for about 10 minutes or until soft.

Once they are soft and cool enough to handle, you can separate the noodle strands as pictured above. Don't worry about the length being too long, the noodles will break as you are cooking them.

Here is an alternate noodle option, but I haven't personally used these noodles before, so follow the package directions on preparation and cooking.

Preparing and Frying Tofu

Prior to cooking the tofu, you need to press it and remove as much liquid as possible. This ensures a dense and crispy tofu when frying.

Drain the water from the package and place the block of tofu between a few paper towels or a clean kitchen towel on a plate. I use a heavy cast iron skillet and place it on top. Leave the skillet on for 30 minutes.

Cut tofu into cubes, and begin frying in a skillet. The serving for 2 is just half the block of tofu, but I fried all of it to have extra tofu on hand.

Once the sides are lightly golden, remove the tofu and place it on a paper-lined plate and sprinkle with some salt for flavor. Set aside and continue prepping ingredients.

Gailon (Chinese Broccoli)

Authentic Pad See Ew uses Gailon, which is Chinese broccoli. Other substitutes include broccolini or regular broccoli florets.

Prepare the gai lon by washing it, cutting off the ends of the stem, and making slices. You can slice the leaves thicker since they will wilt during cooking. Use anywhere between 1-2 cups of sliced gai lon per serving.

Soy Sauce Mixture

In Thai 'See Ew' translates to soy sauce, so 'stir fry soy sauce' is the translated name of this dish. In keeping this authentic to its name, we are only using soy sauce and some sugar.

Some recipes use oyster sauce and fish sauce, but I don't think they are necessary for Pad See Ew.

Sauce:

• 2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dark soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Sugar

See Ingredient links for soy sauces in the recipe card.

How to Serve and Store

Pad See Ew is best served hot right after cooking it. In Thailand, they sprinkle some white pepper and serve it with prik nam som. Which is sliced chilis or jalapenos in vinegar.

You can also add some crushed pepper flakes for even more spice.

While Pad See Ew can be stored and reheated, the noodles will dry out after being in the refrigerator. Leftovers can be stored for up to 2 days, but again Pad See Ew is best eaten right after cooking it.

I hope you try making this Vegetarian Pad See Ew and be sure to leave a comment and rating below.

Try these other Thai Noodle Recipes:

Pad Thai, Pad Woon Sen, or Rad Na.