Pad Kee Mao
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 4tablespoons fish sauce
- 2tablespoons dark sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
- 1teaspoon rice vinegar
- 6garlic cloves
- 5bird’s eye chiles
- 3tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½cup sliced onion
- 1pound ground pork
- ½cup sliced bell peppers
- 12ounces fresh rice noodles
- 2handfuls holy basil leaves (or Thai basil, in a pinch)
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
750 calories; 35 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 18 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 78 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 27 grams protein; 2077 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Whisk together the fish sauce, soy sauce and vinegar, and set aside. Roughly chop the garlic and three chiles together. Smash the remaining two chiles using the flat of a knife, and set aside.
- Step 2
Heat a wok (or a large frying pan over medium-high. When it’s hot, add the oil, the chopped garlic and chiles, and the onion. Cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the pork and a splash of the fish sauce mixture. Cook, stirring to break up the meat, until the pork is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Step 3
Add the bell peppers and noodles, turn the heat to high and add almost all of the sauce (save a spoonful or two to add later, if needed). Cook, tossing everything together and separating the noodles if necessary, until the noodles are coated in sauce and take on a slightly charred flavor from the wok. Taste, and add more sauce if needed. Toss in the basil and the smashed chiles, and serve immediately.
Private Notes
Comments
Bird's Eye Chiles my be too hot for most peoples taste. A good substitute may be Serrano or Jalapeno which are both much milder. One the Scoville Units scale Jalapeno is rated 2500 to 8000, Serrano 8000 to 22,000 and Birds's Eye is rated 100,000 to 225,000. I hope this helps you decide.
Here's a recipe for kecap manis that I use for this dish:
Combine 3/4 cup sugar, 1 cup tamari, 2 TB water, 1 TB grated lemon peel, 3 cloves garlic (minced), and 1 star anise in a small sauce pan; bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer for 10 mins; cool and strain.
I don't recall where I found this online, but I like this version with star anise better than ones that don't include it.
might be helpful to:
explain what bird's-eye chilies are
explain what dark sweet soy sauce is, and
offer substitution ideas for both, if possible.
Only had jalapeños and substituted for the noodles a a bed of cooked quinoa. Kimchi on the side. Fabulous! Utterly delish and easy.
fresh rice noodles are hard to find - I had to go to 3 asian markets. for those of you who are unfamiliar, it is normal for them to feel hard when you buy them, & they can be confusing to handle. soak them in warm water for 10 minutes, then slice them about 1.5 inches thick. then stick them in the microwave on defrost mode on a covered plate, & then carefully peel. drizzle oil on the pile of peeled noodles to make them not stick together. they might still feel hard but will soften when cooking!
This was very good and relatively easy. I used two serrano chilies instead of unavailable bird's eyes. Used holy basil from my garden (delicious). I did cook the red bell peppers together with the pork, so the peppers would be somewhat crunchy but not too raw.