Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodles)

Ingredients

Marinated protein

16 oz meat (pork, chicken, or seafood), sliced into thin strips or cut into bite sized chunks

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 teaspoon black pepper, fresh ground

Base sauce

¼ cup oyster sauce

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce (light if available)

3 tablespoons black soy sauce

2 tablespoons palm (or brown) sugar

1-2 teaspoon black pepper, fresh ground

¼ cup cooking oil

1½ heads of garlic

10-12 Thai chilies

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

¼ cup shallots, sliced

1 sweet onion, sliced into spears

3 cups vegetables (e.g. cherry tomatoes, leafy greens,Thai eggplant, green beans, etc.) Shiitake mushrooms are also a great addition to this dish.(fresh are best)

12 oz dried wide rice noodles (or 24 oz fresh rice noodles) base sauce

3-4 eggs

½ bunch Thai basil, chopped roughly ¼ cup mild red pepper, sliced at an angle

Directions

Marinate meat in fish sauce, 1 tablespoon garlic, and pepper. Meat only needs to marinate as long as it takes to prepare other ingredients.

Mix base sauce ingredients together. Grind garlic, chillies, and ginger with a mortar and pestle. Alternatively, you can crush chilies and garlic with the side of a knife and mince. (actually, I usually just chop everything)

Noodles If using fresh noodle sheets, cut to desired length/width. If using dried noodles, soak in hot water for 25-30 minutes. They should still be somewhat stiff, so they can still absorb the other liquids in the wok.

Heat wok on med, add oil. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic/pepper paste and cook until the garlic is medium brown. Add onion and shallots and cook until just translucent. Add meat. NOTE: If using seafood, cook completely and remove before proceeding, and add back into the dish along with basil.

When meat is half cooked, add other vegetables and stir thoroughly.

Add noodles, base sauce, and stir thoroughly. Once all sauce is absorbed, add the eggs; lift the noodles, add a small amount of oil and an egg, repeat for each egg.

After a few minutes, ensure the yolks are broken. When fully cooked, stir the eggs into the noodles. At this point, if the noodles have not softened up enough, add a little water and steam them for another few minutes.

Turn off the heat, add the thai basil and mild chillies, and stir for another minute. Serve with traditional condiments (e.g. Chillies in fish sauce, sugar, red peppers)