Pad Kee Mao stir-fries rice stick noodles with tender chicken, peppers, carrots and bamboo shoots with a spicy sauce flavored with fresh basil.

Pad Kee Mao
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
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Pad Kee Mao is my recipe of the day with the blogging group Sunday Funday. We post each Sunday as a group. Each of us will share a recipe on a common topic. This week the recipes feature that wonderful herb, basil.
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My choice was to make some Thai Drunken Noodles, one of my favorites. It is easy enough to stir-fry some chicken and veggies with noodles after a quick soak.
The sauce is lightly spicy with fresh Thai bird chilies. And very fragrant with the aroma of fresh basil.
You can use Thai basil in this but you can also use sweet basil. And you won’t hear everyone admit that. Thai basil does have a peppery bite that sweet basil lacks.
But I find it really most apparent in basic recipes where the basil is not challenged with hot chilies, such as in fresh soft rolls or summer egg rolls. I’d wager money there are few who could tell which I used on any given day once it is peppered with Thai bird peppers or Thai dragon chilies. It’s gonna’ be peppery.
So enjoy this as a quick summer meal. The flavor is on point, and I am not just saying that. I’ve really come into my own with making Thai noodle dishes. Now I just need to get someone to cook it for me when I am feeling lazy.
One of my favorite take-out places had issues with the landlord and their hvac. They have been trying to reopen elsewhere for the better part of a year. And now when they do, it’s going to be an annoying bit of a drive. I’d rather cook at home than go that far for pick-up. Gas is expensive!
Sunday Funday
Recipes with Basil
- Sicilian Caponata from Pandemonium Noshery
- Creamy Turkey Pesto Risotto from Amy’s Kitchen Adventures
- Honeydew Caprese Salad from Mayuri’s Jikoni
- Keto Avocado & Basil Green Goddess Dressing from Sneha’s Recipe
- Pad Kee Mao (Thai Drunken Noodles) from Palatable Pastime
- Pesto Bread from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Pad Kee Mao
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Pad Kee Mao

Pad Kee Mao (Thai Drunken Noodles)
Equipment
- 1 wok
Ingredients
Stir-Fry:
- 8 ounces rice stick noodles
- 8 ounces boneless chicken breast sliced
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil divided
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 1 cup thinly sliced matchstick carrots
- 1 medium red onion sliced
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 8 ounces canned bamboo shoots drained and thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced hot fresh Thai peppers
- 1 cup fresh Thai basil leaves
Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce ketjap manis
- 1/4 cup oyster sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
Instructions
- Bring enough water to cover noodles to a boil in a large deep pan.
- When it boils, remove the water from heat; drop in the rice noodles and soak ten minutes, then drain. Chop the noodles with scissors for a manageable size if you like. I do.
- Stir together the cooking sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
- Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a wok and add the egg until it is cooked.
- Removed egg from wok and thinly slice into strips.
- Add remaining oil to the wok and add the chicken, stir-frying until it is cooked through.
- Remove chicken from wok and add in the carrots, onion and bell pepper, stir-frying until vegetables are just done.
- Add the chicken back in with the bamboo shoots and cooking sauce, stirring to mix well.
- Stir the noodles into the wok, tossing to coat evenly with the sauce.
- Add the basil, Thai peppers and egg, tossing again to mix evenly.
- Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
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A delicious looking noodle dish and full of flavour from the basil and the heat from Thai chilli. Am sure hubby will love this dish as he is a huge fan of noodles.