Drunken Noodles, or pad kee mao, is a Chinese-inspired dish served in Thailand and Laos. There are several theories about how this dish was named. Some say that you have to be drunk to tolerate the heat. Others say it’s because it’s one of the only street foods available to late night partygoers. However, the story I grew up hearing was that the dish is so hot, that you get drunk trying to temper the heat by the consumption of alcohol.
In this Drunken Noodle recipe I used tofu as the protein, though feel free to use an animal protein such as chicken, beef, or shrimp. So let’s talk about the name-sake ingredient , the noodles. I have seen this dish prepared with one of two rice noodle varieties. One is made with wide rice noodles that resemble the width of something like fettuccine. The other, (and the one that I prefer) is to use rice flakes – par boiled rice grains that are rolled and shaped into sheets. Once dried, they are cut into squares, rectangles, or triangles – and can be found at most Asian grocery stores. Unfortunately, rice noodles don’t have a European equivalent – so if you don’t have an Asian grocery store near by, try online. In a pinch, I’ve used Udon noodles and they’ve worked well.
When you’re preparing the rice noodles/flakes, do not boil them. You want to soak them in warm water. This way the noodles will soften slightly, allowing the them to soak up all of that wonderful spicy liquid from the stir-fry.
- 8 ounce rice flakes or other wide rice noodle
- 14 ounces firm tofu, cubed and dried
- vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon molasses
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons sambal oelek
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 1 small onion, quartered and layers pulled apart
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
- 5-7 red Thai chilies, seeds removed and thinly sliced (use more or less to adjust the heat - 5 is pretty spicy, 7 is what I call 'Thai spicy'.
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 cup Thai basil
- In a large bowl, soak the rice flakes or rice noodles in warm water for 40 minutes. Drain in a colander.
- Line a large plate with paper towels and set aside. Fill a large non-stick sauté pan with ¼ of vegetable oil. Add the tofu and heat over medium-high heat (you want to add the tofu to a cold pan because if you add it to a hot pan, any excess moisture in the tofu will cause the oil to pop and spatter). Cook for 10 minutes, or until lightly brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove the tofu and allow to cool on the plate lined with paper towels. (Save 2 tablespoons of the oil to cook the vegetables).
- In a small bowl, combine the chicken stock, sugar, soy sauce, molasses, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sambal oelek, and sriracha. Set aside.
- In a large sauté pan or wok over high-heat, warm 2 tablespoons of the reserved vegetable oil. Turn on the oven vent (when the chilies initially start cooking, they may bother your senses so the vent helps). Add the onions, bell peppers, Thai chilies, and garlic. Tossing/stirring constantly for 2 minutes.
- Add the drained rice flakes to the pan and cook for 4 minutes, tossing/stirring frequently.
- Lower the heat to medium-high and add the sauce. Stir to coat and cook for another 2 minutes, or until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Turn off the heat, add fold in the tofu and Thai basil.
- Serve and Enjoy!
Thanks for this great recipe! Mmm… I discovered the triangle or flake noodles in my Korean grocer and prepared them twice in a pad kee mao dish. The first time I soaked them for a total of an hour in cold water and they worked out fine, although I did add extra liquid generously while cooking. The other time, it was a fail. I added more liquid, but alas they were too firm to eat. Now, I know what I need to do! I am looking forward to trying this dish with some shrimp for the protein. I wanted to ask if this recipe would be just as good if we were to substitute the molasses and sugar with brown sugar, if we don’t have molasses on hand. Or is it key to the recipe?
Thank you!
Hi Katrina. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! The molasses is such a small amount, it’s really just there to add some deeper coloring to the dish. Feel free to sub the sugar and molasses with brown sugar. Cheers!
Divine recipe! Thank you for sharing!!! 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks, Jen!
Holy flavors, Batman! I’m going to use egg noodles and shrimp in this dish and I cannot wait! I’ll be sure to have some alcohol nearby, too, lol.
Love this dish, Kathleen. I’ll take some shots of my dish when I cook it this weekend 🙂 Thanks for a fun recipe!
Oh that sounds wonderful, Robyn! Yes, please take photos – I can’t wait to see them! And yes, have a cold beer (or two) handy 😉
You’ve got some amazing flavors going on in this dish! These noodles are something new to me, but I would love to try them! Pinned and will try making something similar!
Thanks, Mira! If you like Pad Thai, they’re great in that dish as well!
One of the best things about food blogs is all the different ingredients and cooking methods I learn along the way! These noodles look so delicious! Is it the Thai Chiles that makes the dish so hot? Just in case I want to try to lessen the heat. 😉 (wimp over here).
No worries, I generally have a high heat tolerance so I totally get that others don’t share my ‘burn your face off’ sensibilities. I would classify this dish as being moderately spicy, but again my senses may be skewed 😉 So to answer your question – yes, the real heat comes from those little Thai chilies. If you’re sensitive to spicy foods, I would suggest starting with just one or two chilies. If you find you can tolerate a bit more heat, add a few more next time. And of course, having some ice cold beer around certainly helps! 🙂
I’ll make a note on the recipe.
Any dish inspired by street food (especially Asian) is my friend!!
I visited Bangkok by myself for a few days a few years ago and pretty much ate my way around the streets of that city.
Love this recipe and definitely eager to give it a try!
Helen, I agree with you 100%! So jealous – I have yet to see Bangkok, but it’s definitely on my bucket list! Please do give it try, I think you’ll really enjoy it!
I love these noodles you’ve used!! I’ve never seen them before!! Now I have to hunt them down. Drunken noodles are the best, I love spicy noodles! Your sauce is very authentic, love it. Sambal is a great shortcut. I often chuck thai basil in this too!
Do hunt them down! They’ll be your new favorite stir-fry noodle! 🙂
I sure could do with this dish for lunch today. I love the wide noodles, something different. I need to try this recipe soon.
I love wide noodles too! I hope you enjoy the dish 🙂
I’ve never seen rice flakes before and how beautiful!!! I’d love to find the rice flakes and make this delicious noodles!!! Now I’m totally hungry after looking at your pictures! 🙂
Thanks, Nami! I’m a big fan of any broad style noodle, so rice flakes are one of my favs! They’re perfect for stir-fries. I hope you try them!