Gluten Free Pad See Ew
If you’ve never had Pad See Ew before you are in for a real treat! Pad See Ew is a Thai dish that is “sort of” a cousin to Pad Thai but it generally uses wider noodles and broccolini (similar to Chinese broccoli) and has a deeper, richer and more charred flavor than Pad Thai. Plus, it has a double sauce combo…one that is used when cooking the dish and the other that is the sweeter and thicker finishing sauce. More on that later! What’s fantastic here is that Gluten Free Pad See Ew has all of the amazing characteristics of regular Pad See Ew but without the gluten! Cha-ching!
Jump to RecipeBase Ingredients
Organize the base ingredients for the recipe – thinly sliced chicken, broccolini, wide rice noodles, 2 eggs, gluten free soy, sugar, and minced garlic.
Rice Noodle Preparation
Place dried noodles in a large bowl and cover with hot tap water. Stir the noodles occasionally and use your hands or a fork to separate any noodles that clump together. (The soaking process takes 30 to 40 minutes). Noodles will be white, limp and bouncy, almost soft to the bite. Pour the noodles and water into a colander, discarding all the water, fluff noodles with your hands and set aside. While the noodles are soaking, prepare both sauces – finishing sauce and cooking sauce.
Finishing Sauce Preparation
While the noodles are softening, make the Finishing Sauce. Add dark brown sugar and water to a small sauce pan and cook on a medium/medium high heat until boiling, swirling the pan occasionally. Once sugar dissolves continue cooking on medium heat until sugar darkens. Carefully pour in the gluten free soy sauce and stir until a thicker, molasses-like texture results. Total cooking time 5-6 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. Any extra sauce can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated until needed.
Cooking Sauce Preparation
In a small bowl, combine the gluten free oyster sauce, gluten free soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and pepper. Set aside.
Chicken Preparation and Cooking
In a medium bowl, mix the chicken with the gluten free soy sauce. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large pan over high heat until just starting to smoke. Add the chicken to the hot pan in a single layer. Let cook, undisturbed, until well browned, about 30 seconds, then turn chicken pieces and continue cooking for another 30 seconds. The chicken slices are thin so they will cook very quickly. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate or bowl.
Cooking Broccolini and Scrambled Egg
In the same pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium until shimmering. Stir in the broccolini and cook for 2 minutes allowing the pieces to get browned in spots, then add garlic. Continue cooking for 1 minute until broccolini is bright and beginning to wilt and garlic is browned. Total cooking time 3 minutes. Push broccolini to one side of the pan, add last tablespoon of oil to lightly coat the other side and add the eggs. Use a spatula to scramble the eggs, stirring and scraping until cooked through and just dry, about 1 minute.
Final Steps –
Add Noodles and Chicken Back to the Pan
Raise the heat to medium high. Add the noodles and using tongs, toss them to combine with the egg and broccolini. Add 3 tablespoons of the Cooking Sauce and toss to coat and cook through. Keep cooking, leaving noodles undisturbed for 20 to 30 second increments, so they sear and caramelize. Total cook time 2 minutes.
Add chicken back to the pan, along with any liquids in the dish and mix everything together. Here is where the final magic happens…adding the Finishing Sauce. Add 3 tablespoons Finishing Sauce and mix in with tongs. Once mixed in, allow noodles to sear by leaving them undisturbed for a minute or so. At this point taste a noodle and make any necessary adjustments to the seasoning i.e. add more cooking sauce, finishing sauce, or water if noodles need to soften more. The final dish should be very savory, slightly charred and a little sweet.
Gluten Free Pad See Ew
When the noodles have absorbed all the liquid and are browned in spots the dish is finished. Place Gluten Free Pad See Ew on a large platter and serve immediately.
Gluten Free Pad See Ew
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried wide rice noodles thin noodles can also be used, I used Asian Best Rice Sticks XL
- 8 ounces boneless chicken breast thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce I use San-J
- 1 bunch (8oz) broccolini (also known as baby broccoli) ends trimmed, cut spears into equal pieces, approx 2 inches
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
- COOKING SAUCE:
- 2 tablespoons gluten free oyster sauce I use Lee Kum Kee brand and bought it at H Mart, an Asian Market
- 2 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce I use San-J
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper white or black
- FINISHING SAUCE:
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/8 cup cold tap water
- 1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce I use San J
Instructions
Noodles
- Place dried noodles in a large bowl and cover with hot tap water. Stir the noodles occasionally and separate any noodles that clump together. (The soaking process takes 30 to 40 minutes) Noodles will be white, limp and bouncy, almost soft to the bite. Pour the noodles and water into a colander, discarding all the water, fluff noodles with your hands and set aside. While the noodles are soaking, prepare both sauces…Finishing Sauce and Cooking Sauce.
Finishing Sauce
- While the noodles are softening, make the Finishing Sauce by combining dark brown sugar and water in a small sauce pan and cook on a medium/medium high heat until boiling, swirling the pan occasionally.
- Once sugar dissolves continue cooking on a medium heat until it darkens.
- Carefully pour in the gluten free soy sauce and stir until a thicker, molasses-like texture results. Total cooking time 5-6 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Chicken
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix the chicken with the gluten free soy sauce.
Cooking Sauce
- In a small bowl, combine the gluten free oyster sauce, gluten free soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and pepper.
Dish Assembly
- Place ingredients in bowls and line them up in the order they’ll be added to the pan: chicken, broccolini, garlic, eggs, noodles, cooking sauce, and finishing sauce.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large pan over high heat until just starting to smoke. Add the chicken to the hot pan in a single layer. Let cook, undisturbed, until well browned, about 30 seconds, then turn chicken pieces and continue cooking for another 30 seconds. The chicken slices are thin so they will cook very quickly. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate or bowl.
- In the same pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium until shimmering. Stir in the broccolini and cook for 2 minutes allowing the pieces to get browned in spots, then add garlic. Continue cooking for 1 minute until broccolini is bright and beginning to wilt and garlic is browned. Total cooking time 3 minutes.
- Push broccolini to one side of the pan, add last tablespoon of oil to lightly coat the other side of the pan and add the eggs. Use a spatula to scramble the eggs, stirring and scraping until cooked through and just dry, about 1 minute.
- Raise the heat to medium high. Add the noodles and using tongs, toss them to combine with the egg and broccolini. Add 3 tablespoons of the Cooking Sauce, and mix to coat. Keep cooking, leaving noodles undisturbed for 20 to 30 second increments, so they sear and caramelize. Total cook time 2 minutes.
- Add chicken back to the pan, along with any liquids in the dish and mix everything together.
- Here is where the final magic happens…adding the Finishing Sauce. Add 3 tablespoons Finishing Sauce and mix in with tongs. Once mixed in, allow noodles to sear by leaving them undisturbed for a minute or so. At this point taste a noodle and make any necessary adjustments to the seasoning i.e. add more cooking sauce, dark soy, or water if noodles need to soften more. The final dish should be very savory, slightly charred and a little sweet.
- When the noodles have absorbed all the liquid and are browned in spots the dish is finished. Place Gluten Free Pad See Ew on a large platter and serve immediately.
Notes
Recipe from NY Times Cooking and modified by me for gluten free eating.
If you like this recipe, you may also like these GFchow recipes. Gluten Free Drunken Noodles with Chicken, Sweet and Spicy Turmeric Chicken with Broccolini, and Sautéd Broccolini with Caramelized Leeks.
GLUTEN FREE DISCLAIMER
The recipes you find here are considered by me to be gluten free. However, it is up to you to make sure the ingredients you use are gluten free. Whenever possible, I will list specific brands of ingredients that I use, but always be sure to check the labels yourself to verify the item is gluten free.
Tried this for the first time last night, Im not an experienced cook by any means, but the visual instructions were so helpful and it turned out delicious! Will definitely be making this one again.
Wow, this in one of GFchow’s more involved recipes, so good for you! I just love the flavors of this dish. And I really try hard to make the recipes (in words and photos) as easy as possible to understand and follow… so your comment really makes me feel good!