Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Thai Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao) Recipe
Drunken Noodles is the literal translation of Pad Kee Mao as a result of the speculation is that these spicy Thai noodles must be eaten with an ice chilly beer and that they’re an amazing treatment for hangover. I can verify each circumstances to be true!
This Thai noodle dish is a highly regarded each in Thailand and in Thai eating places exterior of Thailand. You may be stunned how quick and straightforward this recipe is to make!
Get Drunken Noodles from the streets of Thailand, and except you’ve gotten an distinctive spice-o-meter, you’ll be chugging down the beer in an try to chill the burn in your mouth.
Make this at residence and you may management the warmth!
The quantity of chilli I’ve included within the recipe is gentle sufficient for most individuals (I feel), however sufficient so you may style the warmth. By all means, be happy to show up the spice dial!
There are all types of variations of Drunken Noodles in Thailand and much more within the western world. In Thailand the 2 constants are chicken and Thai Basil, and very often it got here with child corn as nicely, although from my analysis I couldn’t verify that this was a “will need to have” on this dish.
Get the widest dried rice noodles yow will discover at your grocery retailer. Right here in Australian supermarkets, the widest I can discover is labelled “Pad Thai”, although satirically, it’s really too vast for Pad Thai!
There are literally two kinds of Thai Basil – common Thai Basil and Thai Holy Basil. Drunken Noodles could be made with both.
Outdoors of Thailand, eating places usually use common Thai Basil as a result of it’s simpler to seek out than Holy Basil. I even have problem discovering Holy Basil in Thai grocery shops!
Is Thai Basil the identical as common basil?
Thai Basil is just not the identical as common basil. It tastes like common basil with a slight aniseed flavour. A really distinct flavour that and love about your favorite dishes at your native Thai restaurant like Drunken Noodles and Thai Chilli Basil Chicken!
Finest substitute for Thai Basil
Common basil! In truth, Drunken Noodles is historically made with Holy Basil which tastes extra much like common basil than Thai Basil!
As with all stir fries and stir fried noodles, this strikes quick when you begin cooking – round 6 minutes begin to end – so have every little thing able to go earlier than you begin cooking!
Whereas Pad Thai is nutty and candy, Pad Kee Mao is spicy and savoury. In comparison with Pad See Ew, the sauce of Drunken Noodles is lighter in color and never as candy.
Additionally, neither Pad Thai nor Pad See Ew doesn’t have Thai Basil in it, and it isn’t as spicy.
Truly, Pad Kee Mao is actually like Thai Chilli Basil Chicken stir fry with noodles added!
In Western Thai eating places, Drunken Noodles are normally very saucy, oily and salty – an excessive amount of so in my view, and really totally different from the streets of Thailand. So it’s very nice to have the ability to make a more healthy but simply as tasty model at residence!
And keep in mind to crack open an ice chilly beer to take pleasure in these Drunken Noodles with! – Johnsat x
Extra Thai Meals favourites
(Sure, I ❤️ Thai Meals, in case you hadn’t figured it out!)
Ingredients
- 7 oz /200g dried rice noodles , wide (Note 1)
- 2 tbsp oil (peanut, vegetable or canola)
- 3 large cloves of garlic , minced
- 2 birds eye chilli or Thai chillies , deseeded, very finely chopped (Note 2)
- 1/2 onion , sliced
- 200 g /7oz chicken thighs , cut into bite size pieces (breast ok too)
- 2 tsp fish sauce (or soy sauce)
- 2 green onions , cut into 3cm/2″ pieces
- 1 cup Thai or Thai Holy Basil leaves (sub regular basil, Note 3)
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 4)
- 1 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce (Note 4)
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Prepare noodles per packet directions.
- Mix Sauce in a small bowl.
- Heat oil in wok or large heavy based skillet over high heat.
- Add garlic and chilli and cook for 10 seconds. Don’t inhale – the chilli will make you cough!
- Add onion, cook for 1 minute.
- Add chicken and fish sauce, and fry until cooked, around 2 minutes.
- Add green onion, noodles and sauce and cook for 1 minute until the sauce reduces and coats the noodles.
- Remove from heat and immediately add basil, toss until just wilted, then serve immediately.
Notes
1. Wide rice noodles – use wide ones and prepare per packet. I use ones labelled as “Pad Thai” rice noodles (see in post, here it is at Woolworths). Fine to use thinner ones if you can’t find wide ones.
2. Chilli – 2 birds eye or Thai chillies gives this a nice buzz of spice but won’t blow your head off! Feel free to adjust to your taste. Can also use a dollop of chilli paste instead – add it with the chicken.
3. Thai Basil – tastes like regular basil with slight aniseed flavour. Traditionally made with Thai Holy Basil which tastes like regular basil but most restaurants outside Thailand use regular Thai Basil (easier to find, sold at Harris Farms and some Woolies, Coles in Australia).
Substitute with regular basil (it tastes like Drunken Noodles in Thailand!)
4. Soy Sauce – both light and dark soy sauce can be substituted with all purpose soy sauce (ie soy sauce that is just labelled “soy sauce” without “dark” or “light” or “sweet” in front of it).
Can also sub the dark soy with more light soy.
DO NOT use all dark soy sauce – will be far too strong.
5. Nutrition per serving, assuming 3 servings.
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