Pad kee mao / drunken noodles / spicy Thai stir-fried noodles

Have you heard about pad kee mao before ? No ? Me either , well , until a week ago . Saw the recipe on my newsfeed and had to ask Mr Google about it . Pad kee mao according to Wiki is a Chinese-influenced ( as most noodle dish known to mankind ) Thai noodle dish , nearly similar to pad see ew , a Thai stir-fried soy sauce noodles with meat and vegetables ( gon chow ngau ho or beef ho fun is a cousin living in Hongkong ) except for its spiciness . Pad or phat means noodles and kee mao means drunkard thus drunken noodles . There are several versions on where this dish got its name but I'll agree with one theory that the dish is so spicy that one needs to drink a beer to temper its spiciness. I don't drink beer so I just guzzled up an iced milky coffee while eating this dish .
    

Okay , my bowlful of noodles wasn't that spicy , I just used 2 pieces of red chillies and was perfect enough to make my taste buds tingle . The original recipe calls for 5 bird's eye chilies , that amount is not a problem if you eat chillies for breakfast !

Another tweak was reducing the amount of ground pork , 1 pound is just too much for my taste . Actually , while checking out the recipe for the first time , I thought , I bet each strand of noodles in this dish will be perfectly-covered with pork lol 

Not all Thai fish sauce are the same , some brands are more saltier than others , so keep that in mind when using it . Kecap manis is an Indonesian dark sweet soy sauce , if you can't find it , use dark soy sauce and just add enough brown sugar or granulated sugar . If fresh rice noodles is not available , use the dried one .

Simple to make and with delicious umami taste , this spicy stir-fried noodle is a must try ! 

Please check original recipe @ cooking.nytimes

Serves 2 or 3 

2 1/2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce

2 tablespoons kecap manis / Indonesian sweet soy sauce 

2 teaspoons lime juice

4 cloves garlic , coarsely chopped 

2 red chillies , coarsely chopped 

1 small onion , sliced 

150 grams ground pork

1 cup red bell pepper , sliced 

350 grams fresh wide rice noodles

2 handful of Thai basil leaves 

lime slices , to serve 

* In a small bowl , mix together fish sauce , kecap manis and lime juice , set aside . 

* In a non-stick pan , heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat , add in the garlic , chillies and onion , cook , stirring constantly until  garlic is light brown and fragrant ,  about 30 seconds . Add in pork and 1 teaspoon of the sauce , cook , stir to break up the meat , for about 4 minutes or until pork is cooked through . 

* Add in the bell pepper and noodles , turn heat to high , add all the sauce , cook , tossing and stirring the noodles constantly , until noodles are coated by the sauce and take on slightly-charred look , about 3 minutes , adjust taste . Toss in the basil leaves , give it a good stir , dish up and serve immediately .