Pad kee mao — drunken noodles — is one of Thailand's great wok dishes. Wide rice noodles, charred and smoky from a screaming hot wok, pork belly rendered and crisped in its own fat, and a sauce built on fish sauce, soy, and Thai basil. The heat level is up to you but the dish should have some fire to it — the chilli is not decoration.
This is fast, hot cooking. The whole stir fry takes under five minutes once the pork is rendered. Everything must be prepped and within reach before the heat goes up. If you stop to find something mid-cook, something else will burn.
Ingredients
- Sauce
- 20 g Oyster sauce
- 20 g Fish sauce
- 15 g Dark soy sauce
- 15 g Light soy sauce
- 15 g Water
- 10 g Rice vinegar
- 5 g Sugar
- 0.5 tsp MSG
- 0.5 tsp White pepper
- Stir fry
- 400 g Pork belly, skinless, sliced widthways into roughly 5mm thick squares, layered fat and meat
- 400 g Fresh wide rice noodles, sen yai or ho fun — see notes
- 2 Shallots , finely sliced
- 6 Cloves Garlic , finely sliced
- 3 Red chilli, finely diced
- 25 g Fresh ginger, julienned
- 150 g Asparagus, cut into 3–4cm lengths
- 100 g Baby spinach
- 3 Spring onion, sliced
- 20 g Thai basil, leaves picked
Equipment
- Round bottom wok →
- Wok burner
- Wok spatula
- Mise en place bowls
Method
Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix until the sugar dissolves. Prep all the vegetables, pick the Thai basil leaves, and season the pork belly slices with salt. Separate the noodles so they don’t clump — see the pro tip below. Everything must be prepped and within reach before the heat goes up. See mise en place for why this matters.
Place the seasoned pork belly slices in a single layer in a cold wok over low heat. Let the fat render out slowly — around 5 minutes — until the pieces have released a significant amount of fat and the meat is cooked through.
Increase the heat to high and cook until the pork pieces are well crisped and coloured on both sides. Do not remove the pork or the fat from the wok.
Add the shallots, garlic, ginger and chilli directly to the pork and fat in the wok. Stir constantly on high heat for 30–60 seconds until fragrant and beginning to scorch at the edges.
Add the asparagus and stir fry on high heat for 20 seconds, keeping everything moving.
Add the separated noodles and stir fry for 90 seconds total. Start by tossing to combine everything, then leave the noodles undisturbed against the wok surface for 30 seconds to develop char. Toss again, leave again, repeat until the noodles have colour and the whole wok smells smoky.
Pour the sauce around the edge of the wok rather than directly onto the noodles. Toss everything together on high heat until fully combined, then leave briefly to allow the sauce to catch and char slightly against the wok surface.
Add the baby spinach and spring onions and toss until the spinach has just wilted — around 30 seconds. Add the Thai basil leaves, toss once more to combine, and serve immediately straight from the wok into warmed bowls.
Notes & Substitutions
Noodles: Fresh wide rice noodles — sen yai or ho fun — are available in the fridge section of most Asian supermarkets. They have a texture that dried noodles cannot replicate. If you cannot find fresh, dried wide rice noodles work but need to be soaked and cooked according to the packet before going into the wok. The dish will be noticeably different.
Thai basil: Thai basil is not the same as Italian basil — it has an anise note and a stronger, more robust flavour that holds up to the heat and the sauce. Standard basil is a poor substitute here. Thai basil is available in most Asian supermarkets and some larger supermarkets. It is worth seeking out.
Wok setup: This dish is best on an outdoor gas wok burner. An indoor gas hob works with good ventilation. Electric hobs struggle to maintain the temperature required — the dish is still edible but the char and smoke that defines proper yaki udon will be largely absent. See how to cook with a wok for more on why heat matters so much here.
MSG: Listed as optional, recommended in practice. MSG is monosodium glutamate — a naturally occurring compound found in tomatoes, parmesan, and soy sauce. It enhances savouriness without adding a detectable flavour of its own. The stigma around it is not supported by science. A small amount in the sauce makes a noticeable difference to the depth of the finished dish.
Chilli heat: Three red chillies gives a moderate heat. Adjust up or down to taste — Thai bird’s eye chillies will give significantly more fire than standard red chillies if you want to push it.
You might also like
Pad Kee Mao
Pad kee mao — drunken noodles — is one of Thailand's great wok dishes. Wide rice noodles, charred and smoky from a screaming hot wok, pork belly rendered and crisped in its own fat, and a sauce built on fish sauce, soy, and Thai basil. The heat level is up to you but the dish should have some fire to it — the chilli is not decoration.
This is fast, hot cooking. The whole stir fry takes under five minutes once the pork is rendered. Everything must be prepped and within reach before the heat goes up. If you stop to find something mid-cook, something else will burn.
Ingredients
- 20 g Oyster sauce
- 20 g Fish sauce
- 15 g Dark soy sauce
- 15 g Light soy sauce
- 15 g Water
- 10 g Rice vinegar
- 5 g Sugar
- 0.5 tsp MSG
- 0.5 tsp White pepper
- 400 g Pork belly (skinless, sliced widthways into roughly 5mm thick squares, layered fat and meat)
- 400 g Fresh wide rice noodles (sen yai or ho fun — see notes)
- 2 Shallots (finely sliced)
- 6 Cloves Garlic (finely sliced)
- 3 Red chilli (finely diced)
- 25 g Fresh ginger (julienned)
- 150 g Asparagus (cut into 3–4cm lengths)
- 100 g Baby spinach
- 3 Spring onion (sliced)
- 20 g Thai basil (leaves picked)
Equipment
- Round bottom wok
- Wok burner
- Wok spatula
- Mise en place bowls
Method
Mise en place
Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix until the sugar dissolves. Prep all the vegetables, pick the Thai basil leaves, and season the pork belly slices with salt. Separate the noodles so they don’t clump — see the pro tip below. Everything must be prepped and within reach before the heat goes up. See mise en place for why this matters.
For this step: 20 g Oyster sauce, 20 g Fish sauce, 15 g Dark soy sauce, 15 g Light soy sauce, 15 g Water, 10 g Rice vinegar, 5 g Sugar, 0.5 tsp MSG, 0.5 tsp White pepper
Render the pork belly
Place the seasoned pork belly slices in a single layer in a cold wok over low heat. Let the fat render out slowly — around 5 minutes — until the pieces have released a significant amount of fat and the meat is cooked through.
For this step: 400 g Pork belly
Crisp the pork
Increase the heat to high and cook until the pork pieces are well crisped and coloured on both sides. Do not remove the pork or the fat from the wok.
Add the aromatics
Add the shallots, garlic, ginger and chilli directly to the pork and fat in the wok. Stir constantly on high heat for 30–60 seconds until fragrant and beginning to scorch at the edges.
For this step: 2 Shallots, 6 Cloves Garlic, 3 Red chilli, 25 g Fresh ginger
Add the asparagus
Add the asparagus and stir fry on high heat for 20 seconds, keeping everything moving.
For this step: 150 g Asparagus
Add the noodles
Add the separated noodles and stir fry for 90 seconds total. Start by tossing to combine everything, then leave the noodles undisturbed against the wok surface for 30 seconds to develop char. Toss again, leave again, repeat until the noodles have colour and the whole wok smells smoky.
For this step: 400 g Fresh wide rice noodles
Add the sauce
Pour the sauce around the edge of the wok rather than directly onto the noodles. Toss everything together on high heat until fully combined, then leave briefly to allow the sauce to catch and char slightly against the wok surface.
Add the greens
Add the baby spinach and spring onions and toss until the spinach has just wilted — around 30 seconds. Add the Thai basil leaves, toss once more to combine, and serve immediately straight from the wok into warmed bowls.
For this step: 100 g Baby spinach, 3 Spring onion, 20 g Thai basil
Notes & Substitutions
Noodles: Fresh wide rice noodles — sen yai or ho fun — are available in the fridge section of most Asian supermarkets. They have a texture that dried noodles cannot replicate. If you cannot find fresh, dried wide rice noodles work but need to be soaked and cooked according to the packet before going into the wok. The dish will be noticeably different.
Thai basil: Thai basil is not the same as Italian basil — it has an anise note and a stronger, more robust flavour that holds up to the heat and the sauce. Standard basil is a poor substitute here. Thai basil is available in most Asian supermarkets and some larger supermarkets. It is worth seeking out.
Wok setup: This dish is best on an outdoor gas wok burner. An indoor gas hob works with good ventilation. Electric hobs struggle to maintain the temperature required — the dish is still edible but the char and smoke that defines proper yaki udon will be largely absent. See how to cook with a wok for more on why heat matters so much here.
MSG: Listed as optional, recommended in practice. MSG is monosodium glutamate — a naturally occurring compound found in tomatoes, parmesan, and soy sauce. It enhances savouriness without adding a detectable flavour of its own. The stigma around it is not supported by science. A small amount in the sauce makes a noticeable difference to the depth of the finished dish.
Chilli heat: Three red chillies gives a moderate heat. Adjust up or down to taste — Thai bird’s eye chillies will give significantly more fire than standard red chillies if you want to push it.
Free guide: How to Cook Properly
How to Cook Properly — the 11 principles that turn average into outstanding
Equipment worth having
One bowl per ingredient. It sounds simple. It changes everything.
£25-£75The wok costs £15. The heat underneath it is what you're really paying for.
£10-£25
One bowl per ingredient. It sounds simple. It changes everything.
£25-£75The wok costs £15. The heat underneath it is what you're really paying for.
£10-£25
One bowl per ingredient. It sounds simple. It changes everything.
£25-£75The wok costs £15. The heat underneath it is what you're really paying for.
£10-£25Shape what comes next
Got a recipe you'd love to see, or an idea to make the site better? We read every suggestion.
Log in to suggest