DRUNKEN NOODLE PASTRAMI PAD KEE MAO Serves 1 or 2
I don’t think anyone quite knows where the name for “drunken noodles” originated.
Pad means “to stir-fry” and
kee mao is a great Thai phrase that means “someone who is prone to drunkenness,” i.e., your uncle who usually shows up to the family reunion three whiskeys deep. Are they called drunken noodles because they’re meant to feed people stumbling out of bars at night, or because some Thai cooks add a glug of Chinese cooking wine? I’m not entirely sure.
What I do know is that we sell a ton of pad kee mao at Night + Market, especially to the late-night crowd. This dish is not as iconic as
pad see ew or pad Thai, but it does have many of the aspects people love about Thai food: It’s spicy, fragrant, and carb-heavy enough to function as a post-drinking meal. At the restaurant we sometimes toss the noodles with short rib that’s been pressure-cooked with soy sauce and aromatics until tender, but if you have leftover steak or roast beef on hand, then by all means slice that up and throw it in the wok.
This version, though, is my favorite. It’s the result of an experiment inspired by the kung pao pastrami Danny Bowien serves at Mission Chinese. It involves going to the nearest deli counter and having them slice the pastrami extra thick (¼ inch), then tossing it into the wok at home. Something about the combination of salty deli meats and drunken noodles makes perfect sense.
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Prik Tum (pg 308), or ½ teaspoon each minced fresh bird’s eye chiles and garlic
¼ large red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and cut into strips
8 ounces fresh wide rice noodles (chow fun), separated into strands (see Note pg. 39)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons Stir-Fry Sauce (pg. 306)
6 ounces sliced pastrami (¼ inch thick), cut into 1 × 2-inch ribbons
Fish sauce
Handful of Thai basil leaves
Ground white pepper
Crispy Fried Egg (pg. 244), for topping (optional)
1. Heat an empty wok over high heat until it begins to smoke, then swirl in the oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add the
prik tum and stir until it becomes fragrant, just a few seconds. Add the bell pepper and jalapeño and stir-fry until slightly softened, 30 seconds or so. Then quickly add the rice noodles, sugar, and stir-fry sauce, tossing to coat evenly.
2. Once the noodles have absorbed most of the sauce, add the pastrami and toss again. Stir-fry until the meat is warmed through and the noodles have developed a slight char, then remove from the heat. Add a splash of fish sauce, the basil leaves, and a shake of white pepper and toss again to combine. Top with the fried egg, if desired.
Copyright © 2017 by Kris Yenbamroong. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
