Pad See Ew aka Thai Noodles with Broccoli and Tofu

Serves 4-6

Pad See Ew is my all time favorite Thai dish, with Pad Thai a close second.  Chewy noodles in a sweet and savory sauce is my idea of comfort food.  I have been wanting to tackle this dish for awhile, but honestly I was intimidated.  But after making it, I am no longer afraid!  It was fairly easy and crazy delicious!

If I can do it, you can too!

1 head of broccoli *

1 (14 oz) package of organic tofu, pressed and sliced **

14 oz of dried flat rice noodles ***

2 cloves of garlic, minced

4 Tbsp oyster sauce

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

vegetable oil

cracked black pepper

2 large eggs (optional)

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar and garlic and a few cranks of a pepper mill.  Taste the sauce and adjust to your liking.

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Cook rice noodles according to package directions.  When they are done, drain and toss with a little oil to prevent sticking and set aside.

Pour enough oil in a wok to coat the bottom and turn it on to high heat.  When is just starts to smoke, add in the broccoli.  Cook for just a few minutes until it turns bright green and is tender.  Transfer to a bowl and set aside.  

Wipe out the wok, if needed.  Pour a bit more oil back in and return to high heat.  Place pressed, sliced tofu into the wok and stir fry until crispy.  Transfer to a bowl and set aside.  

Add in a bit more oil and if using eggs, crack them in and when the set, scramble them with a wooden spoon.  Pour in the precooked noodles and let them cook for about 1 minute.

Toss broccoli and tofu back in and drizzle sauce over everything.  Stir fry until everything is coated and noodles are done.  Serve immediately!

*Chinese broccoli is preferred, but regular will do just fine.  When slicing the broccoli you want to leave some of the stalk with it.  

**To press the tofu, line a cutting board with clean dish towel and place tofu on top.  Cover the tofu with the towel and place another cutting board over that.  Now you need to "press" it by placing a heavy pot or a stack of plates on top of the cutting board.  Since tofu is packed in water, this helps drain out most of it.  

*** Ahh, these noodles were the death of me...just kidding.  I set out in search of the super wide noodles that most Thai restaurants use, but was striking out.  I finally sent my sweet husband two towns over to an Asian market thinking for sure they would have them...but no!  The best we could do was what is pictured above, and it worked out fine.  Come to find out after the fact, you can buy rice sheets at the Asian market and slice them to your desired width.  Oh well, next time!  Also, some directions say you can just soak the noodles in cold water for 15 minutes, instead of boiling them... disregard that, it doesn't work!