So I can’t vouch for the authenticity of the recipe, but this is turns out more or less like the deliciousness of a Lao-Thai restaurant back in Madison. I based the recipe heavily on this recipe, though I didn’t follow it exactly. The reason for the name is something of a dispute. Some say that it’s a pre-drinking/hangover meal, others say that its spiciness causes people to drink lots of cold beer. Also called Pad Kee Mao.
Quantities are given as I made it yesterday, YMMV:
1 large white onion (cut into thin slices)
1 large green bell pepper (thin slices)
3-5 cloves garlic
a lot of thai basil (leaves separated from stems)
4 large tomatoes, preferably peeled then chopped in large chunks.
1 bulb shallot
Thai bird peppers(I used like 4, but they were green and of varying sizes. It should be spicy)
1 pound chicken boneless skinless chicken thighs(cut into thin slices)
Wide rice noodles
Sauce(I just eyeballed this):
Oyster sauce
Rice Vinegar
Lime or Lemon juice
Fish Sauce
Sugar
Sriracha
1. Cook rice noodles. If you want, you can use the same water to soak the tomatoes in briefly to aid in skinning. Set rice noodles aside, rinse with water occasionally to keep them separated.
2. In very hot wok, stir friend onions, shallots, garlic. Add chicken with hot peppers. This tends to keep them from vaporizing and killing you. When kitchen is no longer too pink, add green peppers. During this time, you can also add some of the stems of the thai basil for more flavor.
3. When the vegis are reasonably stir fried, add the tomatoes. Reduce heat- you want to form a lot of juice in the bottom. You may want to cover to aid this process.
4. Once everything’s gotten juicy, add the sauce mixture and basil. Simmer for a bit to get the sauce right – if it’s too acidic, add more oyster and fish sauce. If its not spicy enough, add another chili or two. Once the sauce is right, throw in the noodle to coat them with the sauce.
This can be served with or without rice – if there’s a lot of sauce, it’s good with rice to soak it up.
And the requisite artsy food shot:
