Pad Kee Mao Noodles with Shrimp

Pad Kee Mao (literally, Drunkard's stir-fried noodles)

Pad Kee Mao Noodles supposed to be very spicy dish as its meaning of the name. “Kee Mao” means a drunkard in Thai, I wonder if Thai people are heavy drinkers or we are like many Asian people who have a low tolerance with alcohol, many people can not control doing things themselves after drinking, this dish is so hot so spicy because from a cook who is very drunk and uncontrollable.

We don’t know who created this dish but I think that person must be very creative and well-imagined.

The process of this dish is pretty much like Pad Si-Yiew which is another stir-fried noodle dish that needs high heat for cooking.

* Fresh flat rice noodles are pretty much available at the Asian grocery stores (and also dry flat rice noodles available at most major supermarkets).  

For 3 servings    ** Medium hot.

Ingredients

550 g                 Fresh Flat Rice Noodles
300 - 350 g.       Shrimp

1                        Medium size of Sweet Red or Green Pepper, cut into 2x5 cm.

1                        Small Carrot, cut lengthwise in half and slice into  1/2cm. thick and 5cm long. Cooked.

                          (or 6-7 Baby corn, cut lengthwise into half)     

1                        Onion (medium), cut lengthwise into 2cm thick.

4 -5                    Fingerroots or Chinese ginger, finely sliced (optional ,depending on availability)

50-60 g              Thai Sweet Basil, leaves. (this weight is including stems, use only leaves)

5                        Fresh Thai Chillis (Prik Kee Noo)

3 cloves             Garlic, roughly cut

1 – 2                  Shallot roughly cut

½ cup                 water (the amount of water depending on the noodles soft or dry)

2  tsp                  Chilli sauce in oil

2  tsp                  Sweet Dark Soy Sauce

2  tbsp                Soy Sauce

½  tbsp               Oyster Sauce

4 – 5                  turns of Fresh Ground peppercorn from pepper mill.

5 – 6 tbsp           Vegetable oil (Need more oil for dry noodles)

Instruction

1.      Soften noodles in microwave for 3 -4 minutes and loosen them to be individual.

2.      Pound fresh chilli, garlic and shallot with a mortar and pestle, until broke and pressed in pieces.

3.      Heat the wok at high and coat the steel wok with 1 - 2 tbsp oil. (if you use a non-stick wok then you don’t have to set the heat at high). Place the noodles in the wok and lower the heat down to medium high. Tossing and turning the noodles over persistently so the noodles will be charcoal and brown totally. Add sweet dark soy sauce and mix well. Keep mixing and tossing a few minutes. Remove noodles from the wok.

4.      Put another 2 tbsp oil into the wok on the medium high heat until the wok is hot, add shrimp, add chilli, garlic and shallot mixture and mix well. Add sweet pepper, onion, carrot (or baby corn), chilli sauce in oil and ground peppercorn, add 1 tbsp soy sauce and stir-fry for 2 - 3 minutes until all mix well.

5.      Add noodles, add the rest of soy sauce and stir-frying on the heat for a few minutes,add some water if noodles are dry(see Pad Si-Yiew instruction), add and fold basil into the mixture. Remove from heat and serve. (You can add some sourness by squeezing a wedge of lime on the noodles on your plate