So, I was in Sacramento with my co-worker, Rochelle, and she had pity on me and took me to a vegan restaurant, Andy Nguyen’s, and I can’t even remember what I ordered but Ro ordered Drunken Noodles and we ate family style. I really wanted to ‘jack’ her plate because the noodles were to die for! They weren’t as spicy as I would have liked but we added sriracha to it and we were good to go! After that dinner, I was craving those noodles NON-STOP but I didn’t really know what they were called because Ro ordered them.

A couple weeks after that, we went to Vegas. Since I love Thai food, especially curry, I looked for a Thai restaurant on Yelp because there was no vegan food to be found on The Strip (except Chipotle) and I found Archi’s Thai Kitchen. I suggested that my hubby (still craving noodles) order the Pad Kee Mao because the description said ‘wide noodles’ and I ordered the Spicy Fried Rice. When the food came, I was not a happy camper. My Spicy Fried Rice was really good, but his noodles looked sublime and I wanted to jump in his plate and eat them all up! But…I’m a lady so I just admired from across the table. He did offer a sample and I took him up on his offer, yum yum!

All I did was think about those noodles. On the day we were going to leave Vegas we went back to Archi’s and I ordered my own Pad Kee Mao (#6 spiciness on a scale of 1-10…that’s HOT!) plus I ordered one to go. It was soooooo good I felt like I had been stranded in the desert (while I kinda was in the desert) with no food for 18 months. I devoured the entire plate, this rarely happens, I can never clean my plate.

The next weekend we went to our local Thai restaurant, Silk Thai, in Huntington Beach, CA and of course, we both ordered Pad Kee Mao, once again, YUM. Then, I had the bright idea to do a detox and didn’t eat any food for 11 days but I tortured myself by watching The Cooking Channel non-stop. I was talking to my daughter, Danielle, on the phone and I was going on and on about the Drunken Noodles. I told her, “I’m going to find a recipe and make my own!’ I had searched for recipes before that day but I wasn’t feeling any of them. The next morning I woke up and searched for ‘authentic thai recipes’ and found a recipe for Drunken Noodles and I knew (somehow) that this was the one (with some adjustments).

Then, I searched for Thai markets and found Kim Long Market in Long Beach, CA. I read the comments on Yelp and found out that items aren’t always labeled so you may have a hard time finding what you need so I looked at a Thai glossary (and printed it out to take with me to the market) so I would know what to buy. This particular market had fresh rice noodles (they were right in front of the meat counter) and they are not refrigerated. When buying fresh noodles they tell you that you must use them within 1 day and they should not be refrigerated.

I made Drunken Noodles for the first time last night and I was totally amazed that they tasted just as good as those I ate at the restaurant (maybe even better because I added lots and lots of veggies!)

I made them again today for my hubby, daughter Danielle and son-in-law Anthony..BIG HIT!!!

Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/4 cup (1/2 lb) fresh wide noodles
  • 1/2 cup baby corn
  • 1/2 teaspoon of  white pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
  • 1 tablespoon diced small thai chiles
  • 1 sliced orange chiles or jalapenos (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 1/2 cup packed thai basil leaves
  • 1 teaspoon black soy (really thick soy sauce)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons golden mountain soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon white soy sauce (it’s not really white, its the “thin” soy as in, not thick)
  • about 4 tablespoons water
  • 1/4 teaspoon vinegar
  • 2 C broccoli
  • 2 C of cremini and portobello mushrooms
  • 1 C diced roma tomatoes
  • 2 C tofu (optional)

Chop everything before starting. If you are using the tofu, stir fry it now until it is browned and set it aside.

Separate the noodles by peeling them apart one at a time and set aside.

(You can control the spice level. Anthony doesn’t like spicy at all (so I didn’t add any chiles to his) and I LOVE the heat so just control the amount of Thai chiles and orange chiles (I used jalapenos because I couldn’t find the orange ones) and you control the heat.

Heat a wok and add the olive oil. Saute the garlic, chiles and diced onions. When the onions are browned, add the broccoli, baby corn and mushrooms and saute for 3-4 minutes until done. You may need to add some water to the wok to help the veggies cook and not stick. If you do add water, let it cook off before adding the noodles. If using tofu, add it now. Add noodles and tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes, you may need to add some water here to stop the noodles from sticking to the pan (don’t add too much water or the noodles will get mushy).

Add all the soy sauces, mix well. Add the basil and vinegar, mix well. When the basil is wilted it’s time to eat!

Enjoy!!!