Skinnymixer’s Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao) features in the Fast section of the cookbook SkinnyAsia 2.
Need dinner FAST?
Drunken Noodles are exactly the kind of recipe to keep up your sleeve for those nights when you haven’t planned anything and takeaway is starting to look tempting.
Tender beef, Chinese broccoli and baby corn are tossed with wide rice noodles in a salty, sweet and savoury sauce, with fresh basil and as much birdseye chilli as you like.
Once everything is prepared, the actual stir-fry happens incredibly quickly.
And there’s no Stock Concentrate required, making this an especially handy last-minute Skinnymixers dinner.
Methods: Thermo cooker + Conventional preparation, wok cooking
Heat: Mild to VERY spicy
Noodles: Fresh or dried wide rice noodles
What are Drunken Noodles?
Drunken Noodles, or Pad Kee Mao, are a Thai stir-fried noodle dish known for their bold savoury flavours, chilli and fresh basil.
Despite the name, there’s no alcohol in our Drunken Noodles.
They’re a fast, high-heat stir-fry rather than a saucy noodle soup.
The sauce should cling to the wide noodles while the heat of the wok creates some delicious caramelised patches around the edges.
What You’ll Need
The complete quantities are in SkinnyAsia 2, but you’ll need:
- Beef steak
- Wide rice noodles
- Chinese broccoli or bok choy
- Baby corn
- Garlic
- Birdseye chillies
- Shallot or brown onion
- Spring onion
- Holy basil or Italian basil
The sauce combines:
- Oyster sauce (gluten-free if required) or you can make your own Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
- Soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos
- Fish sauce or vegan fish sauce
- Brown or coconut sugar
- Water
Simple ingredients, BIG flavour.
Choosing Noodles for Drunken Noodles
The noodles are one of the most important parts of this recipe.
We use 500 g fresh wide rice noodles or approximately 250–300 g dried noodles.
Fresh and dried rice noodles behave very differently, so don’t automatically cook them the same way.
Always check the directions on your particular packet first.
Fresh Wide Rice Noodles
Fresh wide rice noodles are our first choice when you can find them.
Look for them at Asian grocers and some larger supermarkets.
Depending on the brand, they may be:
- Soft and already separated
- Firm and stuck together
- Refrigerated
- Vacuum-packed
- Designed to go straight into the wok
- Designed to be briefly heated or soaked first
This is why the recipe tells you to prepare your noodles according to the packet directions rather than giving one method for every brand.
Don’t Overcook Fresh Rice Noodles
Fresh noodles generally don’t need to be treated like dried pasta.
If they’re already soft and pliable, they may only need gently separating before they go into the wok.
If they’re firm or tightly stuck together, follow the packet instructions for loosening them.
The goal is to have the noodles separated and pliable without making them overly soft before stir-frying.
Remember, they’re going to cook further once you add them to the wok with the sauce.
Using Dried Rice Noodles
Can’t find fresh noodles?
Use approximately 250–300 g dried rice noodles instead.
Choose a wide or flat rice noodle if possible.
Prepare them according to their packet directions, but be careful not to take them too far.
You want them just pliable and ready to stir-fry, because they’ll continue cooking and absorbing sauce in the wok.
If you fully soften them before stir-frying, they’re more likely to become mushy or break apart.
The Secret to a Great Stir-Fry: Get EVERYTHING Ready First
Once you start cooking, Drunken Noodles move FAST.
Before you turn on the heat, have your:
- Beef sliced
- Vegetables chopped
- Noodles prepared
- Garlic and chilli ready
- Sauce mixed
- Spring onion sliced
- Basil washed and ready
all sitting beside the stove.
This isn’t the time to discover you still need to chop your broccoli while your beef is burning in a smoking-hot wok.
Holy Basil vs Italian Basil
Holy basil is traditionally associated with Thai dishes such as Pad Kee Mao, but it isn’t always easy to find in Australia.
Holy Basil
Holy basil has a distinctive peppery, slightly spicy flavour and can sometimes be found at Thai and Asian grocers.
If you find it, use it.
Italian Basil
Can’t find holy basil?
Italian or sweet basil is absolutely fine, which is why we’ve included it as an option in the recipe.
It won’t taste exactly the same, but you’ll still get that lovely fresh aromatic finish.
Add the basil right at the end so it only has enough time to wilt.
How Spicy are Drunken Noodles?
That’s entirely up to you.
The recipe gives you a range of 1–5 birdseye chillies.
Birdseye chillies can pack a serious punch, so if you’re cooking for children or people with a lower chilli tolerance, start with the lower end.
If you LOVE spicy noodles, work your way up.
Remember that chilli heat can vary from chilli to chilli, so the number isn’t a perfect measure of heat.
Want More Vegetables?
This recipe already contains Chinese broccoli and baby corn, but it’s very easy to add more.
Try:
- Extra Chinese broccoli
- Bok choy
- Green beans
- Capsicum
- Other quick-cooking Asian vegetables
Just be mindful of overcrowding the wok.
If you add a mountain of vegetables, you may need to cook them separately or in batches so everything continues to stir-fry rather than steam.
Serve Immediately
This is not a dish to leave sitting in the wok for 20 minutes.
Rice noodles continue absorbing sauce as they sit and can soften further.
Have everyone ready, finish the stir-fry and serve it straight away while the noodles are glossy, hot and at their best.
Dietary & Recipe Variations
GLUTEN FREE
Use gluten-free tamari, oyster sauce and fish sauce as required, along with rice noodles.
LOW CARB
Halve the sauce and oil. Use compliant kelp noodles or a mixture of zoodles and cabbage sliced into thick noodles. Use compliant sweetener and our Vegetarian Oyster Sauce, and replace the baby corn with water chestnut slices.
PALEO
Follow the Low Carb noodle and vegetable swaps and use compliant sweetener and sauces.
SUPER SKINNY
Use chicken breast, halve the sauce and oil and replace the rice noodles with kelp noodles or a mixture of zoodles and thickly sliced cabbage.
VEGETARIAN
Replace the beef with pressed, cubed extra-firm tofu and use our Vegetarian Oyster Sauce and vegan fish sauce.
LOW FODMAP
Omit the garlic and shallot and use garlic-infused olive oil. Double the green part of the spring onion and choose compliant sauces.
HALVED / DOUBLED
The recipe can be halved or doubled. For a double batch, stir-fry in two batches so you don’t overcrowd the wok.
From the Testing Team
- Kaz M. – This is so quick, easy and delicious. Everyone loved it. No leftovers! Has already been requested again for tomorrow nights dinner! This will definitely be a regular! I used Rump steak and tinned baby corn.
Will double the noodles and sauce next time and stick to 500g meat. Plenty of meat and veg for the extra noodles. - Sarah C. – I used rump too. It was so good I’ve been asked if we can have it again tomorrow!
- Angie G. – Drunken Noddles for the Winn !! Hubby had two serves and requested the same for dinner tomorrow night as well
yum yum Tasted absolutely delicious. This one is going straight to the top of the new favorite recipe list !! I used 500g rump steak, it was nice an tender. Couldn’t find Chinese broccoli or holy basil so used bok choy and Italian basil. - Tanya H. – Pad kee mao – a fave and this tastes just like my mums from her Thai restaurants
It’s meant to be really spicy with a strong chilli flavour but I only used two Birds Eye chillies as I wasn’t sure which of the teenagers are going to be eating tonight. I left out the corn. We would usually use carrot but I left them out too. I doubled it and used a kilo of noodles so I guess I went a bit rogue 
absolutely nailed it though with the sauce, just perfect!!! - Veronica B. – Wow this recipe packs a punch!! So much flavour
I think the key to this recipe is to be organised with the prep! Once that was done this dish comes together quick and easy! Love it - Angie G. – Drunken Noddles for dinner again tonight They sure are very delicious!! Yummm Used ramp steak, red onion plus added one small bunch of broccolini as wanted more veggies.
- Lauren J. – This was amazing, I want to make it again pretty soon used no chilli as none of us do heat well & no corn as I forgot it
- Deb D. – This was so nice used beef strips from our cow & wide konjac noodles. So good!
- Betty W. – In my head I thought the recipe was one pack of noodles (don’t know why I thought they were 500gms a pack) so thought I’d instinctively double for low sodium (one portion sauce to two lots of noodles). Then went to cook and thought geez my wok is soooo full I can barely toss the noodles and kept breaking them when tossing to then realising I’ve quadrupled the noodles
Sauce flavour is spot on and surprisingly still flavourful at the 1:4 ratio for our low sodium adjusted palates haha. Used two chillies. - Nicole K. – No fresh noodles available here anymore but cooked well with the wokka flat wide noodles. I prepped everything last night as I had a 15 minute window to get dinner on the table tonight. Really tasty.
Some other Thermomix Noodle recipes you might love:
Want to know more about SkinnyAsia 2 cookbook?
SkinnyAsia 2 is a collection of Thermomix & Conventional cooking recipes. All of our cookbooks have a strong focus on Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free, Egg Free, Low Carb, Paleo, Vegetarian and Low FODMAP.
Ingredients
- 300-500 g beef steak
- brown sugar
- fish sauce
- neutral oil
- oil of choice
- oyster sauce
- soy sauce
- water
- fresh wide rice noodles
- birdseye chillies
- fresh holy basil or Italian basil
- garlic
- baby corn
- Chinese broccoli or bok choy
- shallot or brown onion
- spring onion
Instructions
- This recipe is exclusive to the SkinnyAsia 2 cookbook.
FAQs
Can I use dried rice noodles instead of fresh wide rice noodles?
Yes. Replace 500 g fresh wide rice noodles with approximately 250–300 g dried noodles. Prepare them according to the packet directions and be careful not to overcook them, as they’ll continue to soften and absorb sauce when they’re stir-fried.
Why did my rice noodles turn mushy or break apart?
They were most likely too soft before they went into the wok or handled too aggressively during stir-frying. Different brands of fresh rice noodles require different preparation, so always follow the packet first. Aim for noodles that are separated and pliable but not overly soft, then gently toss them through the stir-fry rather than vigorously stirring.