A couple months ago my girlfriends introduced me to Thai food. I ordered the Thai Drunken Noodles and happily scarfed them down. It was so very, very good! It had just the right amount of heat, not too hot, but just enough heat to get your tastebuds to notice. It was packed with all sorts of crisp, tender veggies and the sauce made the dish utterly delectable! I wanted to lick the plate but reminded myself that I was out in public so I restrained myself…LOL! I knew right then and there that I had to figure out how to make it at home. After a few attempts I combined the best of several recipes I came across online and this is the version I came up with. Not to brag, but I think it’s even better than what I ordered at the restaurant!
The secret to the outstanding flavor is in the “drunken” sauce. It took a little searching to find some of the ingredients for the sauce but it was well worth the search. There’s an Asian market around the corner from the house so I stopped by one afternoon when I had some time on my hands. All the labels are primarily in Chinese so it usually takes me a while to find what I’m are looking for.
There was a patient and friendly gentleman stocking shelves at the asian market the day I was there and he was most helpful in explaining the differences in soy sauces to me. I learned that there is a difference between light soy sauce and dark soy sauce. And it’s not the difference between Kikoman low sodium soy sauce and Kikoman regular soy sauce. He explained to me that Kikoman soy sauces are used primarily at the table to season food. Similar to how Americans use hot sauce to season various dishes at the table.
I learned that in asian cuisine, dark soy sauce and light soy sauce are used primarily in the kitchen when cooking a dish. No wonder asian dishes I cooked at home never tasted quite the same as what I enjoyed at local asian restaurants. I always assumed it was the addition of MSG that made the food more flavorful, not the type of soy sauces used when cooking the dish. He also pointed me to the Golden Mountain seasoning sauce. Apparently it is a common seasoning used in asian cooking. I learned a lot that day from that kind, patient gentleman who took the time to answer all my questions.
This Thai dish is a stir fry so it’s important to get all your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start cooking. Once you turn on the stove, this dish cooks up in just a few quick minutes and you won’t have time to slice and dice anything.
Prepare the chicken:
Slice chicken into quarter inch thick strips. Combine 2 tsp corn starch with 4 tsp soy sauce in small bowl. Add the sauce to the sliced chicken in a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to make sure the chicken strips are completely coated with the soy sauce and cornstarch. Set the chicken aside and allow the chicken strips to marinate for 15-20 minutes.
Did you know: this is called velveting the meat. Coating the meat with cornstarch and soy sauce will give the meat a soft velvety texture and silky mouthfeel. This technique is quite common in asian cooking.
Prepare the noodles:
Soak the rice noodles in a pot with very hot water for 10 minutes until soft. Drain and set aside.
I used half a package (8 oz) of dry rice noodles for this recipe. They soften quickly in hot water, no boiling is required.
Prepare the stir fry ingredients:
Mince red chili peppers and place them and the garlic cloves in a mortar and pestle. Grind them together until you have a thick paste. Set aside.
Slice the mushrooms. Cut the broccoli into 1 inch spears, discarding the hard woody stems. Cut snap peas in half. Cut red bell pepper into thin slices. Set aside.
Clean the basil, strip the leaves off the stems. Discard stems. Set aside leaves.
Make the stir fry sauce:
In a measuring cup combine the brown sugar, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Golden Mountain seasoning, and fish sauce. Stir to combine and set aside.
Stir fry:
Heat a couple tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid.
Add the marinated chicken meat and stir fry it until it starts to turn color.
Add the garlic chili paste and continue to cook for another minute until fragrant.
Add the broccoli spears, and snap peas to the wok. Continue to stir fry until the vegetables are crisp tender, about 2-3 minutes. Add sliced red bell peppers. Stir fry for another minute.
Add the softened/drained noodles to the wok and stir to combine them with the chicken and vegetables in the wok.
Add the stir fry sauce, increase heat to medium high and stir fry until fragrant and the sauce coats everything, about 1-2 minutes. The noodles will soak up a lot of the sauce as they cook.
Turn off the heat and stir in the basil leaves.
Stir to combine with the ingredients in the wok and to wilt the basil leaves.
Serve immediately.
My first attempt at Thai food was a resounding success! The whole family agrees, this is by far the best stir fry meal I’ve made to date! The crunch from the crisp vegetables, paired with the velvety soft chicken and rice noodles all coated in a savory, not to spicy “drunken” sauce makes this meal lip smacking good! If you decide to lick your plate clean I won’t tell, I promise!!! Be sure to print this recipe out or Pin it. When you’re craving an extra tasty, easy to make stir fry recipe, make this one. It won’t disappoint!!!
Thai Drunken Noodles
Equipment
- Wok or large skillet
Ingredients
- 8 oz dry rice noodles
- hot water
- 12 oz chicken breast, cut into thin slices
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 4 tsp soy sauce
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 spicy red chili peppers
- 4 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 1 head broccoli
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 4 oz sugar snap peas
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 4 tsp light soy sauce
- 4 tsp dark soy sauce
- 4 tsp Golden Mountain seasoning
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 4 tsp brown sugar
- 1 large handful fresh basil leaves
- vegetable oil, for cooking
Instructions
Prepare chicken:
- Combine 2 tsp corn starch with 4 tsp soy sauce and combine with sliced chicken in a mixing bowl. Set aside and allow chicken to marinate for 15 minutes.
Prepare noodles:
- Soak noodles in hot water for 10 minutes until soft. Drain and set aside.
Prepare Ingredients:
- Place red chili peppers and garlic in a mortar and pestle. Grind them together into a paste. Set aside.
- Slice mushrooms. Set aside.
- Cut broccoli into 1 inch spears. Discard hard woody stems. Set aside
- Cut snap peas in half. Set aside.
- Cut red bell pepper into thin slices. Set aside.
- Clean the basil, Strip off the leaves from the stems. Discard stems. Set aside leaves.
Make the stir fry sauce:
- In a measuring cup combine the brown sugar, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Golden Mountain seasoning, and fish sauce. Stir to combine and set aside.
Stir fry:
- Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat.
- add mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid.
- Add chicken meat and stir fry until it starts to turn color.
- Add the garlic chili paste and continue to cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Add the broccoli spears, snap peas to the wok. Continue to stir fry until vegetables are crisp tender, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add sliced red bell peppers. Stir fry for another minute.
- Add the softened/drained noodles to the wok and stir to combine with the chicken and vegetables in the wok.
- Add the stir fry sauce, increase heat to medium high and stir fry until fragrant and the sauce coats everything, about 1-2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the basil leaves. Stir to combine with the ingredients in the wok and to wilt the basil leaves.
- Serve immediately.
Did You Make This?
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