Drunken Noodles is the literal translation of Pad Kee Mao because the theory is that these spicy Thai noodles should be eaten with an ice cold beer and that they are a great cure for hangover. I can confirm both cases to be true!
This Thai noodle dish is a very popular both in Thailand and in Thai restaurants outside of Thailand. You will be surprised how fast and easy this recipe is to make!
Drunken Noodles!
Get Drunken Noodles from the streets of Thailand, and unless you have an exceptional spice-o-meter, you’ll be chugging down the beer in an attempt to cool the burn in your mouth.
Make this at home and you can control the heat!
The amount of chilli I’ve included in the recipe is mild enough for most people (I think), but enough so you can taste the heat. By all means, feel free to turn up the spice dial!
What you need
There are all sorts of variations of Drunken Noodles in Thailand and even more in the western world. In Thailand the two constants are chicken and Thai Basil, and quite often it came with baby corn as well, though from my research I couldn’t confirm that this was a “must have” in this dish.
Rice Noodles
Get the widest dried rice noodles you can find at your grocery store. Here in Australian supermarkets, the widest I can find is labelled “Pad Thai”, though ironically, it’s actually too wide for Pad Thai!
Thai Basil
There are actually two types of Thai Basil – regular Thai Basil and Thai Holy Basil. Drunken Noodles can be made with either.
Outside of Thailand, restaurants typically use regular Thai Basil because it is easier to find than Holy Basil. I even have difficulty finding Holy Basil in Thai grocery stores!
Is Thai Basil the same as regular basil?
Thai Basil is not the same as regular basil. It tastes like regular basil with a slight aniseed flavour. A very distinct flavour that you know and love about your favourite dishes at your local Thai restaurant like Drunken Noodles and Thai Chilli Basil Chicken!
Best substitute for Thai Basil
Regular basil! In fact, Drunken Noodles is traditionally made with Holy Basil which tastes more similar to regular basil than Thai Basil!
How to make it
As with all stir fries and stir fried noodles, this moves fast once you start cooking – around 6 minutes start to finish – so have everything ready to go before you start cooking!
Comparison to other popular Thai noodles
Whereas Pad Thai is nutty and sweet, Pad Kee Mao is spicy and savoury. Compared to Pad See Ew, the sauce of Drunken Noodles is lighter in colour and not as sweet.
Also, neither Pad Thai nor Pad See Ew does not have Thai Basil in it, and it is not as spicy.
Actually, Pad Kee Mao is essentially like Thai Chilli Basil Chicken stir fry with noodles added!
Better made at home
In Western Thai restaurants, Drunken Noodles are usually very saucy, oily and salty – too much so in my opinion, and very different from the streets of Thailand. So it’s really nice to be able to make a healthier yet just as tasty version at home!
And remember to crack open an ice cold beer to enjoy these Drunken Noodles with! – Nagi x
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Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)
Ingredients
Noodles
- 7 oz /200g dried rice noodles , wide (Note 1)
Stir Fry
- 2 tbsp oil (peanut, vegetable or canola)
- 3 large cloves of garlic , minced
- 2 birds eye chilli or Thai chillies , deseeded, very finely chopped (Note 2)
- 1/2 onion , sliced
- 200 g /7oz chicken thighs , cut into bite size pieces (breast ok too)
- 2 tsp fish sauce (or soy sauce)
- 2 green onions , cut into 3cm/2" pieces
- 1 cup Thai or Thai Holy Basil leaves (sub regular basil, Note 3)
Sauce
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 4)
- 1 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce (Note 4)
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Prepare noodles per packet directions.
- Mix Sauce in a small bowl.
- Heat oil in wok or large heavy based skillet over high heat.
- Add garlic and chilli and cook for 10 seconds. Don't inhale - the chilli will make you cough!
- Add onion, cook for 1 minute.
- Add chicken and fish sauce, and fry until cooked, around 2 minutes.
- Add green onion, noodles and sauce and cook for 1 minute until the sauce reduces and coats the noodles.
- Remove from heat and immediately add basil, toss until just wilted, then serve immediately.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Drunken Noodles recipe originally published July 2014. Updated June 2019 with new photos, new writing, new video and most importantly, Life of Dozer section added!
Life of Dozer
Like my video shooting area isn’t a tripping hazard as it is, let’s add a giant fur ball into the mix. 🙄
(PS the wine is a PROP! I wasn’t having a cheeky glass at lunch!! 😂)
Hi Nagi, do i need to double the recipe to serve 4 people or will it be ok. Doubleing the recipe seems like a lot of sauce or is that the right thing to do?
THANK YOU FOR THIS! I LOVED IT! YUM!!!! Can’t wait to try your Panang Curry recipe!
Amazing! Pan fried tofu then tossed it in with the sauce and noodles – delicious! Double the recipe – you’ll be craving for more!
Oh my! This is crazy good! Don’t question it, just make it!!
So delicious, making it again tonight, 2nd time this week. Might add some more veg tho
This was simply delicious. I couldn’t find the Thai chili peppers so I used crushed red pepper flakes. Couldn’t find Thai basil- used regular. I added sliced bell peppers- yellow, orange, and red. Since we are watching sodium I also substituted most of the soy sauce with coconut aminos, used vegan fish sauce, and used lower sodium soy sauce. It was still delicious. This one’s a keeper! Thanks for sharing. 🥰
Best recipe! I modify it by adding a lot of vegetables as well like celery, carrots and onion. Also I double the sauce.
Love this recipe – but i think tonight something has gone awry… my finished turned out WAY darker than the picture … like very dark brown… could this be the oyster or soy sauce? I definitely measured the 3 tbsp oyster then 1.5tbsp light and dark soy .. not sure what happened here, but still delicious
Great recipe! Very good.
I’ve made this multiple times and I love it! I’m vegan so I use vegan oyster and fish sauce and tofu instead of chicken. I also add in a vegetable. It’s easy, fast, and so delicious!
Absolutely amazing! Stir fried in a huge cast iron and my dad said it was like when he got tear gassed!
YUM. I couldn’t resist adding extra veggies, so I also put in thinly spices bell pepper and shredded cabbage, as well as LOTS of green onion and Thai basil from the garden. We like it 5-star spicy, so we amped up the chilies as well. This is a new favorite!
Amazing dish! Thanks for sharing.
Can I use shrimp in place of chicken in this and/or other Thai recipes?
Can you make this without chicken? If so when do I add the fish sauce?
Absolutely delicious, if you follow the recipe as per the exact instructions it’s mind blowing! I added some green beans for some extra veg.!!
First time making Thai Noodles, was worried it would be complicated, not with this recipe..so easy and delicious. I didn’t have any Oyster Sauce so substituted Hoisin instead. worked really well. Thanks so much.
This recipe was delicious and so easy. I used ground beef instead of chicken but kept everything else the same. It was a great way to turn hum drum hamburger into something special.
was inspired to try this after being disappointed by a local food truck’s offering. This recipe gave me everything the food truck offering didn’t, loved it!
How can I make this as a salad? Can I just precook the chicken and noodles and allow to chill then add the rest of the ingredients and sauce?
You could do that however it won’t be the same… the noodles and meat/veggies/tofu whatever you’re using need to be cooked in the sauce to truly enhance everything. The padkee mao sauce won’t taste good unless it’s cooked. Maybe try searching for a Thai salad dressing recipe, and then cook off some chicken , veggies or whatever in a little peanut and sesame oil, minced shallot and garlic and feta ah sauce. Hold on to that, chill it and toss it with some greens and some sort of Thai peanut salad dressing or similar. There, I just made a recipe without even trying! Enjoy!