Pad See Ew with Seitan

Wide rice noodles charred in a screaming-hot wok, coated in dark soy sauce, and tumbled with
Chinese broccoli and chewy seitan. Pad see ew is Bangkok street food at its finest — smoky, savory,
slightly sweet, and devastatingly simple. The wok char (breath of the wok) is everything.

FASTING LEVEL: Fast With Oil (requires high-heat wok cooking with oil; not suitable for oil-free days)

SERVINGS: 2
TIME: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
- 300 g fresh wide rice noodles (sen yai), or dried wide rice noodles soaked according to package
- 200 g seitan, sliced into thin strips
- 200 g Chinese broccoli (gai lan), cut into 5 cm pieces, stems and leaves separated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (see ew dam)
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (see ew khao)
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce (use mushroom oyster sauce for strict fasting)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- White vinegar and chili flakes, for serving

METHOD:
1. If using fresh noodles, gently separate them. If using dried, soak and drain according to package.
2. Heat a wok over the highest heat possible until smoking. This is not optional.
3. Add 2 tablespoons oil. Add seitan strips and sear without moving for 2 minutes until charred on one side. Remove and set aside.
4. Add remaining oil. Add garlic and stir for 10 seconds. Add broccoli stems first, stir-fry 1 minute, then add leaves.
5. Push vegetables to the side. Add noodles to the wok. Let them sit without stirring for 30-60 seconds to develop char.
6. Add dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar. Toss everything together.
7. Return seitan to the wok. Toss 30 more seconds. Remove from heat.
8. Serve immediately with white pepper, a splash of vinegar, and chili flakes on the side.

NOTES:
- The highest heat your stove can produce is barely enough. Restaurant wok burners run 5-10 times hotter than home stoves. Get the wok smoking before anything goes in.
- Do not stir the noodles for the first 30-60 seconds in the wok. You need them to char and get slightly crispy.
- Seitan provides about 25 g protein per 100 g — this is a serious protein hit.
- Dark soy sauce (not regular soy sauce) gives pad see ew its characteristic deep brown color and caramel sweetness.

NUTRITION (per serving, approximate):
Calories: 520 | Protein: 30 g | Carbohydrates: 58 g | Fat: 18 g | Fibre: 4 g