Drunken noodles or drunkard noodles is a Thai

stir-fried Stir frying ( zh, c= 炒, p=chǎo, w=ch'ao3, cy=cháau) is a cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok. The technique originated in China and in recent centuries ...

noodle Noodles are a type of food made from unleavened dough which is either rolled flat and cut, stretched, or extruded, into long strips or strings. Noodles are a staple food in many cultures and made into a variety of shapes. The most common noo ...

dish similar to '' phat si-io'' but spicier. In English texts, it is rendered as ''pad kee mao'', ''pad ki mao'', or ''pad kimao'' – from its Thai name , , , in which ''phat'' means 'to stir-fry' and ''khi mao'' means 'drunkard'. The dish is widely available in restaurants or at street vendors in Thailand but it is also highly popular in the United States, and has become ubiquitous on Thai restaurant menus throughout. Its name refers to it being popular among the inebriated; alcohol is not part of the ingredients or preparation as in drunken chicken.

History

The origin of the name behind the dish is unclear, but there are several explanations. One anecdotal explanation for the name "drunkard (or drunken) noodles" is that the meal is often consumed after a night of drinking, prepared from assorted leftovers commonly on hand and staple ingredients. Others say that the name comes through the idea that the spicy seasoning of the dish is "meant to tear through the dulled palates of the inebriated." There are also local stories regarding the origins of the dish. One story is that a wife was upset by her husband's post-drinking behavior and decided to teach him a lesson. She added as many spices as she could find to his favorite noodles. She believed that the heavy mixture of spices including chilies would fix her husband's behavior.

Ingredients

The dish originates from a spicy stir-fry dish that originally did not include noodles. The base ingredients of the aforementioned spicy stir-fry are garlic, shallots, fresh chilies, and shrimp paste, and

holy basil ''Ocimum tenuiflorum'', commonly known as holy basil, ''tulasi'' or ''tulsi'' (), is an aromatic perennial plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is widely cultivated throughout the Southeast Asian tropics. It is native to tropical and subtropical r ...

(for topping). Eventually, the stir-fry was converted into a noodle dish made with broad rice noodles (''kuaitiao sen yai'' in Thai),

soy sauce Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...

fish sauce Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, L ...

oyster sauce Oyster sauce describes a number of sauces made by cooking oysters. The most common in modern use is a viscous dark brown condiment made from oyster extracts,The Times, 22 January 1981; ''Cook Accidentally on purpose'' sugar, salt and water, thi ...

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

meat Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...

seafood Seafood is any form of Marine life, sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including Fish as food, fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of Mollusca, molluscs (e.g., bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters, and mussel ...

, chili, fresh black pepper pods and

, which give rise to its distinctive spiciness. Certain versions of this dish may include eggs. The recipe for the noodles is not rigid and may often differ. Substitutions for some base ingredients can be made and the dish can be easily made vegetarian or vegan. Fish sauce can be substituted for Thai thin soy sauce. The meat or seafood can be replaced with tofu or vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, broccoli, snow peas, or bell peppers. Broad rice noodles may be substituted for fresh chewy rice noodles or even regular

pad Thai Pad Thai ( or ; , , ISO: ''p̄hạd thịy'', ), also spelled phat Thai or phad Thai, is a stir-fried rice noodle dish commonly served as a street food in Thailand as part of the country's cuisine. It is typically made with rice noodles, shrim ...

noodles. Some can be served without noodles and instead serve the vegetables and protein stir-fry with rice. Other variations include the dish using instant noodles, or a fusion version using spaghetti instead of rice noodles. '' Pad see ew'' is generally regarded to be a sister recipe to this dish. Drunken

fried rice Fried rice is a dish of cooked rice that has been stir-fried in a wok or a frying pan and is usually mixed with other ingredients such as eggs, vegetables, seafood, or meat. It is often eaten by itself or as an accompaniment to another dis ...

or ''khao phat khi mao'' are similarly prepared dishes using the same base ingredients.

Gallery

File:Phat mama.jpg, A variation where instant noodles are used File:Sapaketti phat khi mao.jpg, A modern Thai fusion version with spaghetti File:Fried Drunken Noodles.jpg, Another variant of the drunken noodle dish using flat rice noodles File:Drunken noodles (pad kee mao).jpg, Homemade drunken noodles File:Drunken noodles (pad kee mao) - 17689976850.jpg, Closeup of drunken noodles

References

{{Noodles Thai noodle dishes Fried noodles

History

Ingredients

Gallery

See also

References