Pad woon sen recipe (Thai stir-fried glass noodles)
Delicious Pad Woon Sen stir fry with Thai glass noodles, chicken, shrimp, and veggies, plus with gluten-free and low carb suggestions.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 100 gram glass noodles also known as bean thread noodles or mung bean noodles
Protein:
- 0.75 lb Chicken thighs skinless and boneless
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp coarse sea salt
- ⅛ tsp ground white pepper or black pepper
- 8 pieces large shrimp optional
- 2 large eggs
Other:
- 2 oz. yellow onion sliced, about half of 1 medium
- 0.8 oz. clove garlic finely minced, about 4 cloves
- 2 oz. carrots diced on diagonal, about 1 medium
- 2 bulb scallions, diced to 2-inch sections
- 9 oz. Chinese broccoli or broccolini
- 3 tbsp avocado oil divided
- Sprinkle coarse sea salt coarse sea salt
- Sprinkle ground black pepper
Sauce:
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 0.5 tbsp fish sauce or more if desired
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1.5 tsp coconut sugar or keto brown sugar
- 1 tsp ketchup
Instructions
Briefly soak the glass noodles:
- Fill a large bowl with room temperature water, add the bean thread noodles and soak for 10 minutes. Drain then make two cuts with kitchen shears for easy serving and cooking. Toss the noodles with a small amount of oil to prevent them from sticking.
Prepare chicken, vegetables, and sauce:
- Pat dry the chicken and slice to bite sizes. Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. If using shrimp, simply pat them dry. Set aside ready to use.
- Prepare the onion, garlic, carrots and scallions. For Chinese broccoli, make a slice to separate the stems from the leaves then slice the stems on diagonal at a 45° degree angle bias cut into thinner slices. Dice the leaves to large sections. Rinse and drain well.
- In a small bowl, mix the woon sen sauce well. Gather the eggs ready to use.
Cook the proteins:
- Preheat a large saute pan, ideally 12-inch wide, over medium heat until the pan is hot. Add 1.5 tbsp oil. Pan sear the chicken over medium-high heat until almost cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer out to a plate.
- If adding shrimp, pan sear them over medium heat for about 2 minutes per side. Transfer out to a plate.
- Crack two eggs into the pan. Break the eggs with a spatula as if you are making scramble eggs. Cook for 1 minute. Transfer them out to a plate.
Saute the veggies:
- Using the same pan, preheat it over medium heat for a few seconds. When it’s hot, add the remaining 1.5 tbsp oil, quickly saute the garlic, carrots, and onion with a pinch of salt for 10 seconds, stir-often. Turn heat up to medium-high, add broccoli and scallions, saute for 20 seconds.
Noodles, sauce, and combine:
- Return the chicken, eggs, and shrimp, if using, to the pan. Add the Thai glass noodles and pour-in the sauce. Toss for about 10-15 seconds to incorporate the seasoning. Taste and adjust with the seasoning, if needed. The dish should taste savory, a little sweet with a mild acidic flavor.
- Turn off the heat and transfer them to a large serving plate. Sprinkle with a touch of pepper and serve warm.
Notes
- To modify the dish for low carb, use kelp noodles and thicken the sauce with 1/4 tsp xanthan gum, or 1 tsp tapioca starch. See below on how to prepare kelp noodles or read more from our articles on What are kelp noodles and How to cook kelp noodles.
- To soften the kelp noodles: Take 1 packet (12 oz) of kelp noodles out of the packet and discard the water. In a large bowl, mix ¼ cup lemon juice with 2 tsp baking soda with a spoon. You’ll see bubbles immediately. Immediately add the noodles to the bowl, and massage them for about 1 minute. The noodles will soften. Transfer the noodles to a colander rinse under running water for 1 minute. Set aside to drain well. The noodles are ready to use and eat.
- Bias cut is a crosswise cut at a 45° angle; most often used in cutting vegetables with thick and dense stems. By slicing it into flat thinner pieces, the vegetable will cook faster in stir frying and remain tender and crisp.
- Use a Large Wok or Pan: Ensure you have enough room to comfortably toss all the ingredients without overcrowding.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 201kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 763mg | Potassium: 167mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1853IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 1mg