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
More Thai Food favourites
(Yes, I ❤️ Thai Food, in case you hadn’t figured it out!)
Watch how to make it
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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!! 😂)
Just made this but am hoping to get some advice. I cooked the rice noodles as per the packet instructions but by the time I put the noodles into the stir fry, they all broke into tiny bits. What did I go wrong?
I did run the rice noodles on cold water after cooking, is this what I did wrong? Thank you for your lovely recipes.
Hi Lydia, try cooking slightly less so they are al dente and finish cooking in the stir fry 🙂 N x
I made this for dinner, my boyfriend and I loved it! I added some baby corn and some tenderstem broccoli after the chicken too. Thanks Nagi! x
Perfect Evie! N x
YUMMY! just made this for my housemates, and it was a hit, i couldn’t get enough
That’s great to hear Gillian! N x
I havent had this noodles before and last night I tried this recipe. My fiance and I LOVED it. He said he was soooo happy after eating this and said he can eat it everyday. That’s like getting a very good critic in masterchef for me! Had to add some mince pork coz im short of chicken fillet and used Hor Fun noodles as it’s the closest looking noodles in the supermarket. Thank you very much, your recipes are always on point!
Thank you for making it so easy. The videos are very helpful. If I lack confidence in a recipe I know I can rely on you. I love Pad kee mao with extra chilies and holy basil.
Made this last night and it’s a winner (like all your recipes!). Added some sliced red bell pepper and julienne carrots for some extra veg. Delicious!
Hi! Currently don’t have access to thai chillis, but I do have chili garlic sauce! any way to sub one for the other?
Just made this tonight and it hit the spot for a Thai craving! No oyster sauce so made a sub of 1:1 soy and hoisin and it still turned out great! I would probably turn the heat up next time but didn’t ramp it up since our 10 year old doesn’t like things that are too spicy yet, he loved the spice level on this. Will definitely be in our rotation!
My boyfriend said this was one of his favorite recipes I’ve ever made! (Which is saying something.)
That’s great Cassandra, I’m so glad you both loved it! N x
So delicious! I’ve tried quite a few rice noodles stir fry recipes and this one is by far my family’s favorite!! Will be my go to rice noodle stir fry recipe from now on. Thank you Nagi!
Delicious! Used 5 thai peppers and even the dogs are sneezing and coughing. LOL
I doubled the recipe and the heat in the dish was perfect though.
Love this Cathy 😂
This recipe gets specially requested all the time in my house! My husband absolutely loves it (as do I)! It’s really nice to be able to make an authentic tasting Thai dish, since the nearest Thai restaurant is more than an hour’s drive away. And it comes together so fast!
Wahoo, I’m so glad you love it! N x
Love all your recipes! This one really hit the mark when I had a craving for Thai but didn’t want to do takeout. This site has been lifesaver during this quarantine time as I’m cooking seemingly, all the time! Thank you for providing recipes with easy to procure ingredients and great videos & instructions. My kids were impressed with the KFC gravy one! Thanks so much!
Nailed it Christina! N x
Nagi, drunken noodles is my husband’s favourite meal (his “death row meal” to be precise). During this lockdown, I’ve taught him – an absolute beginner cook – how to make it & he’s absolutely nailed it! Thanks for such a simple, tasty recipe.
That’s awesome Emma!! It’s one of my favourites too – I totally get the death row meal! N x
Is there something I can sub the oyster sauce with if there is a shellfish allergy? Thank you!
Yes, use mushroom sauce. You can order it on Amazon. It is the vegan substitute used for oyster sauce in Thai dishes. Tastes identical to me!
Excellent. Thank you. My guy and I scarfed it up and wished I had made more.
Double batch next time Cher!! N x
Really good – I read the comments and turned the salt down a bit.
Would this be suitable to freeze?
I have a shot glass that has tsp/tbls measurements on it. I did see the subs but no mention of low salt soy so wasnt sure if it would still turn out ok. As I said I may have mucked up the measurements with the dark soy. Thank you Nagi.
Hi Nagi I made this last night & we really liked it but we both found it a bit too salty so I may have mucked up the soy sauce measurements. Can you sub the 2 soy sauces for low salt soy sauce? Other than thst it was delicious & I cant wait to make it again.
Hi Jacinta, sorry you found the sauce too salty – what size tablespoon are you using? (I also have the soy subs listed in the recipe notes) N x
Loved this recipe!
I always get this dish at my local Thai restaurant but I didn’t realise it would turn out so well. A warning though— this is so spicy if you add anything more than 3 chillies. I used 4 chillies because I like spicy food but was coughing for 15-30 mins after I fried them with the garlic.
Great recipe though! Will follow instructions more closely next time 🙂
Hi Alanna, yes drunken noodles typically are spicy but you can always adjust to suit your taste 🙂