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!! 😂)
Would it be sacrilege if I made this without chillies? (to make it toddler friendly) :-p
Hi Rita, I would omit the chillies for children but add them to yours – you really need the heat for drunken noodles! N x
Can I use Tamari instead of soy?
Hi Cindy, yes you can although Tamari has a darker color and richer flavor than soy – so it may be slightly darker and need a little more salt. Just adjust to taste 🙂 N x
Super good! I substituted shrimp for chicken (added it at the end instead of the beginning to avoid overcooking). Turned out great!
I just made this about an hour ago. I’m taking it to work tomorrow for lunch for my team. I had to force myself to stop eating it out of the pan 😂 its sooooo good. I’ve made it before and it’s one of my absolute favorites. Thank you for the great recipe 😘
Unfortunately there are no Thai restaurants where I live so I finally broke down and decided to attempt this drunken noodles recipe. This is one of those rare recipes that’s easy and quick to put together and delicious! Definitely a keeper! Thank you so much for sharing!
I never leave reviews but this recipe is AMAZING. I always add extra spicy however I can because my family loves spicy but I recommend making this!!
Another home run. My entire (picky) family gobbled this up. My son even said, “I really like this”. I nearly fainted. Just awesome.
YES! That’s the best compliment Kelly! N x
I hardly ever leave recipe reviews, but wowzers this is great!! I made a few personal changes but still the same. Used one Thai chili. Used spinach instead of Thai basil (I think I bought mint instead of Thai basil, oof!) Added an egg. And baked tofu instead of chicken. This is added to my Pinterest board Forsyth, thank you for sharing!
Thxs for the extra ideas Ann, love them esp tofu part.
This is one of my absolute favorite Nagi recipes. I make this dish at least once every week. Outstanding! Today I added fresh green beans and fresh broccoli. Delicious! Thank you, Nagi!
I m going to try this weekend it looks so yummy and easy
I’m trying it again today (because salty or not, it was yummy!) I didn’t have oyster sauce the first time and substituted coconut aminos so that may have been the problem. Also, I used “fettuccine style” Miracle Noodles (shirataki) and I could not tell they were not rice noodles!
LOVE this recipe! One issue for me is that it was VERY salty. I substituted “low-sodium” soy sauce for the light and dark soy sauce.
Do you think it would work with coconut aminos instead of soy sauce?
Hi Janna, are you sure you didn’t mis-measure, it really shouldn’t be overly salty! N x
Dear Nagi,
I am back after a few years to let you know that this recipe is one of my family’s favourite since I first made it years ago! I still make it regularly and will never order it at the restaurant (it is my husband all time favourite and what he used to get all the time) 🙂 So thanks again!
Today I am trying your crispy wings! 🙂
Dorothee
This is so delicious! So much so that I won’t be buying it from a restaurant again.
I added brocolli and carrot to increase the veggies. I also used tofu instead of chicken because I’m a vego. I cooked the tofu in my air fryer for 15min prior.
Wonderful recipe. So good will definitely be making this again
Can I use normal noodles instead of rice noodles?
I made it with the “Fettuccine Style” Miracle Noodles and it was AMAZING!!
Hi Sumaira, Drunken noodles are typically made with flat rice noodles – which noodles are you referring to here? N x
I cooked these for my mum and brother. They immediately asked me for the recipe. They are so nice. Thanks Nagi.
Love your video. Having shot several for my youtube channel I can tell you put a lot of effort and skill into your videos.
Even though I have made drunken noodles before I seldom make it at home and need a refresher. I’ll use your recipe tonight.
Adding your photo of Dozer is a plus in my book.
Can reconstituted fashion be subbed for the fish sauce? If so, I won’t need to make a trip to the store.
Hi Ann, it doesn’t have quite the same kick so I’d use soy instead. N x
*Dashi* not fashion. Stupid autocorrect!
Excellent recipe, and done in 45 mins to an hour, start to finish!
I have my own recipe that most times has not enough sauce/not always the right ratio. So I went with yours and it was great!
Just remember to Start noodles soaking in room temperature water (30 mins) while chopping up vegetables, save yourself some time and use meat from a rotisserie chicken, dried chili peppers (3) worked just fine, and keep stir-frying noodles until just right (10 minutes, flipping less cooked on top to bottom, every 2 minutes).