Pad see ew (stir-fried rice noodles with roast duck and white pepper)

Often bastardised, follow a few rules to do this dish right: stick to only one type of vegetable (not a medley - and no carrots, please), don't skip the dark soy as it gives the noodles its handsome colour and there is no substitute for freshly ground white pepper.

Credit: Sharyn Cairns

• serves

  2

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• ½ tsp dark soy sauce
• ½ tsp white sugar
• 2 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 400 g fresh wide rice noodles, separated
• 150 g roasted Chinese duck meat, shredded
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 stems Chinese broccoli (gai lan), sliced into 5 cm lengths
• 1 coriander stalk, roughly chopped
• ½ tsp freshly ground white pepper
• coriander leaves and lime halves, to serve

Pickled chilli

• 2 long red chillies, thinly sliced diagonally
• 125 ml (½ cup) white vinegar

Instructions

To make the pickled chilli, place the chilli and vinegar in a small bowl, making sure the chilli is covered and set aside until ready to serve.

Combine the sauces and sugar together in a small bowl and set aside. 

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over high heat until it shimmers and begins to smoke. Add the garlic and cook for 10 seconds or until aromatic, making sure it doesn’t colour. Add the duck and stir-fry for 1 minute or until just warmed through.

Add the noodles and cook for 4 minutes, only tossing every minute, until nicely seared and coloured in places. Add the sauce mixture, stir through evenly, and cook for 1 minute.

Make a hole in the centre of the noodles, add the egg to the centre, cook for 1–2 minutes or until just set, then fold the egg into the noodles.

Add the broccoli, coriander stalk and pepper and cook for 1 minute or until the broccoli is tender. 

Serve the noodles with the pickled chilli scattered over and lime squeezed over. 

Photography by Sharyn Cairns. Styling by Lee Blaylock. Food preparation by Tiffany Page.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.