Pastrami Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodles)

5.0
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Tender wide rice noodles pick up color and peppery, meaty flavor when charred in a wok with thick slices of pastrami. This speedy, flavor-packed dish by Kris Yenbamroong of Night + Market cooks up quickly, so have all the ingredients at the ready before heating the wok.

By
Kris Yenbamroong
Kris Yenbamroong
Kris Yenbamroong

Restaurant: Night + Market (Read a review) and Night + Market Song Location: West Hollywood, CA Why He's Amazing: Because he created a terrific, innovative pork-centric Thai street food spot adjacent to his parents' well-respected but aging Thai restaurant on Sunset Boulevard. Culinary School: Self-taught Background: Talésai (/sites/default/files/est Hollywood) Quintessential Dish: Pork toro: grilled fatty hog collar with jaew northeastern chile dip Night + Market's Philosophy: "I love my family's restaurant [Talésai] but people come in and do the stereotypical L.A. thing and ask for modifications [to the dishes they order]. Night + Market food is uncompromising, unmessed with." Food Style: "In Thai, it's called aharn glam lao, which roughly translates to 'food to facilitate drinking' or 'booze food.' That's at the heart of what we do. We make food for drunkards." Alternative Career: Yenbamroong studied film at New York University. DIY Ethic: "We make our sausage completely by hand, on the premises. For the first few months, we used a Chinese soup spoon to stuff them because we didn't have a stuffer." A Family Timeline 1982The year Kris Yenbamroong was born, his family opened L.A.'s first ambitious Thai restaurant, Talésai. His grandmother Vilai was the chef. "It was the '80s, and we were 10 doors down from Geffen Records," says Yenbamroong. "The waitresses wore black leather skirts, and Madonna came in with Warren Beatty. Mick Jagger came in, too. My grandma was on the cover of the Los Angeles Times Magazine with Thomas Keller." 2011Fast-forward three decades: Yenbamroong tried updating Talésai by serving unfamiliar Northern Thai dishes, but longtime customers resisted the change. So he decided to open Night + Market, where he could experiment. At his second spot, Night + Market Song, his powerful, spicy dishes include Bangkok Mall Pasta with Thai bird chile and lots of peppercorns.

Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines
Updated on August 2, 2023
Tested by
Food & Wine Test Kitchen
Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen
Recipes published by Food & Wine are rigorously tested by the culinary professionals at the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios in order to empower home cooks to enjoy being in the kitchen and preparing meals they will love. Our expert culinary team tests and retests each recipe using equipment and ingredients found in home kitchens to ensure that every recipe is delicious and works for cooks at home every single time.
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Active Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
25 mins
Servings:
4
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, divided

  • 8 ounces pastrami, trimmed and cut against the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices

  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

  • ½ to 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh green or red Thai chiles

  • 1 cup sliced red bell pepper (1/4-inch-wide strips)

  • 2 medium jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and cut lengthwise into 1/8-inch-wide strips (about 1/3 cup)

  • 1 pound fresh wide rice noodles (about 1/3 inch wide), noodles uncoiled and separated

  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce

  • 2 tablespoons black soy sauce

  • ½ cup packed fresh Thai basil leaves (about 1/2 ounce)

  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce

  • 1 teaspoon ground white pepper

  • Brined green peppercorns, for garnish (optional)

Directions

  1. Heat a wok over high until it begins to smoke; drizzle 1 teaspoon oil around wok edge. Add pastrami in a single layer around sides of wok. Cook until pastrami is warmed through and fat begins to render, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Cut pastrami into bite-size (about 2-inch) pieces. Carefully wipe wok clean.

  2. Return wok to heat over high until it begins to smoke; add remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add garlic and Thai chiles; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 10 to 15 seconds. Add bell pepper and jalapeños; cook, stirring constantly, until slightly softened, 1 minute to 1 minute and 30 seconds. Add noodles, sugar, oyster sauce, and black soy sauce; toss to evenly coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until noodles are tender and peppers are softened, 2 to 4 minutes. Add pastrami pieces; cook, stirring often, until heated through, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in Thai basil, fish sauce, and white pepper. Garnish with green peppercorns, if desired. Serve immediately.

Wine

Robust red from the Loire Valley: 2019 Clos du Tue-Boeuf Pineau d'Aunis.

Pastrami Pad Kee Mao
Aubrie Pick

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