Drunken noodles or drunkard noodles is a Thai

stir-fried Stir frying () is a cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok. The technique originated in China and in recent centuries has spread into other parts of Asia and t ...

noodle Noodles are a type of food made from unleavened dough which is either rolled flat and cut, stretched, or extruded, into long strips or strings. Noodles are a staple food in many cultures (for example, Chinese noodles, Filipino noodles, In ...

dish similar to ''

phat si-io Phat may refer to: People *Huỳnh Tấn Phát (1913–1989), South Vietnamese politician and revolutionary *Lâm Văn Phát (1920–1998), Vietnamese army officer *Phat Wilson (1895–1970), Canadian amateur ice hockey player *Richard Temple-Nug ...

'' but spicier. In English texts, it is rendered as ''pad kee mao'', ''pad ki mao'', or ''pad kimao'' – from its Thai name th, ผัดขี้เมา, , , in which ''phat'' means 'to stir-fry' and ''khi mao'' means 'drunkard'. The dish is widely available in restaurants or at street vendors in Thailand but it is also highly popular in the United States, and has become ubiquitous on Thai restaurant menus throughout. Despite its name, alcohol is not one of the ingredients.

Ingredients

The dish originates from a spicy stir-fry dish that originally did not include noodles. The base ingredients of the aforementioned spicy stir-fry are: garlic, shallots, fresh chilies, and shrimp paste, and

holy basil ''Ocimum tenuiflorum'', commonly known as holy basil, ''tulsi'' or ''tulasi'', is an aromatic perennial plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to the Indian subcontinent and widespread as a cultivated plant throughout the Southeast Asian ...

(for topping). Eventually, the stir-fry was converted into a noodle dish made with broad rice noodles (''kuaitiao sen yai'' in Thai), soy sauce,

fish sauce Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, Lao ...

, oyster sauce, garlic, meat, seafood, chili, fresh black pepper pods and

, which give rise to its distinctive spiciness. Certain versions of this dish may include eggs. The recipe for the noodles is not rigid and may often differ. Substitutions for some base ingredients can be made and the dish can be easily made vegetarian or vegan. Fish sauce can be substituted for Thai thin soy sauce. The meat or seafood can be substituted for tofu or vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, broccoli, snow peas, or bell peppers. Broad rice noodles may be substituted for fresh chewy rice noodles or even regular

pad Thai Pad thai, phat thai, or phad thai ( or ; th, , , ISO: ''p̄hạd thịy'', , 'Thai stir fry'), is a stir-fried rice noodle dish commonly served as a street food in Thailand as part of the country's cuisine. It is typically made with rice noo ...

noodles. Some may even leave out noodles and instead serve the vegetables and protein stir-fry with rice. Other variations include the dish using instant noodles, or a fusion version using spaghetti instead of rice noodles. ''

Pad see ew ''Pad see ew'' (''phat si-io'' or ''pad siew'', th, ผัดซีอิ๊ว, , ) is a stir-fried noodle dish that is commonly eaten in Thailand. It can be found easily among street food vendors and is also quite popular in Thai restaurants ...

'' is generally regarded to be a sister recipe to this dish. Drunken

fried rice Fried rice is a dish of cooked rice that has been stir-fried in a wok or a frying pan and is usually mixed with other ingredients such as eggs, vegetables, seafood, or meat. It is often eaten by itself or as an accompaniment to another dish. ...

or ''khao phat khi mao'' are similarly prepared dishes using the same base ingredients.

History

The origin of the name behind the dish is unclear, but there are several explanations. One anecdotal explanation for the name "drunkard (or drunken) noodles" is that the meal is often consumed after a night of drinking, prepared from assorted leftovers commonly on hand and staple ingredients. Others say that the name comes through the idea that the spicy seasoning of the dish is "meant to tear through the dulled palates of the inebriated." Another anecdotal explanation is that during the Vietnam War, the US troops couldn't pronounce the colloquially pronounced name for mixed noodles dish that sounded to them like “drunken”, and that's how the name became popular. There are also local stories regarding the origins of the dish. One story is that a wife was upset by her husband's post-drinking behavior and decided to teach him a lesson. She added as many spices as she could find to his favorite noodles. She believed that the heavy mixture of spices along with a handful of chilies would fix her husband's behavior.

Gallery

File:Phat mama.jpg, A variation where instant noodles are used File:Sapaketti phat khi mao.jpg, A modern Thai

fusion Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole. Fusion may also refer to: Science and technology Physics *Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...

version with spaghetti File:Fried Drunken Noodles.jpg, Another variant of the drunken noodle dish using flat rice noodles

References

{{Noodles Laotian noodle dishes Thai noodle dishes Fried noodles

Ingredients

History

Gallery

See also

References