🇹🇭 Thai
Pad See Ew (Modified)
⏱ 25 min
🍞 ~25g (kid-default with half real noodles + half shirataki)
🍽 4 servings
⭐ 5/5
⚠️ Estimates only — not medical advice. Carb counts vary by brand and portion. Always verify with your endo or CDCES.
🌍 Cultural note
Pad see ew means "fried with soy sauce" — it's the Chinese-Thai stir fry that every Thai kid grows up on. Wide chewy rice noodles, charred broccoli, egg, dark soy sauce, and the smoky "wok hei" flavor. It's the comfort-food cousin of pad thai — less tangy, more savory, deeply satisfying. American kids who don't think they like Thai food always love pad see ew.
Why this recipe is T1D-friendly
- Half-and-half noodle swap (real wide rice noodles + shirataki fettuccine) cuts carbs roughly in half
- Allulose replaces palm sugar in the sauce
- Protein-forward (chicken + egg) plus fat from oil flattens the noodle spike
Ingredients
- 6 oz fresh wide rice noodles (or 4 oz dried wide rice noodles, soaked) (~70g across all servings)
- 2 packs (7 oz each) shirataki fettuccine-style noodles, drained and dry-pan-fried (4g across all)
- 1 lb chicken breast or thigh, thinly sliced (0g)
- 3 eggs, beaten (2g)
- 4 cups Chinese broccoli (gai lan) or regular broccoli florets + stems (12g)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (2g)
- 2 tbsp avocado oil (0g)
Pad see ew sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce (gives the brown color) (2g)
- 2 tbsp regular soy sauce (2g)
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce (3g)
- 1 tbsp allulose (replaces palm sugar) (0g)
- 1 tsp rice vinegar (0g)
- 2 tbsp water (0g)
Rice / noodle / wrap options
| Noodle base | Portion | Carbs |
|---|---|---|
| All wide rice noodles (full traditional) | 1 cup cooked | ~45g per serving |
| Half wide rice noodles + half shirataki (kid default) | 1 cup total | ~22g per serving |
| All shirataki fettuccine | 1 cup | ~3g per serving |
| Hearts of palm fettuccine | 1 cup | ~4g per serving |
| Spaghetti squash strands | 1 cup | ~7g per serving |
Sauce + protein + broccoli base: ~3g per serving. Kid default = 3g + 22g noodles = ~25g total.
Directions
- If using dried noodles: soak in warm water 30 min until pliable. Drain.
- Drain shirataki fettuccine, rinse well, dry-pan-fry in hot dry skillet 3-4 min to remove moisture. Set aside.
- Whisk all sauce ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.
- Cut broccoli: separate stems from florets. Peel and slice stems thin (they cook longer).
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok over HIGH heat — really hot, almost smoking.
- Add chicken. Stir-fry 3-4 minutes until cooked. Remove to a plate.
- Add remaining oil. Add garlic and broccoli stems first, stir-fry 1 min. Add florets, stir-fry 2 more min until charred edges appear.
- Push veggies to one side. Pour beaten eggs in the empty space. Scramble loosely.
- Add rice noodles and shirataki noodles. Toss to combine, letting them sear against the hot wok for 30 sec without stirring (that's wok hei).
- Pour in sauce. Add chicken back. Toss everything for 1-2 minutes until noodles absorb the sauce and look glossy.
Dash's kid tips 🐆
- Pad see ew is not spicy at all — pure comfort food. Adults can shake on chili vinegar at the table.
- The charred broccoli edges are everyone's favorite part — don't be afraid of high heat
- The dark soy sauce is critical for the signature brown color; regular soy alone won't get you there
- Kids love watching the wide noodles get "snipped" with kitchen shears into bite-size pieces before serving