Pad Mee, Vermicelli Thai Rice Noodles

Pad Mee, Vermicelli Thai rice noodles is a stir fry dish that is very tasty and simple. The sweet, salty flavors combined with the light crispy taste of bean sprouts and green onions make this recipe an instant crowd favorite! Ready to eat in 20 minutes! 

If you love Thai stir-fried noodles, try the Pad Mee Korat, a spicy and sassy version of this Pad Mee recipe. Then head over to check out Pad See Ew Recipe and Drunken Noodles. These tasty Thai rice noodles recipes are iconic, simple, and delicious!

Jump to:

• What Is Pad Mee, Vermicelli Thai Rice Noodles?
• Pad Mee, Pad Ba Mee or Ba Mee
• Why This Recipe Works
• What Goes Into Pad Mee Vermicelli Thai rice noodles
• How To Make Pad Mee Vermicelli Thai rice noodles
• Helpful Kitchen notes for making Pad Mee
• Variations on Making Pad Mee Vermicelli Thai rice noodles
• Storing Pad Mee as leftovers
• Frequently Asked Questions 
• More Thai recipes you'll love
• Pad Mee, Vermicelli Thai Rice Noodles

What Is Pad Mee, Vermicelli Thai Rice Noodles?

Pad Mee is a stir-fried dish with sweet and salty flavors using thin vermicelli rice noodles. It's a popular street food served in Isaan (Northeast Thailand) and Laos. The angel hair-like noodles are stir-fried on medium-high heat with a sauce mixture made with seasoning sauce, sweet soy sauce, and white sugar, then topped off with spring onions and bean sprouts.

Pad Mee, Pad Ba Mee or Ba Mee

In Thailand and Laos, you will regularly see this dish served on banana leaves wrapped neatly in a square or rectangular shape with toothpicks holding the wraps together. Some other names this recipe is known for are Pad Ba Mee and Ba Mee. It’s a popular, delicious street food I often eat outside our home-cooked meals at festivals, markets, and large events like funerals and weddings. 

Why This Recipe Works

• If Thai food cooking seems intimidating, I recommend starting with this dish. It's so simple and easy to put together. You will be addicted to this dish in no time.
• The simple ingredient list makes this Thai recipe one of the fastest dishes to put together! Perfect for a quick dinner night!
• It’s an excellent dish for a potluck, BBQ, or dinner party as it is light, easy to make, and keeps well at room temperature. It will be a crowd instant favorite!
• It is an excellent dish for making large quantities for a party, to share with new moms, or for a family needing a delicious meal!
• The recipe is very adaptable. You can make it vegetarian or add meat or protein of choice to customize it to your taste bud. Shrimp, chicken, pork, beef, duck, or tofu are a great addition to the dish.

What Goes Into Pad Mee Vermicelli Thai rice noodles

• Vermicelli rice noodles. Look for dried angel hair-like rice noodles like the Wai Wai brand in your local Asian market.

• Green onions. Cut the spring onions into 2-inch pieces.

• Bean sprouts. Don't skip out on the bean sprouts. It adds a unique and crispy taste to the Pad Mee.

• Sweet dark soy sauce. The sauce taste gives a sweet, smoky taste and gives the noodles their golden caramelized color.

• Golden Mountain Seasoning sauce. This secret sauce has become more popular in Thai cuisine over the last several years.

• Light soy sauce. Also called thin soy sauce. You can use any soy sauce you have. Different brands have different saltiness levels. Adjust at the end for more flavors.

• White sugar. Palm sugar or monk fruit sugar works great as substitutes.

• Oil. Use vegetable oil, coconut, avocado, or any high-smoking point oil.

Important Ingredients Notes for making Authentic Pad Mee

Angel Hair Rice Noodles for Pad Mee recipe

Angel hair rice noodles are used for the recipe and are the main ingredient for making Pad Mee. To be sure you grab the right noodles, read this helpful blog post about rice noodles used in Thai cooking. Or you can purchase the noodle on Amazon here.

The Secret Sauce for Making Pad Mee!

The secret sauce for this recipe is the Golden Mountain seasoning sauce. The sauce is made from fermented soybeans with added sugar and salt to give the sauce a delicious but not overpowering taste. See the image below and use it when going to the Asian market to grab your ingredients. 

A few of my Thai friends and family have told me they use the sauce in many of their stir-fry dishes to add something to their dish. I agree. It has a unique flavor differs from all the other sauces I've used. Read about different  Sauces for Thai cooking in this blog post. I highly recommend you try out this sauce, too.

How To Make Pad Mee Vermicelli Thai rice noodles

Are you ready to try this delicious and easy Pad Mee recipe? Let’s do it! (: 

STEP 1. Soak the vermicelli rice noodles in warm water in a large bowl for 10 minutes. Or cold water for 15- 20 minutes. (Not boiling water, as it will make the thin noodles too mushy.)

STEP 2. Drain and cut the noodles into 6-8 inches long and let sit until it's time to cook. Leave the noodles long for more fun and full texture. My kids love slurping them like spaghetti noodles with longer pieces.

STEP 3. In a small bowl, combine thin soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, sugar, and golden mountain seasoning. 

STEP 4. Place the drain noodles in a large bowl, then pour the sauce mixture over the rice noodles. 

STEP 5. Use your hands (gloved if preferred) to mix the sauce into the noodles. Knead very lightly to get the sauce to marinate with the noodles. Let sit to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes and stir quickly before cooking, breaking up any large clumps of noodles.

STEP 6. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet on medium heat. Add the noodles and stir with a wooden spatula for 5-6 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add some water if the noodles are sticking to your pan. Turn the heat down slightly if your wok or pan gets hot too. An extra teaspoon of oil also helps to loosen up the noodles in the pan.

STEP 7. Add the green onions and bean sprouts and stir together lightly. Turn the heat off, remove the pan from the stovetop, and serve your Pad Mee! Garnish with a lime wedge, chili powder, and or fish sauce or sugar.

That's it! Garnish your Pad Mee with more crushed peanuts, lime wedges, bean sprouts, chili flakes, and sliced green onions. Enjoy!

Helpful Kitchen notes for making Pad Mee

• If adding heavier protein like chicken, pork, or beef, cook the meat separately in a pan with 2 tablespoons of oil until completely cooked. Then add the meat to the stir fry at the last step in the cooking instructions. Before cooking, slice the raw meat into thin pieces and season with oyster, fish, or soy sauce.
• Roasted chicken, duck, pork, or any leftover roast meat is excellent for adding extra protein to the recipe. Add the roasted meat last at the end of the stir-frying process.
• Using kitchen scissors to cut the noodles into shorter strands. Be careful not to cut it too short; the noodles will turn mush when cooked. Aim for 6-8 inches long, at least.
• You can make the sauce ahead of time and store it in an air-tight container until ready to use.
• My favorite part of Pad Mee noodles is the crispy, burned noodles at the bottom of the pan. Scrap this out and taste the charred flavors of the clumpy noodles. You'll likely see adults and children fight over this local secret part! (:

Variations on Making Pad Mee Vermicelli Thai rice noodles

• Add eggs for added protein. Add the eggs after cooking the noodles after step 6. Push the noodles to one side of a pan, add a few drops of oil, then scramble 2 eggs on an empty side until done, then move on to the next step.
• You can also add shredded vegetables like carrots, cabbage, snow pea pods, and red onion for extra vegetables.
• If you cannot find vermicelli noodles, the following options are pad Thai, glass, or egg noodles. Make sure to cut the thicker noodles into small pieces so they don't clump together when stir-frying.

Storing Pad Mee as leftovers

Pad Mee keeps well as leftovers. Store the noodles in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for 2 days. Reheat in the microwave for a minute or until warm.

Frequently Asked Questions 

More Thai recipes you'll love

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