28 March 2014

Pad Lao from Vientiane Palace. DELICIOUS.

Lo and Behold!! I have identified the recipe for the famed "Pad Lao" from the esteemed Madison, WI establishment Vientiane Palace. It is Khaw mee and the recipe found in this youtube video gets us pretty close. One of the keys here is to cook the noodles until they have absorbed all of the liquid and a few even start getting a little crispy. Also, you really need all that sugar. I'm not sure if they eat spicy food in Laos, but adding chili paste in order to eat it is also important.


This dish is literally served best cold. The leftovers are better than fresh, in my opinion. Something about the spicy sweet flavor being cold really puts it over the top. I also think its important to serve it with rice, in which case, more seasonings should probably be added to the noodles. I made ours with tofu cooked in the same sauce and vegetarian "lamb chunk" made from textured soy protein from the asian market.

From the YouTube video:
8 oz dried rice noodle sticks ( soak in hot water for 30 mins, drained)
2 eggs (beaten)
1 garlic clove or shallot (minced)
2 mid size tomatoes sliced thin ( optional)
SAUCE
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce or seasoning sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
3 Tbsp sugar 
1-2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 -2 Tbsp dark soy sauce( for color)
TOP with
1/2 cup beansprouts
1 green onion ( chopped)

Note:
1.You may add in slice thinly beef , chicken, pork or shrimp if you desire.
2:Do not set heat too high when you stir frying rice noodles. it'll make your noodle stick together. 
3; When all is done, leave to set cool..so the noodle can be separated..Top with beansprouts and green onion. garnish with cilantro and Enjoy.

*** UPDATE ***

If you want a real Vientiane Palace experience, triple the sauces, add Sriracha or red chili paste, and serve with rice. ALSO, it's seriously a dish served best COLD! The sweet, spicy, cold interplay is divine. 

1 comment:

Unknown said...

What’s the difference between Seasoning/Soy sauce and dark soy sauce? I think V Palace has peanuts in it too. Also, what brands of oyster and fish sauce ? This is one of my favorites and VP is permanently closed on Gorham.