A delicious, quick, and easy-to-make Pad Woon Sen (Thai glass noodles stir fry) recipe that can be made in 30 minutes or less.
Table of Contents
What is Pad Woon Sen?
When it comes to Thai food, there are a lot of amazing noodle dishes to choose from, the popular ones like Pad Thai to Pad Kee Mao (better known as Drunken Noodles) but most people overlook a very simple and delicious noodle dish called Pad Woon Sen.
If you never heard of Pad woon sen, it is a delicious savory Thai noodle dish made with stir-fried glass noodles, scrambled eggs, vegetables, and meat. Similar to other glass noodle recipes like japchae and yum woon sen, this one is known for its wonderfully chewy texture as well!
I personally like to make this with only vegetables and eggs because it is quick and easy but this is a very versatile noodle dish and can be easily made with meat and leftovers as well.
Ingredients for Pad Woon Sen
- Bean Thread Noodles - These noodles may also be called cellophane noodles or glass noodles. They are made with mung bean starch and not rice. For more details refer to the section below.
- Eggs - Eggs will give the dish a bit more substance and protein.
- Vegetables - This recipe is very forgiving and you can basically use any type of vegetable. In my recipe card, I list a few vegetable options but I like to make this noodle dish with nappa cabbage (which you can substitute with cabbage) and red peppers and carrots.
- Garlic and Onions - These are very important ingredients for flavor and should not be omitted.
- Chicken - I like to use chicken thighs for this pad woon sen recipe but you can use chicken breast or a different kind of meat if you like as well.
- Thai Seasoning Sauce - This is another type of soy sauce that is slightly saltier and has a bit more flavor than soy sauce. This sauce can be found online or at an Asian grocery store. You can also use Maggi sauce in its place. If you cannot find this or Maggi sauce, then you can substitute it with soy sauce.
- Oyster Sauce - This is one of the ingredients in the sauce that will give it an umami flavor. There is no true substitute for oyster sauce. If you cannot find this, you can substitute it with soy sauce with ¼ teaspoon of sugar added to it.
- Fish Sauce - If you cannot find fish sauce, you can use soy sauce in its place.
What Type of Glass Noodles to Use
Pad woon sen is made with chewy mung bean noodles (which are also known as bean thread noodles, cellophane noodles, or glass noodles.)
Some bean thread noodles have a mix of mung bean starch with another starch (potato starch, pea starch, etc). I found that noodles with a mix of mung bean starch and pea starch make the chewiest noodles and generally have a better texture.
It is similar to the Korean sweet potato glass noodles used in Japchae but a lot thinner and it cooks a lot quicker.
You can find these noodles at any Asian grocery store. When you are shopping for these glass noodles, they may be labeled as vermicelli - make sure there is mung bean starch in the ingredient list and not rice. The noodles should be bright white in color and very thin.
How to Make Pad Woon Sen
- Soak noodles for 10 minutes in room temperature water
- While the noodles are soaking, prepare the vegetables by thinly slicing them and set it aside.
- Finely chop garlic and set it aside
- Beat the eggs with 1 teaspoon of oil in a separate bowl.
- (Optional) If you are using meat, marinate the meat and set it aside.
- Drain the noodles. They should be pliable and bendy. Use scissors and cut them in half, they should be about 3 inches long.
- Mix the sauce ingredients together and set it aside.
- Add a tablespoon of oil to a large frying pan and set it to medium heat. Scramble the eggs and remove it from the pan and set it aside
- Add a bit more oil to the pan and set it to high heat and wait for the pan to get hot again.
- If you are using meat, add the meat in and stir fry it until it is fully cooked (about 4 minutes).
- Add in the onions and cook it until they are soft (about 1-2 minutes)
- Add in the garlic and cook it until it is fragrant (about 30 seconds)
- Add in the vegetables and cook it for about 2-3 minutes. Don't worry if water comes out of the vegetables, the noodles will absorb it.
- Adjust the heat back to medium and add in the noodles and sauce and cook it for about 1-2 minutes until the noodles have all been coated with the sauce. The noodles are cooked once they become clear.
- Add the scrambled eggs back in, mix everything together and plate it and enjoy!
Tips for Making Thai Glass Noodle Stir Fry
- A well-seasoned or non-stick frying pan will work best for cooking these noodles.
FAQs
When you are shopping for noodles, look for mung bean noodles. They will sometimes say vermicelli on the packaging but make sure the ingredient contains mung bean starch or mung beans and not rice. I go into detail about the difference between vermicelli and mung bean noodles in the post above.
You can substitute it with soy sauce.
The main differences are, pad thai uses rice noodles, pad woon sen uses mung bean noodles, and pad thai sauce is a balance of sweet/sour/savory whereas pad woon sen's sauce is savory.
When cooked, mung bean noodles can be tacky in texture. I like to add a bit of oil into the sauce, so that the oil coats the noodles and gives it a smoother mouth-feel.
Looking for More Noodle Recipes? Try These!
- Singapore Noodles
- Garlic Noodles
- Beef Noodle Stir Fry
- Beef and Broccoli Noodle Stir Fry
- Japchae
- Chicken Teriyaki Yaki Udon
- Easy Pad Thai
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Recipe Card
Pad Woon Sen (Thai Glass Noodle Stir Fry)
Joyce's Recipe Notes
- A well-seasoned or non-stick frying pan will work best for cooking these noodles.
- Mung bean noodles are also called cellophane noodles.
- If you cannot find dark soy sauce, omit it. It is only used to give the noodles a browner color.
- What type of noodles do I use for Pad Woon Sen? When you are shopping for noodles, look for mung bean noodles. They will sometimes say vermicelli on the packaging but make sure the ingredient contains mung bean starch or mung beans and not rice. I go into details about this within the post above.
- What if I can't find Thai seasoning sauce or Maggie sauce? You can substitute it with soy sauce.
- Why do you put oil in your sauce? When cooked, mung bean noodles can be tacky in texture. I like to add a bit of oil into the sauce so that the oil coats the noodles and gives it a smoother mouth-feel.
Ingredients
- 200 grams dried bean thread noodles (*see notes, approx. - 4 bundles)
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup onion (white or yellow)
- 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped, approx. 2 teaspoons)
Vegetables (Pick and Choose 2-3)
- 1 cup nappa cabbage (or regular cabbage)
- ½ cup carrots
- 1 tomato (cut into wedges)
- ½ red pepper (thinly sliced)
- 1 cup bean sprouts
Chicken Marinade (Optional if using meat)
- 1 boneless chicken thighs (Optional, if using meat)
- 1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1 teaspoon oil
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon Thai seasoning sauce/maggi sauce (or soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil (any oil except olive oil)
- 3 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce (optional, for color, *see notes)
Garnish
- green onions
- birds eye chilli
Instructions
Preparation
- Soak noodles for 10 minutes in room temperature water
- While the noodles are soaking, prepare the vegetables by thinly slicing them and set it aside.
- Finely chop the garlic and set it aside
- Beat the eggs with 1 teaspoon of oil in a separate bowl.
- (Optional) If you are using meat, marinate the meat and set it aside.
- Drain the noodles. They should be pliable and bendy. Use scissors and cut them in half, they should be about 3 inches long.
- Mix the sauce ingredients together and set it aside.
Putting the Pad Woon Sen together
- Add a tablespoon of oil to a large frying pan and set it to medium heat. Scramble the eggs and remove it from the pan and set it aside
- Add a bit more oil to the pan and set it to high heat and wait for the pan to get hot again.
- If you are using meat, add the meat in and stir fry it until it is fully cooked (about 4 minutes).
- Add in the onions and cook it until they are soft (about 1-2 minutes)
- Add in the garlic and cook it until it is fragrant (about 30 seconds)
- Add in the vegetables and cook it for about 2-3 minutes. Don't worry if water comes out of the vegetables, the noodles will absorb it.
- Adjust the heat back to medium and add in the noodles and sauce and cook it for about 1-2 minutes until the noodles have all been coated with the sauce. The noodles are cooked once they become clear.
- Add the scrambled eggs back in, and mix everything together and plate it and enjoy!
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is calculated using online tools and is an estimate*
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Jo Jo says
What brand do you recommend for the Thai seasoning sauce?
Joyce Lee says
Hi Jo Jo!
I recommend Golden Mountain seasoning sauce (https://amzn.to/3El2mmQ) but if you can't find it, you can also use Maggi seasoning as well which taste the same (https://amzn.to/45uCeBR). Hope this helps and hope you enjoy it! 😊