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Pad woon sen (Thai glass noodle stir fry) served in a small green bowl
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5 from 23 votes

Pad Woon Sen (Thai Glass Noodle Stir Fry)

A delicious, quick, and easy-to-make Thai glass noodle stir fry (Pad Woon Sen) recipe that can be made in 30 minutes or less.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Thai
Servings: 3 servings
Calories: 193kcal
Author: Joyce Lee

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
    A large metal bowl with bean thread noodles soaking in prep for pad woon sen
  • While the noodles are soaking, prepare the vegetables by thinly slicing them and set it aside.
    Vegetables pre sliced on a cutting board for Thai glass noodle
  • 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.
    Raw chicken being marinated
  • Drain the noodles. They should be pliable and bendy. Use scissors and cut them in half, they should be about 3 inches long.
    Bean thread noodles being cut with scissors into shorter 3 inch strands after it has been soaked
  • Mix the sauce ingredients together and set it aside.
    Sauce mixed in a small white bowl for pad woon sen (oyster sauce, Thai seasoning sauce, sugar, fish sauce)

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!

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.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 816mg | Potassium: 351mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 4693IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg