This is a "hot" version of Pad Thai. Pad Mee is quite an elaborate dish. The style usually found in Thai restaurants outside Thailand is particularly elaborate. In Thailand, there is a local, very simple variant of the dish, known as pad mee Korat. Made with a recipe that consists of partly cooking a cup of noodles, then stir frying them with a cup of sliced and shredded cabbage, adding a little tamarind juice for flavor, and drizzling a beaten egg over it to complete it. The version below is a slightly more elaborate version of pad mee Korat, which is also fairly hot. This version we call pad mee Korat phet (hot stir fried noodles in the Korat style). The original uses cabbage, but any greens will do. We make this with a mixture of broccoli and asparagus.

To simplify the dish we point out that it is actually made using table condiments, thus the ingredients are not as complicated as they look. We will first include recipes for the table condiments you need. In Thailand these would probably be on every household's table, but if you don't have them you should make them about a week before you intend to cook the dish.

Thai Table Condiments

Nam pla prik
Put two thirds of a cup of sliced/chopped Thai chili peppers in a 1 pint jar, and fill with fish sauce - nam pla. Seal and keep for a week before using.

Prik dong
Put two thirds of a cup of sliced/chopped prik chee-fa or jalapeno peppers in a 1 pint jar, and fill with white rice vinegar.

Prik si-eu wan
Put two thirds of a cup of  sliced/chopped prik chee-fa or jalapeno peppers in a 1 pint jar, and fill with sweet dark soy sauce - see eu dam.

Gratium dong
Peel and slice two thirds of a cup of garlic, place it in the 1 pint jar, add 1 teaspoon of palm sugar, and one teaspoon of sea salt and half a teaspoon of MSG (optional but recommended) and topped up with white rice vinegar.

Khing ki mao
Julienne two thirds of a cup of fresh ginger (into match stick sized pieces). Place in the 1 pint jar. Add half a cup of whiskey (rice whiskey if available). Add 1/2 cup white rice vinegar, and fill up the jar with fish sauce - nam pla.

Ingredients - Pad Mee
1 cup of medium rice noodles
half a cup of green vegetables (long beans, Broccoli)
half a cup of prik chee-fa or jalapeño peppers.
If you prefer a mild version, use Prik Yuak or green bell pepper instead of jalapeno
one large egg

Garnish
tamarind sauce and sugar, and chillies, coriander leaves and a sliced cucumber

Method
1. Place the noodles in room-temperature water to soak for about 15 minutes.
 
1. Put two tablespoons of the liquid from each of the five condiments listed above, together with two tablespoons of tamarind sauce, in a small saucepan and simmer to reduce it to half its volume.
2. stir a teaspoon of the fish sauce from the nam pla prik into the egg, and beat it lightly.
3. in a wok, stir fry the noodles until they are just "toothy" in texture.
4. add the vegetables and chilies, and stir-fry for 2 mins
5. add the sauce, turn the heat up as high as possible, and when the sauce has come to a vigorous boil, gently drizzle the egg into the mix, which will cook it.

Serve immediately, with the listed condiments, together with sugar and Thai ground chili, and decorate with the garnishes.