Thai Drunken Zoodles (Pad Kee Mao)

Using fall squashes to add a guilt-free, but flavor explosion take on a fire Thai dish. Don’t forget that cold craft beer on the side. Follow @TheSharedSpice on Instagram for a step-by-step live demo for this recipe!

Listen, I’ve always been a skeptic when it comes to healthy food tasting good. And the whole zoodle hype has honestly been over my head. But I knew that if I was going to follow it, I had to take it up a notch in a unique way. You know me, I love experimenting.

I’m all about fusion. I’m all about spices. I’m all about culture. I’m all about drunken *fun* night outs and having a fire meal afterwards. Drunken noodles is literally that. In Thailand, it’s late night street food after a night of long drinking. It soaks up all the alc, is filling, and tastes good. I thought it would be fun to make it slightly healthy so that the only thing I’m feeling guilty about the next day is all them shots… cough amongst cough other things. Hahahaha oh dear.

Make this recipe with zoodles. Or make it with rice noodles as the traditional recipe calls for it. Whatever you choose, and you will feel all warm and cozy. Happy Fall!

PREP: 20 minutes
TOTAL: 45-50 minutes
YIELD: 2-4 servings

INGREDIENTS

- 3 large Zucchinis, cut into long ribbons (store-bought or use spriralizer, mandoline slicer, or try hand-cut)
  
  You can substitute with Rice Noodles as well. Just prepare per packet instructions and replace in my recipe!
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, large dice
- 1 Yellow Onion, sliced
- 1 Tomato, medium diced
- 1 cup Thai Basil Leaves
- 4 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp. Grated Ginger
- 2-3 Thai Green Chilies, sliced (optional but highly recommended!)
- 3 tbsp. Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp. Vegetarian Mushroom Flavored Stir-Fry Sauce
- 1/2 tbsp. Sesame Oil
- Chopped Scallions for garnish
- Salt
- Olive Oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Prepare Zoodles: Spread out raw zoodles on a large baking pan. Sprinkle a light amount of salt over them and gently toss. Bake for 15-20 minutes to help the water release (best way to do so after much testing, trust me). Remove from oven and pat dry with paper towel. Set aside.
Prepare sauce: in a small bowl, whisk together Soy Sauce, Vegetarian Mushroom Flavored Stir-Fry Sauce, and Sesame Oil. Set aside.
In a wok over medium heat, heat up 1 tbsp. Olive Oil. Add in Garlic, Ginger, and Thai Green Chilies. Saute for 30 seconds.
Mix in Red Bell Pepper and sliced Onion. Saute all veggies on medium-to-high heat for 1-2 minutes.
Lower heat to medium and pour in sauce. Mix all ingredient together thoroughly.
Mix in Tomatoes and Thai Basil Leaves.
Slowly add in Zoodles. Gently toss all ingredients together.
Garnish with chopped scallions.
Serve and enjoy!