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Kuay Tiaw Kua Gai Vendor on Soi Ari

Bangkok, Thailand – In most of southeast Asia, fish sauce is essentially salt used in nearly every dish to add savoriness.  Not so for this noodle dish.  For kuay tiaw kua gai, or fast-cooked noodles with chicken, soy sauce replaces fish sauce, specifically kecap manis, a sweetened soy sauce, both in cooking and on the table in the seasoning tray.  The base of this dish is sen yai, the fresh wide rice noodles that, I’m told, are covered in rendered pork fat to prevent them from sticking.  Tipped off by a friend, I had mine on at the mouth of soi Ari, where the vendor would deep fry the chicken first, pour out most of the oil, then add the noodles, and toss everything in the wok before adding garlic chives and pickled radish.  The hot noodles were then deposited in a bowl holding fresh lettuce and Chinese fried dough.  This particular vendor is something of a badass, never deigning to smile at his customers, he moves quickly from side to side around his wok tossing the noodles in hot wok over a charcoal flame until the dish is done and then taking time for a cigarette.

This dish is much milder in soy flavor than pad see ew, another soy-sauce seasoned fried noodle dish.  And, interestingly enough, unlike most fried noodle dishes, which are served on a plate and eaten with a knife and spoon, kuay tiaw kua gai is served in a bowl and eaten with chopsticks and a Chinese soup spoon.  Still, other than the soy sauce and ground white pepper, the table condiments are the same – sugar, chile flakes and vinegar with chilies. Once you’ve added your condiments, you toss everything together, letting the flavors meld and the hot noodles wilt the lettuce before taking a bite of the soft noodles and roasted chicken along with a bit of lettuce and a crunchy bit of fried dough.  It’s a lovely little bowl.

Sen Yai (Fresh Wide Rice Noodles)

Kuay Tiaw Kua Gai Vendor

Bowls with Lettuce and Chinese Fried Dough

Kuay Tiaw Kua Gai

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