Challenging Wine Pairing: Pad See Ew (Thai Noodles with Beef & Broccoli)



By LaGayle ~ February 16th, 2011.

Recently, many of you were so kind to respond to our Wine Peeps Survey. This month’s challenging wine pairing meal came directly as a result of that survey. It was suggested that we try a Thai pairing. We do not eat Thai food regularly so I had to do some research on Thai dishes and decided to prepare Pad See Ew. Pad See Ew (pronounced pad see you) is a noodle dish, preferably prepared with wide rice noodles, which basically means fried with soy sauce. Also, the dish includes meat (beef, chicken, pork) or tofu, a vegetable, and an egg. I used beef and broccoli. I’ve learned that Pad See Ew is a popular street food in Thailand, as well as a popular lunch dish here in the United States. I also found it to be an easy weeknight dinner dish. Another great thing about Pad See Ew, as with most Thai foods, is that it can be seasoned individually to the desired spiciness at the table with various sauces.

The complete menu for this pairing consisted of a Thai curry soup, a tossed green salad with a coconut milk, lime, and soy sauce dressing, and the Pad See Ew. The final step was to determine what wines to pair with the meal. Again, I referred to What to Drink with What You Eat by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page to assist me in making that decision. I decided to go with one white wine and one red wine. We enjoyed the 2009 Dowsett Family Gewurztraminer and the 2007 Dusted Valley Stained Tooth Syrah. Although our meal included beef, for which conventional wisdom would dictate a red wine, the unanimous choice as the best pairing with the Pad See Ew was the Gewurztraminer. The Gewurztraminer really seemed to bring out the flavors of the entire meal from soup to salad to entrée.

We’d love for you to share in the comments what you would have paired with this meal. And, as always, we welcome your suggestions for challenging wine pairings for us to try in the future.

Bon Appétit!

2009 Dowsett Family Gewurztraminer (Celilo Vineyard, Columbia Gorge, Washington): Pale, greenish straw yellow in color. Nice nose with gorgeous pear and white peach aromas. More pear and white peach as well as floral notes come through on the palate. Slightly off-dry and medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced with a long finish. Works extremely well with food, especially spice flavors.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Full Pull Wines (Seattle, Washington), $17.69; Available elsewhere, $21

2007 Dusted Valley Stained Tooth Syrah (Columbia Valley, Washington): Dark purple. Aromatic with dark black fruits, spice, and oak on the nose; more black fruits and oak as well as smoked meat on the palate. Full-bodied with lively acidity, high, drying tannins, and a long finish. Better the longer it’s open.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Full Pull Wines (Seattle, Washington), $17.99; Available elsewhere, $24 to $27


Filed under: American Wine, Challenging Wine Pairing, Five-Bangs For Your Buck Wines, Food & Wine, Gewurztraminer, Red Wine, Shiraz/Syrah, Washington State Wine, White Wine, Wines Under $20, Wines Under $25

Reader's Comments

  1. Renee Keele | February 16th, 2011 at 11:59 am

    I would have gone with a Gwertz too. I have also had Seven Daughters wine with thai food, it has seven different white grapes, including Gwertz. I like your challenge posts keep em’ coming!

  2. witless whiner | February 16th, 2011 at 3:48 pm

    Don’t know if you can get this in Washington or not but I like the Ballet of Angels from Sharpe Hill Vineyards in Connecticut. It goes quite well with Thai food, especially spicy Thai food. Serve well-chilled, I think you’ll like it.

  3. Kori | February 16th, 2011 at 4:56 pm

    Renee,
    So glad to hear that you enjoy the Challenging Wine Pairing posts.

    witless,
    Thanks for the recommendation. I’m not familiar with Sharpe Hill Vineyards. We’ll have to see if we can get it here.

    Cheers!

  4. witless whiner | February 17th, 2011 at 3:53 pm

    If you can’t get it in Washington it would be worth ordering it from the winery. It’s one of the best whites I’ve tried. They also have one of the best dinners at the winery that are booked up a month in advance.

    BTW, love the posts, keep ’em coming and I’ve added your wine blog to my links. You have a wealth of information here.

    I’m going to see if my wine merchant can get the Dusted Valley Stained Tooth Syrah, if nothing more, I love the name.

  5. Terry | February 17th, 2011 at 10:59 pm

    Kori,

    Nice. Challenging wine post. I would have never thought to pair it with the Dusted Valley Stained Tooth Syrah but if I get a hold of it..I will try it 🙂

  6. Kori | February 19th, 2011 at 7:22 pm

    witless and Terry,
    Glad to hear you enjoy our Challenging Wine Pairing posts. We have a lot of fun with this series. Hope you are able to get the Dusted Valley Stained Tooth Syrah. Cheers!

  7. Ryan | March 5th, 2012 at 9:17 pm

    Love this blog post! i googled this after coming home with a delicious pad see ew from my local Seattle restaurant and chose a WA Pinot Gris, which was really nice. I like the white with this, even though I’m a red person.

  8. Kori | March 6th, 2012 at 3:45 pm

    Ryan,
    Thanks so much! Glad to hear you enjoyed your Pad See Ew with a WA Pinot Gris. I bet that was a great pairing too. Cheers!