Pad Kee Mao (Spicy Ground Chicken and Rice Noodles)

1. 1Place noodles in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for about 15 minutes, until loose and pliable but not soft; drain and set aside. Meanwhile, combine oyster sauce, fish sauce, and lime juice in a medium nonreactive bowl, mix well, and set aside.
2. 2Heat oil in a large (12-inch) frying pan over medium-high heat. Once heated, add shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes or until softened but not brown. Add ground chicken and break into small pieces. Cook until chicken is white and almost cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add bell peppers and stir-fry just until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
3. 3Push chicken mixture to one side of the pan and add eggs to the center. Scramble with a spatula until eggs are set and don’t run, about 1 minute. Push eggs to the side and add reserved sauce mixture. Once the sauce is boiling, add the drained noodles and toss to coat. Remove from heat, add jalapeños and basil, and toss to combine; serve immediately.

Beverage pairing: Hacker-Pschorr Weisse, Germany. This dish is known as “drunken noodles,” though it’s not clear if that means it’s a good snack to have while drinking or good hangover food. Maybe both. In either case, it’s often fairly spicy, so you don’t want to drink anything too alcoholic with it, which is why a zesty, citrusy wheat beer from Germany is a good choice to soothe the lovely burn.