Main · All-day staple

Pad Kra Pao (Thai Basil Stir-Fry)

Name: Pad Kra Pao recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 300 g minced pork (or minced chicken); 6 garlic cloves; 4 to 6 bird's eye chillies, to taste; 40 g (a large handful, about 2 cups loosely packed) holy basil leaves; 100 g long beans or green beans, cut into 2 cm pieces (optional); Sauce: 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce, 1 teaspoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 tablespoons water; 3 tablespoons neutral oil for the stir-fry, plus 4 tablespoons for the eggs; 2 eggs; 200 g jasmine rice (about 1 cup), cooked in advance; Optional to serve: fish sauce with sliced chillies (prik nam pla)

Pad Kra Pao (Thai Basil Stir-Fry) — street food from Thailand

Photo via Pexels/Unsplash — free for commercial use

It's the default order for Thais who can't decide what to eat.

Minced meat stir-fried with holy basil, chili, and garlic over extremely high heat, usually topped with a fried egg and served over rice. Vendors cook each order individually, right at the cart.

Why it's made this way: Holy basil (kra pao) is the essential ingredient, and each plate is cooked to order in a few minutes, which makes it the backbone of Thailand's made-to-order (aahaan tam sang) stalls.

What is Pad Kra Pao?

Pad kra pao is a fast Thai stir-fry of minced meat, garlic and chillies with holy basil (kra pao), cooked over very high heat and served over rice, usually with a crispy fried egg on top. It is a staple of made-to-order stalls and restaurants across Thailand, and a popular everyday order.

The holy basil is the point of the dish. It has a peppery, slightly clove-like flavour that is quite different from Thai sweet basil (horapha), which tastes of aniseed, and from the Italian basil used in pesto. Pork is the most common meat, but chicken, beef and seafood are also widely used.

How to make pad kra pao

Serves 2 · prep 15 min · cook 15 min

Ingredients

300 g minced pork (or minced chicken)
6 garlic cloves
4 to 6 bird's eye chillies, to taste
40 g (a large handful, about 2 cups loosely packed) holy basil leaves
100 g long beans or green beans, cut into 2 cm pieces (optional)
Sauce: 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce, 1 teaspoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons neutral oil for the stir-fry, plus 4 tablespoons for the eggs
2 eggs
200 g jasmine rice (about 1 cup), cooked in advance
Optional to serve: fish sauce with sliced chillies (prik nam pla)

Method

Cook the rice first so it is hot when the stir-fry is ready. Pound the garlic and chillies together coarsely in a mortar (or chop them finely) so they form a rough paste. Mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Pick the basil leaves, and keep everything beside the hob, since the cooking takes only a few minutes.
Fry the eggs first: heat the 4 tablespoons of oil in a small pan over high heat until shimmering. Crack in an egg and fry for about 1 to 2 minutes, spooning hot oil over the white until the edges are brown and crisp. Be careful, it spits. Lift out onto a plate, and repeat with the second egg. Keep the whites fully set, and cook the yolks through if serving to young children, older people, pregnant women or anyone unwell.
Heat a wok or large heavy frying pan over the highest heat until very hot, add the 3 tablespoons of oil, then the garlic and chilli paste. Stir for 10 to 15 seconds until fragrant, taking care that it does not burn.
Add the pork and break it up with the spatula, spreading it thin so it browns instead of stewing. Stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, adding the long beans if using, until the meat is browned and fully cooked with no pink (at least 71 degrees C for pork, 74 degrees C for chicken).
Pour in the sauce and stir for 30 seconds until the meat is glossy and the liquid has mostly cooked off. Turn off the heat, add the holy basil and stir for 10 to 15 seconds just until it wilts.
Spoon over the rice and top with a fried egg. Serve straight away with the fish sauce and chillies.

Tips

Home stoves are much weaker than a restaurant wok burner. Use the largest pan you have, preheat it well and do not cook more than 300 g of meat at a time.
Holy basil is sold at Thai and Southeast Asian shops, sometimes frozen, and is easy to grow. If you cannot find it, Thai sweet basil gives a pleasant dish but not the true flavour; do not expect the same result from Italian basil.
Add the basil off the heat or at the very end so it keeps its aroma.
Coarsely pounded garlic and chilli give far more flavour than sliced, and the paste releases more heat; use fewer chillies for a milder plate.

Regional versions

Chicken (gai), beef (nuea), seafood (talay) and crispy pork belly (moo krob) are all common alternatives to minced pork.
Tofu or mushroom versions work the same way; use soy sauce in place of the fish sauce and use a vegetarian mushroom sauce instead of the oyster sauce.
Many stalls serve it with a fried egg (kai dao) on top, as here, and you can also order it without.

Questions

What is pad kra pao made of?

Minced pork or chicken, garlic, chillies and holy basil, stir-fried with oyster, soy and fish sauces and served over rice with a fried egg.

Can I use Thai sweet basil instead of holy basil?

Yes, if you cannot find holy basil, but it will taste different: sweeter and more aniseed-like than the peppery, clove-like holy basil.

Is pad kra pao very spicy?

It can be. The heat comes from the chillies, so use fewer, or deseed them, for a milder version.

Is it safe to eat a runny fried egg?

A runny yolk carries a small risk of salmonella. Use fresh, good-quality eggs, or cook the yolk through if serving children, older people, pregnant women or anyone vulnerable.