Pad Kra Pao
Pad kra pao is Thailand's everyday lunch plate, sold from street carts and office-block canteens across Bangkok long before it became an international favourite. The name simply describes the dish: pad means stir-fried, and kra pao is the sharp, slightly peppery holy basil that gives the plate its unmistakable smell, quite different from the sweeter basil used in curries. Built around whatever minced meat is on hand, most often pork or chicken, the dish leans on garlic, chillies and a shot of fish sauce rather than coconut milk or curry paste, which is why it cooks in minutes. A fried egg with crisp, lacy edges is the near-universal topping, its runny yolk mixing into the sauce as the first bite is taken over hot jasmine rice.
True holy basil, not sweet basil
Kra pao has a peppery, almost clove-like bite that sweet Thai basil can't match.
Cooked fast over blazing heat
A hot wok and constant tossing keep the pork juicy instead of stewed.
Crackled fried egg on top
A crisp-edged khai dao with a runny yolk is the classic finishing touch.
Built for rice, not noodles
The salty-spicy sauce is designed to soak into plain steamed jasmine rice.
Ingredients 4 servings
- 500g minced pork (or chicken)
- 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 5-6 Thai bird's eye chillies (or to taste), roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce (for colour) and 1 tsp sugar
- A large handful Thai holy basil leaves (kra pao), plus fried eggs and jasmine rice to serve
How to make it
- 1Pound the garlic and Thai chillies together in a mortar and pestle until roughly crushed, or pulse briefly in a small food processor.
- 2Heat the vegetable oil in a wok over high heat until it just starts to smoke, then add the garlic-chilli paste and stir-fry for about 15 seconds until fragrant.
- 3Add the minced pork and break it apart with a spatula, stir-frying constantly over high heat for 3-4 minutes until it is mostly cooked through.
- 4Splash in the fish sauce, oyster sauce, light and dark soy sauces and sugar, and toss everything together for another minute so the pork soaks up the sauce.
- 5Add a splash of water if the pan looks dry, then throw in the holy basil leaves and stir just until they wilt, about 20-30 seconds.
- 6Taste and adjust with a little more fish sauce or sugar until the balance is savoury, faintly sweet and sharply peppery from the chillies.
- 7Meanwhile fry the eggs in a separate hot pan until the edges are crisp and lacy but the yolk stays runny, then serve the pork over steamed jasmine rice topped with a fried egg.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
