Pad Kra Pao Recipe
A fast, bold pad kra pao recipe featuring stir-fried ground meat with garlic, chilies, and Thai basil, ready in under 20 minutes.
Equipment
- Mortar and pestle (or knife)
- Large wok or skillet
- small bowl
Ingredients
- 4-6 Thai bird's eye chilies to taste
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 lb ground chicken ground beef, or peeled shrimp
- 1 small onion sliced
- 1 red bell pepper sliced (optional)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 cup Thai holy basil leaves packed
- Steamed jasmine rice for serving
- Fried eggs for serving, optional
Instructions
Prepare the Garlic and Chilies
- Using a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic and chilies together into a coarse paste, or finely mince them together with a knife if you don't have a mortar and pestle.
Stir-Fry the Protein
- Warm the vegetable oil in a large wok or skillet over high heat. Add the garlic and chili paste, stirring for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the ground meat or shrimp, breaking it apart if using ground meat, and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes, until mostly cooked through.
Add Vegetables and Sauce
- Add the sliced onion and bell pepper if using, stir-frying for another 2 minutes until just softened.
- In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and sugar, then pour it into the pan, tossing everything together and cooking for another 1-2 minutes.
Add the Basil and Serve
- Remove the pan from heat and stir in the Thai holy basil leaves, tossing just until they wilt slightly from the residual heat, which keeps them vibrant rather than fully cooked down.
- Serve immediately over steamed jasmine rice, topped with a fried egg if desired.
Notes
- Adjusting the number of chilies up or down based on your personal spice tolerance is easy, since this dish is traditionally quite spicy but can be toned down significantly without losing its core flavor.
- Pounding the garlic and chilies together with a mortar and pestle releases more flavor than simply mincing them, though finely chopping with a knife still works reasonably well if that's not something you have on hand.
- Adding the basil off the heat, rather than cooking it for an extended time, helps preserve its bright color and more pronounced flavor, since overcooked basil tends to turn dark and lose some of its aromatic punch.
- If you can't find Thai holy basil, Thai basil or even regular sweet basil can be used in a pinch, though the flavor will be noticeably milder and less peppery than the traditional variety.
- This dish is best served immediately while hot, since the basil and overall texture are at their best right after cooking.