Thai Holy Basil Stir Fry Recipe for Any Meat (Pad Kra Pao)
One formula, endless possibilities. This pad kra pao recipe can be adapted to any kind of protein, including cooked leftover meats!
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz protein of your choice, raw or cooked
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce, only if using raw protein
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon Thai black soy sauce, or dark soy sauce, optional
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1-3 Thai chilies, or as many as you can tolerate
- 5 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup chopped mild red chilies, see note 1
- ¼ medium onion, small diced
- 1 ½ cup holy basil leaves or sub Italian or Thai basil leaves, loosely packed
- Vegetable oil, as needed
- 2 eggs for frying, optional (1 egg per person)
- Prik nam pla, condiment if serving fried eggs, optional
- Jasmine rice, for serving
Notes
- Any kind of mild red peppers will work here. Traditionally we use spur chilies, but you can use whatever you have access to, preferably with thinner flesh, such as red anaheim peppers. Red bell pepper will also work in a pinch. (If you're adding at least 5 Thai chilies, which would make it very hot, you can skip the mild peppers.)
Instructions
- Cut the protein into small bite-sized pieces - make them smaller than your average stir fry as pad gaprao is not good with chunky pieces. If using lean protein such as chicken breast, don’t slice them thinner than ½ an inch so they don’t overcook too quickly.10.5 oz protein of your choice
- If using raw meat, add 1 teaspoon of fish sauce and mix well.1 teaspoon fish sauce
- Make the sauce by combining oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, black or dark soy sauce, sugar, and water. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoon fish sauce, ½ teaspoon Thai black soy sauce, 2 tablespoon water, 1 ½ teaspoon sugar
- Pound the Thai chilies into a fine paste in a mortar and pestle, then add the garlic and the mild chilies and pound into a rough paste, just until there are no more big chunks.1-3 Thai chilies, 5 cloves garlic, ¼ cup chopped mild red chilies
- If using raw protein, heat a wok or a skillet until very hot on high heat, add just enough oil to coat the bottom and add the protein, spreading the pieces out into one layer. Let them sear until browned on the underside, then give it a toss and stir until it’s done. This should only take a few minutes in total. Remove from the pan. Note: You can skip searing the protein and just add it to the wok raw, but the browning does add a nice flavour.Vegetable oil
- In a wok on medium-high heat, add the chili garlic mixture and stir until the garlic starts to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Add the onions and cook it for 30 seconds to a minute to soften slightly.¼ medium onion
- Turn the heat up to high and add the protein and the sauce, and toss everything together just for 30 seconds or so, until the meat is well coated and heated through. If you didn’t pre-cook the protein, take your time and keep tossing until it’s cooked through.
- Turn off the heat, add the basil, and toss just to wilt.1 ½ cup holy basil leaves or sub Italian or Thai basil leaves
- Make the fried eggs if you wish, and serve the stir fry with jasmine rice and topped with a fried egg and some prik nam pla!2 eggs for frying, Prik nam pla, Jasmine rice
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