Pad Kra Pao (Basil Stir-fry)

Ingredients

• Ground chicken · or pork300 g
• Holy basil · or Thai sweet basil1 handful
• Garlic4 cloves
• Thai chilies · prik kee noo, or other hot chili4
• Cooking oil2 tbsp
• Cooked rice · warm2 bowls
• Eggs · for frying2
• Sauce
• Oyster sauce1 tbsp
• Fish sauce1 tbsp
• Soy sauce1 tbsp
• Sugar1 tsp
• Water2 tbsp

Steps

1. Coarsely chop the garlic and chilies; pounding them briefly in a mortar deepens the aroma.

   ⏲ 2 min

2. Stir the sauce ingredients (oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, water) together in a small bowl.

   ⏲ 30 sec

3. Heat the oil in a pan over high heat, then fry the garlic and chilies until fragrant.

   ⏲ 40 sec

4. Add the ground meat, breaking up the clumps, and stir-fry over high heat.

   ⏲ 3 min

5. When the meat is almost cooked, add the sauce and stir-fry until just a little liquid remains.

   ⏲ 1 min 30 sec

6. Turn off the heat, add a big handful of basil, and toss so it just wilts in the residual heat.

   ⏲ 30 sec

7. In another pan, fry an egg in plenty of oil until the edges are crisp (khai dao).

   ⏲ 2 min

8. Spoon the basil stir-fry over warm rice and top with the fried egg.

Tips & Variations

The basics behind this dish

• Chilli and Heat: Where It Lives and How to Take It BackHeat is not a taste but a pain signal. Where capsaicin actually sits, why water does nothing, and the four ways to pull a dish back once it has gone too far.
• Fresh Herbs: Hardy, Delicate, and When to Add ThemAroma is volatile, so timing is the whole game. What separates a hardy herb from a delicate one, why the stems are worth more than you think, and why basil should never meet a knife.
• Browning and the Maillard ReactionMeat fails to brown for one of three reasons: it is wet, the pan is cool, or you put too much in at once. Plus how the brown film stuck to the pan becomes your sauce.