Pad Kra Pow Recipe

Name: Thai Kitchens Pad Kra Pow Recipe
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 2 tbs neutral oil (vegetable, canola, or peanut); 4 cloves garlic cloves, minced; 3 each fresh Thai bird's eye chilies, chopped (adjust to taste); 1 each onion or shallot, thinly sliced; 500 g ground pork (or chicken/beef/firm tofu, crumbled); 1 tbs light soy sauce; 1 tsp dark soy sauce (for color, optional); 1.5 tbs oyster sauce; 1 tbs fish sauce; 1 tsp white sugar; 2 tbs water or chicken stock (to loosen sauce); 2 cups Thai holy basil leaves (or Thai sweet basil if unavailable), picked; 4 servings steamed jasmine rice; 4 each fried eggs (sunny-side up), optional but traditional; 1 to taste cucumber slices or lime wedges, for serving

Inspired by Thai Kitchen

Time25m

Serves4

Stir-fried meat with basil and chili, served with rice.

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Ingredients

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Main stir-fry

2 tbs neutral oil (vegetable, canola, or peanut)

4 cloves Garlic cloves, minced

3 each fresh Thai bird's eye chilies, chopped (adjust to taste)

1 each onion or shallot, thinly sliced

1 1/8 lb (500 g) ground pork (or chicken/beef/firm tofu, crumbled)

1 tbs light soy sauce

1 tsp dark soy sauce (for color, optional)

1 1/2 tbs oyster sauce

1 tbs Fish sauce

1 tsp white sugar

2 tbs water or chicken stock (to loosen sauce)

2 cups Thai holy basil leaves (or Thai sweet basil if unavailable), picked

Rice and garnish

4 servings steamed jasmine rice

4 each fried eggs (sunny-side up), optional but traditional

1 to taste cucumber slices or lime wedges, for serving

Method

Main stir-fry

Prepare sauce

In a small bowl combine light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and 2 tablespoons water or stock. Stir until sugar dissolves and set aside.

Heat a large wok or heavy skillet over high heat until very hot (a drop of water should sizzle away). Add 2 tablespoons neutral oil and swirl to coat.

Add the minced garlic and chopped bird's eye chilies to the hot oil. Stir-fry 15–30 seconds until fragrant but not browned (reduce time if your heat is very high).

Add the sliced onion or shallot and stir-fry 30–60 seconds until softened and slightly translucent.

Add the ground pork (or chosen protein). Break it up with your spatula and stir-fry on high heat until mostly cooked through and starting to brown, about 3–5 minutes. Push the meat to the side occasionally to get some caramelization.

Pour the prepared sauce over the meat. Stir quickly to combine, scraping any browned bits from the pan. Continue stir-frying for 1–2 minutes so the meat absorbs the sauce. If the mixture looks dry, add up to 1–2 more tablespoons of water or stock.

Turn off the heat and immediately add the basil leaves. Toss vigorously until the leaves are wilted and coated with sauce, about 30 seconds. Taste and adjust seasoning: add a little more fish sauce for saltiness, sugar for balance, or chilies for heat.

Rice and garnish

Divide steamed jasmine rice among 4 plates.

Top each portion of rice with a generous scoop of the hot Pad Kra Pow.

If using, fry eggs in a separate pan with a little oil until the edges are crisp and yolks are still runny. Place one fried egg on top of each serving.

Garnish with cucumber slices or lime wedges and serve immediately.