Pad Ka-Prao (ผัดกะเพรา)
Spicy Ground meat and Holy Basil stir fry Thai dish
Pad Ka-Prao - staying authentic ... as possible
Most of the ingredients are available in supermarkets in any country. The one ingredient we may struggle with is Holy Basil, which is the type of basil used for Pad Ka-Prao. It's indeed not easy to get a hold of Holy Basil, and it's ok if you don't have it — just use regular basil in lower quantities (because regular Italian basil is very aggressive in flavor). Other than the Holy Basil, all ingredients are available and we can cook this dish without any issues.
*** The dish name Pad Ka-Prao means "stir-fry with Holy Basil", so technically if you're not using Holy Basil the name can't really be Pad Ka-Prao — but it will still be delicious.
The secret to this great dish is the chili-garlic-shallot paste. It determines the flavor of the meat and also how spicy it is. I usually use bird's eye chili, which is a nasty little chili. If you're not familiar with it and you know you or someone in your family aren't that tolerant of spicy food, use only 1 or 2 chilies — because there's no coming back from making a dish super spicy once you've added too many. In some Thai restaurants this dish is so spicy you can hardly taste anything else. Personally, I like a mild spicy flavor so I'm able to feel the dish's great taste as well, without letting the spicy chilies take over.Method
- 1
Making the paste· 3 minutes
In a food processor (or mortar if you want to use the old-fashioned way), add the garlic, shallots and chilies, pulse until becomes a smooth paste.
- 2
stir fry the Pad Ka-Prao· 10 minutes
Set a wok over high heat. When shimmering, add the oil and paste, cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add the meat and squeeze with a wooden spoon in order to separate the meat, cook for 3 minutes. Pour the fish sauce, light and sweet soy sauce and the oyster sauce to the meat, mix well , adjust seasoning and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the basil, half of the coriander, cook for another minute and remove from heat.
- 3
serving the Pad Ka-Prao· 3 minutes
Fry one egg per person. Place rice and meat in a plate one next to the other. Add the fried egg over the meat, add coriander and sprinkle with olive oil. serve immediately
Jaron Kimhi
Jaron Kimhi — self-taught home cook from Tel Aviv, writing and cooking every recipe on this site himself. 20+ years of tinkering in the kitchen, leaning toward slow cooking, classic technique, and honest ingredients.
More recipes by Jaron →
