Pad Kra Pao (or Pad Krapow) is one of the most popular dishes in Thailand and can be found in almost every Thai restaurant around the world. It originated in the streets of Thailand, as a simple and affordable dish that could be prepared quickly and easily. Pad Kra Pao is named after its main ingredient, holy basil, which is called “kra pao” in Thai. It is a flavorful, aromatic, spicy stir-fry dish that typically consists of minced or sliced meat, such as chicken, pork, or beef, cooked with Thai holy basil leaves, chili peppers, garlic, and a savory sauce. It is often served with a side of jasmine rice and a fried egg on top, adding richness and texture to the dish. The combination of savory, spicy, and slightly sweet flavors makes Pad Kra Pao a delicious and satisfying meal.
As my personal favorite Thai dish, I have ordered Pad Kra Pao from countless restaurants and street vendors in Thailand. I wanted to try them all! One of my favorites was from a restaurant down the street from our condo in Bangkok named Baan Langsuan. Her version was made with sliced pork rather than the more traditional minced. It was topped with the traditional fried egg, which to me made this the perfect breakfast. It was quite spicy, even with the cucumbers to cool my taste-buds between bites. So after the first time ordering I made sure to specify that I only wanted pet nit noi (a little bit spicy.) Believe me, even “a little bit spicy” in Thailand is still spicy!
A close second favorite was from a lunchtime street vendor outside of Lumpini Park. This more traditional minced chicken version had crunchy longs beans and again was topped with a Thai style fried egg. No cucumbers served with this one, but they did serve it with a condiment called Prik Nam Pla on the side. This can be added for more spice and saltiness that the customer can control. I paid 150 Baht for this incredible meal (around $4.20) served to me at a picnic table on a ceramic plate with real silverware. This is Thai street food at it’s finest!
Most of us aren’t fortunate enough to have Thai street food venders near our homes, but luckily Pad Kra Pao is a simple dish that can be prepared quickly and easily at home. Because it is typically made with ground chicken, pork or beef, there isn’t a lot of prep work.
The first step in making Pad Kra Pao is to pound Thai chili peppers and garlic into a rough paste. If you want to lessen the heat without jeopardizing chili flavor, you can also remove most of the seeds from the peppers. You can also add another type of pepper without as much heat such as spur chili or even red bell peppers. Using a stone mortar and pestle is the traditional way the chili pepper/garlic paste would be prepared in Thailand. Read more about the mortar in pestle in Thai cooking in my Mortar and Pestle blog post
Once the paste is made, the dish comes together very easily. Just stir fry the paste in a little neutral oil, then add your protein of choice, traditionally ground chicken, pork or beef. Stir fry until the meat is just seared and not not quite all the way cooked. Then add the sauce note that this is a perfect use for my All Purpose Thai Stir Fry Sauce. Next add onions and any others vegetables you like. Traditionally long beans are used, however any green beans work well. Other simple hearty vegetables like thinly sliced pea pods or sweet peppers would also work. Use what you have on hand and consider color since you eat with your eyes first. Note however that Pad Kra Pao is predemononantly a meat dish, and the vegetables should just provide a subtle crunch and color accent without taking over the dish. I add these towards the end of the cooking process because I like them a little al dente.
Next comes the most important ingredient the Kra Pao, Thai holy basil. The distinct aroma and taste of the holy basil gives the dish its unique flavor. Holy basil however will only grow in very humid climates, so it is difficult if not impossible to find outside of South East Asia. Substituting Thai basil or even Italian basil (pictured right) will give you a dish that doesn’t quite taste exactly like what you’d get in Thailand, but will still be very good. The basil leaves are added with the heat turned off. The residual heat from the other ingredients will be enough to slightly wilt the basil while retaining their freshness and fragrance. .
As mentioned above, Pad Kra Pao is often served with an optional Thai style crispy fried egg “Kai Dao” on top. I highly recommend you order or make it with the egg as the runny yolk adds a lot of richness to the dish. The traditional Kai Dao is made with about a 1/2 inch of oil. The egg is cracked into the very hot oil, then the oil is gently splashed on top of the egg to cook the top. The end result is a bubbly crispy egg white with a runny yolk. This might not be the most convenient method for cooking an egg at home especially for 1 or 2 eggs. When cooking for my family, I typically just cook simple sunny side up eggs by covering my pan to steam the top. It’s not quite as crispy or decadent, but perhaps a bit healthier and still incredibly tasty!
Pad Kra Pao
Equipment
- Wok
- Mortor and Pestle
Ingredients
- 3-5 Thai Chili Peppers Remove seeds if desired to reduce spice level
- 5 cloves Garlic
- 1 lb Minced or sliced meat of choice Chicken, pork or beef
- ¼ cup All Purpose Thai Stir Fry Sauce Recipe Here
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 small Onion Minced
- ½ cup Long beans or string beans Cut into 1 inch lengths
- 1 cup Holy Basil Substitute Thai or Italian basil if necessary
- 4 Eggs 1 per person
Instructions
- Pound the Thai chili peppers and galic cloves with a mortar and pestle to form a smooth paste
- Stir fry the pepper/garlic paste in a small amount of neutral oil for 30 seconds.
- Add meat of choice and continue to stir fry until meat is seared on the outside and not quite fully cooked
- Add sauce and incorporate into meat
- Add onions and beans or other vegetable(s) of choice. Continue to stir fry until the meat is fully cooked and vegetables slightly softened.
- Remove from heat and add basil. Toss to wilt basil and incorporate into meat.
- Serve with fried egg on top, cucumber garnish and optional Prik Nam Pla on the side
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