Pad Kra Pao (Thai Holy Basil Beef Stir Fry)
Aaron and Claire recipe - undefined
- Prep time
- 14 min
- Cook time
- 31 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 7 cloves garlic
- 3 Thai chilies
- 1 shallot, roughly chopped
- 2 mild chilies (or bell pepper), for color
- 2 tbsp neutral-tasting oil, plus more if needed
- 16 oz (450g) ground beef (or ground pork, chicken, etc.)
- 1.5 cups holy basil leaves (or Italian basil, Thai basil)
- Black pepper, to taste
- 4 cups hot cooked rice, about 1 cup (210g) for each serving
- 4 fried eggs, to serve
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp black soy sauce (or dark soy sauce)
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1.5 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 sliced Thai chili
- Small pinch of sugar
- 1/2 lime
Instructions
- 1
With a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic cloves. Add the Thai chilies and roughly chopped shallot. Get them into a rough paste. (If you don't have a mortar and pestle, use a knife or food processor.)
- 2
Thinly slice some mild chilies.
- 3
In a small container, mix together the fish sauce, soy sauce, black soy sauce (or dark soy sauce), oyster sauce, and sugar.
- 4
In a small bowl, mix together the fish sauce, minced garlic, sliced chili, sugar, and the juice from half a lime.
- 5
In a wok (or pan), heat the oil (2 tbsp) over high heat. Once it’s heated, add the ground beef. Spread it out and leave it in the pan for 2 minutes or until the beef is nicely browned on the bottom.
- 6
Flip and stir-fry it for 3 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
- 7
Add your chili garlic paste and stir-fry it for 1 to 2 minutes over medium-high heat. Add more oil if needed.
- 8
Pour the sauce around the edges. Give it a good stir for 1 minute. Taste and add more salt or fish sauce if needed.
- 9
Turn the heat off. Add the basil leaves, mild chilies, and black pepper to taste. Give a final mix.
- 10
Make crispy fried eggs: In another pan, add a generous amount of oil. Heat it over medium-high heat. Once it gets nice and hot, add the eggs. Tilt the pan so that the egg can, kind of like fry in it. (If you're worried about oil splatter, you could just carefully pour that hot oil with a spoon.)
- 11
Divide the rice into serving plates. Add a generous amount of beef stir-fry. Top with fried eggs. Enjoy with the condiment on the side.