Pad Krapow Moo — Thai Holy Basil Stir Fry with Minced Pork

RECIPES, Stirfry

Pad Krapow Moo — Thai Holy Basil Stir Fry with Minced Pork
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Pad Krapow Moo — Thai Holy Basil Stir Fry with Minced Pork

Course: RECIPES, Dinner, Main, Lunch, Brunch
Servings

2

servings
Cooking time

10

minutes
Total time

20

minutes

Pad krapow is Thailand's ultimate weeknight dish — the one that office workers, market vendors, and home cooks reach for when they want something fast, satisfying, and deeply flavourful. Minced pork is stir fried at high heat with garlic, bird's eye chillies, and a generous handful of fresh holy basil, seasoned with fish sauce and oyster sauce until everything is glossy, fragrant, and slightly caramelised at the edges. It is served over steamed jasmine rice with a fried egg on top — crispy at the edges, runny in the middle — and eaten immediately. Simple, bold, and absolutely irresistible.

Ingredients

  • 400 grams minced pork (or minced chicken as an alternative)

  • 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

  • 4 –6 bird's eye chillies, finely sliced (adjust to taste)

  • 1 tablespoon ONOFF Spices No Oyster Vegan Seasoning Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon ONOFF Spices No Fish Vegan Seasoning Sauce

  • 1 teaspoon palm sugar (or coconut sugar as a substitute)

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • large handful of fresh holy basil leaves (Italian basil works if holy basil is unavailable — see note)

  • steamed jasmine rice, to serve

  • 2 eggs, for frying

Directions

  • Heat a wok or large frying pan over the highest heat your stove can produce. Thai stir fry cooking is all about high heat — do not be tempted to turn it down.
  • Add the vegetable oil and, when it is shimmering, add the garlic and chillies. Stir fry for 30 seconds until fragrant and just beginning to colour.
  • Add the minced pork and stir fry, breaking it up as you go, until cooked through and beginning to caramelise at the edges — around 4–5 minutes.
  • Add the ONOFF No Oyster Vegan Seasoning Sauce, ONOFF No Fish Vegan Seasoning Sauce, and palm sugar. Toss everything together well and stir fry for another minute until the sauce coats the meat and begins to caramelise slightly.
  • Remove from the heat and stir through the holy basil leaves — the residual heat will wilt them perfectly without losing their fragrance.
  • In a separate pan, fry the eggs in a little oil over high heat until the whites are set and crispy at the edges but the yolk remains runny.
  • Serve the pork over steamed jasmine rice, topped with the fried egg. Eat immediately.

Notes

  • Holy basil — called krapow in Thai — is the essential ingredient that gives this dish its name and its character. It has a slightly peppery, clove-like flavour that is quite different from Italian basil or Thai sweet basil. Look for it in Asian supermarkets. If you cannot find it, Thai sweet basil is a closer substitute than Italian basil, though the flavour will be noticeably different. True pad krapow made with holy basil is worth seeking out — once you taste the difference, you will understand why Thais consider it non-negotiable.