Pad Kaphrao

Ingredients

Meat

• 300 gminced pork, or hand-chopped chicken thigh

Paste

• 6garlic cloves
• 6bird’s eye chillies, or to taste
• 1/4 tspsalt

Sauce

• 1 tbspoyster sauce
• 1 tbspfish sauce
• 1 tsplight soy sauce
• 1 tspdark soy sauce
• 1 tspsugar
• 2 tbspwater or stock

Herb

• a very large handful of holy basil leaves, kaphrao

To cook

• 3 tbspoil

To serve

• steamed jasmine rice
• 1fried egg per person
• prik nam pla, chilli in fish sauce

Directions

1. Chop chicken thigh coarsely with a heavy knife. The pieces should be small but should still be identifiable. Put the garlic and chillies in a mortar with the salt. Pound them into a rough coarse paste. Leave it coarse rather than smooth. You should still see pieces of garlic and chilli. Combine the oyster sauce, both soy sauces, fish sauce, sugar and water.
2. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. There is no time to measure anything once the wok is hot. Heat the wok over the highest heat you have. Let it heat until it is genuinely smoking. Add the oil and swirl it around.
3. Add the garlic and chilli paste to the hot oil. Stir it for about fifteen seconds. It should smell strong and sharp but must not brown. Turn on the extractor and open a window. Cooking the meat is quick and needs a hot pan. Add the meat and spread it across the wok.
4. Let it sit for thirty seconds without moving it. That contact with the hot metal is what browns it. Cook it for about two minutes until no pink remains. Do not crowd the wok, since that steams the meat.
5. Pour the mixed sauce around the edge of the wok. It hits the hot metal and caramelises before it coats the meat. Toss everything together hard. Cook for another thirty seconds until it clings to the meat. It should be almost dry rather than saucy.
6. Turn off the heat under the wok. Add the whole handful of holy basil leaves. Use far more than looks reasonable, since it wilts to almost nothing. Toss it through for about ten seconds. The residual heat is enough to wilt it. Heat a generous amount of oil in a small pan. Crack the egg in and let it spit.
7. Spoon hot oil over the yolk as it cooks. The white should be crisp and lacy at the edges. Mound rice on one side of a plate. Spoon the meat beside the rice. Lay the fried egg over the rice or the meat. Serve prik nam pla at the table.

Technique

• Holy basil is not Thai sweet basil; substituting sweet basil gives a different dish entirely.
• Add the basil off the heat, since cooking it destroys the aroma.
• Pour the sauce around the edge of the wok so it caramelises before coating the meat.

Substitutions

• Minced chicken, beef or seafood in place of pork.
• There is no good substitute for holy basil.

Variations

• Made with seafood, as pad kaphrao talay.
• With crisp pork belly instead of mince.
• Vegetarian, with mushrooms and soy sauce.

History

Holy basil stir-fried with minced meat and chilli, topped with a fried egg; the default order in Thai shophouses at lunchtime.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pad Kaphrao?

Pad Kaphrao is a main from Thailand: holy-basil pork or chicken stir-fry over rice with fried egg. Holy basil stir-fried with minced meat and chilli, topped with a fried egg; the default order in Thai shophouses at lunchtime.

How long does Pad Kaphrao take to make?

Pad Kaphrao takes 15 min of preparation and 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes 2 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Pad Kaphrao?

Yes, within limits. Minced chicken, beef or seafood in place of pork. There is no good substitute for holy basil.

What is the most important thing to get right in Pad Kaphrao?

Chop chicken thigh coarsely with a heavy knife. The pieces should be small but should still be identifiable. Put the garlic and chillies in a mortar with the salt. Pound them into a rough coarse paste. Leave it coarse rather than smooth. You should still see pieces of garlic and chilli. Combine the oyster sauce, both soy sauces, fish sauce, sugar and water.