Pad Krapow Gai (Thai Holy Basil Chicken)
The fast, fiery street-food stir-fry of minced chicken with garlic, chilli and holy basil, served over rice with a crispy fried egg.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Serves
- 2 plates
- Level
- Easy
By Maya Chen
Method
- 01
Pound the garlic and chillies together in a mortar to a rough paste, or chop them finely. Mix the oyster sauce, both soy sauces, fish sauce, sugar and water in a small bowl.
- 02
First fry the eggs: heat a generous amount of oil in a wok until shimmering and slide in the eggs, basting until the edges are lacy and crisp and the yolk still runs. Set aside.
- 03
Wipe out the wok, add the 2 tbsp oil and place over high heat. Add the garlic and chilli paste and stir for a few seconds until fragrant but not browned.
- 04
Add the minced chicken and stir-fry over high heat, breaking it up, until it is cooked through and starting to catch and brown in places.
- 05
Pour in the sauce mixture and toss until it coats the meat and reduces to a glaze.
- 06
Take the wok off the heat and stir through the holy basil until it just wilts.
- 07
Spoon over steamed rice and top each plate with a crispy fried egg.
Pad krapow is the dish Thai cooks reach for when there is no time and no plan — minced meat fried hard with garlic and chilli, glazed in a quick sauce, and lifted at the last second with holy basil. Served over rice with a crispy fried egg, it is one of the most popular meals in Thailand and one of the fastest to make at home.
Prep everything, then cook in minutes
This is a true high-heat stir-fry, so the cooking is over almost before it begins. Pound or chop the garlic and chillies, mix the sauce in a bowl, and have the basil ready before the wok goes on. The only sequencing trick is to fry the egg first in plenty of hot oil — chasing those crisp, lacy edges and a runny yolk — then wipe the wok and stir-fry the meat in a clean, ripping-hot pan.
Let the meat catch, finish with basil
Resist the urge to stir the chicken constantly; let it sit long enough to brown and catch in places, which builds savoury depth. Once the sauce goes in it reduces to a glaze in seconds. Pull the wok off the heat before adding the holy basil so it wilts into the meat rather than stewing, keeping its peppery fragrance intact.
