Pad Kra Pow is perhaps Thailand’s most beloved street food dish. Spectacularly spicy, salty & just a little sweet, the dish can be made with chicken (gai) or pork (moo). Tradition dictates that Thai holy basil be used in this dish, however this can be difficult to find outside of Thailand. Thai sweet basil can be used as an alternative and provides an equally delicious, if different end result.
- 2-3 Thai / birdseye chillies
- 1 small shallot
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1 dash fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- Dash dark soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 100g pork mince
- 1 handful green beans, sliced
- 100 ml light chicken stock or water
- 1 handful Thai basil or Holy basil
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In a pestle and mortar, roughly pound the Thai chillies, shallot & garlic and set aside.
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In a bowl, add light soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce & sugar. Mix well and set aside.
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Heat the oil in a wok over a high heat. Add the pork mince and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the sliced green beans. Add the prepared chillies, shallot and garlic and continue to stir-fry for 1-2 mins until the pork is browned.
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Add the prepared sauce and mix through. Add the light chicken stock or water and stir-fry for a further 1-2 mins until the sauce reaches your preferred consistency and the pork is fully cooked.
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Switch off the heat, add the Thai basil or holy basil and mix through for 30 seconds until the basil just begins to wilt.
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Pour the pad kra pow moo over steamed jasmine rice & serve with a crispy fried egg and some cucumber slices (see notes).
Kai dow, or Thai style fried eggs are cooked in a generous amount of oil. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a hot pan, crack the egg into the pan and spoon some of the hot oil over the top of the egg. The egg will immediately puff up and the edges will become crispy whilst the yolk remains soft. You can, of course, cook the fried egg whichever way you prefer, but this crispy and indulgent cooking method is standard in Thailand and is well worth trying.
If you like this pad kra pow moo recipe, you might be interested in buying my book: The Street Food Secret is packed full of over 160 street-food recipes from around the world and is available to buy in paperback or kindle form here.
