Pad Krapow Gai (Thai Basil Chicken)
The dish every Thai cook makes on a Tuesday — minced chicken with holy basil, chilies, and garlic in a searing-hot wok, finished in minutes, the basil leaves wilting into dark fragrant velvet that perfumes every grain of rice beneath them.
Ingredients
For 4 servings · tick what is ready
Use the scaled ingredient list. Steps and temperatures stay unchanged; use a larger pan or dish if needed. Seasonings to taste stay to taste.
How to make it
Combine oyster sauce, fish sauce, and dark soy sauce in a small bowl. Stir to blend. Taste — it should be powerfully salty and savory. This sauce goes in fast at high heat, so having it ready before you start is essential. Never season a stir-fry by shaking bottles over a hot wok.
Heat oil in a wok over high heat until smoking. Add garlic and bird's eye chilies together. Fry for 30-45 seconds, stirring constantly — the garlic will begin to golden at the edges and the chilies will turn the oil bright orange-red. Do not let the garlic burn or the dish will be bitter.
Add minced chicken and break it apart with a spatula immediately. Stir-fry on high heat for 2-3 minutes, pressing the chicken flat against the wok to get color rather than steam. When no pink remains, pour the sauce around the edge of the wok (not over the chicken) — it will sizzle and char slightly before mixing in. Toss to coat.
Remove wok from heat (or reduce to minimum). Add holy basil leaves all at once and toss vigorously for 10-15 seconds. The leaves will wilt almost instantly from the residual heat. Do not overcook them — they should be wilted and dark green, not brown and mushy. Plate immediately over jasmine rice with a fried egg on top.
About this recipe
By ForkRecipe Kitchen · Source: ForkRecipe / FoodML and contributors. Recipe content available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Serving count is an estimate; check quantities in the source recipe.