Stir-Fries
Pad Kra Pao ผัดกะเพรา · phàt kà-phrao
Thailand's favourite fast meal — minced meat stir-fried with holy basil, garlic and chilli.
- Spice
- Medium–Hot
- Also called
- Pad Krapow, Pad Gaprao, Thai Basil Stir Fry
- Virtual price
- ฿65
What it is
Pad Kra Pao is a fast, punchy stir-fry of minced meat (usually pork or chicken) with Thai holy basil, garlic and fresh chillies, served over rice and almost always topped with a crispy fried egg (khai dao). It is the dish Thai people order when they cannot decide what to eat — every rice-and-curry shop makes it.
How it tastes
Savoury and garlicky with a peppery, slightly aniseed lift from holy basil, balanced by fish sauce and a clear chilli heat. The crispy fried egg adds richness that cuts the spice.
Where it comes from
A modern Thai stir-fry popularised in the mid-20th century as Chinese wok cooking merged with Thai herbs. It is street-food and rice-shop food across the whole country rather than one region.
Ingredients
- Minced pork or chicken
- Thai holy basil (bai kra pao)
- Garlic
- Bird's eye chilli
- Fish sauce
- Oyster sauce
- Light soy sauce
- A little sugar
How it's made
Chillies and garlic are pounded or chopped, fried in hot oil, then the meat is stir-fried fast over high heat with the sauces, and a big handful of holy basil is folded in at the very end so it stays fragrant.
Variations
- Pad Kra Pao Moo (pork)
- Pad Kra Pao Gai (chicken)
- Pad Kra Pao Talay (seafood)
- Pad Kra Pao Neua (beef)
- Crispy pork belly version (moo krob)
Where to eat it
Every rice-over-curry shop (raan khao gaeng) and street cart in Thailand, from Bangkok office lanes to night markets.
