Pad Krapow Moo Saap — Thai Holy-Basil Pork Stir-fry
Bangkok street stir-fry in five minutes: pounded chili and garlic, minced pork tossed with fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and a final fistful of holy basil. Served over rice with a runny-yolk fried egg.
Pound garlic and bird's-eye chili to a rough paste. Fry in oil. Add minced pork, break it up, season with fish sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy, and palm sugar. Off the heat, fold in a fistful of holy basil. Serve over rice with a fried egg.
- Holy basil (krapow), not Thai sweet basil. The flavours are completely different — krapow is peppery, almost clove-like.
- The pork should have texture — chop it yourself rather than buying overworked mince. Slightly chunky is correct.
- The wok must be ripping hot. Five minutes total, lid never goes on.
Equipment
- Wok (carbon-steel or cast-iron)
- Granite mortar & pestle
- Wok spatula
食材
Stir-fry
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3–5 Thai bird's-eye chilies (more for traditional heat)
- 20 ml neutral oil
- 200 g ground pork, or hand-chopped pork shoulder
- 15 ml fish sauce
- 10 ml oyster sauce
- 10 ml light soy sauce
- 5 ml dark sweet soy, for colour
- 5 g palm sugar, or brown sugar
- 1 large handful (about 20 g) holy basil leaves (krapow)
To finish
- 200 g cooked jasmine rice, hot
- 1 large egg, fried in plenty of oil until edges crackle and yolk stays runny (kai dao)
- Prik nam pla (fish sauce + lime + sliced chili)
步驟
- 步驟01
In a granite mortar, pound the garlic and bird's-eye chilies into a coarse paste. Stop while there are still visible flecks — this is not a smooth puree.
- 步驟02
Set a small pan with 3 tbsp oil over high heat. When shimmering, crack an egg in — the edges should puff and crackle. Spoon hot oil over the top until the white is set but the yolk is runny. Lift out and set aside on the rice.
- 步驟03
Heat the wok over the highest flame your stove allows. Add 1½ tbsp oil. Tip in the garlic-chili paste — it should sizzle violently. Stir 15 seconds until fragrant, not browned.
- 步驟04
Add the pork all at once. Press it flat against the wok, let it sear undisturbed for 30 seconds, then break it up with the spatula. Toss for 2 minutes until just cooked, slightly chunky — you do not want fine crumble.
- 步驟05
Add fish sauce, oyster sauce, light soy, dark sweet soy, and palm sugar. Toss for 30 seconds until the sugar dissolves and the pork is glossy and coated.
- 步驟06
Off the heat. Throw in the holy basil leaves. Toss once — the residual heat wilts them. Pile over hot rice with the fried egg on top. Serve with prik nam pla.
Make ahead
Pound the paste in the morning, refrigerate. Hand-chop the pork up to 4 hours ahead. The actual cook is 5 minutes.
Storage
Reheats poorly. The basil loses everything within an hour. If you have leftovers, eat them cold over rice tomorrow morning and pretend it was on purpose.
Variations
Pad krapow gai (chicken)
Replace pork with hand-chopped chicken thigh. Adjust oyster sauce up by 1 tsp for the chicken.
Pad krapow goong (shrimp)
Use 200 g peeled shrimp. Skip the 2-minute pork sear and just toss until pink — 60 seconds.
Pad krapow het (mushroom)
Vegetarian — use 250 g mixed sliced mushrooms (oyster + shiitake). Swap oyster sauce for vegetarian stir-fry sauce; sub light soy for fish sauce.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
常見問題
Can I use Thai sweet basil?
It's a different dish if you do. Holy basil (krapow / Ocimum tenuiflorum) is peppery and almost medicinal; Thai sweet basil (horapha) is anise-like. Both excellent, not interchangeable. Look for krapow with serrated, slightly fuzzy leaves.
Is it really spicy?
Authentic Bangkok street version uses 6–8 bird's-eye chilies and is genuinely hot. Three chilies as written is medium-hot. One chili is approachable; zero chilies is not really pad krapow anymore.
Why hand-chop the pork?
Commercial ground pork is overworked and turns to paste in the wok. Hand-chopping (or pulse-grinding in a food processor with a few short bursts) keeps the texture chunky and meaty. Worth the 3 extra minutes.
What's the dark sweet soy for?
Colour, mostly — and a faint molasses sweetness. Without it the dish is paler and less round. Substitute molasses + light soy 1:3 in a pinch.
Can I make it without the fried egg?
You can but you won't want to. Kai dao with crackly edges and a runny yolk is half the dish.
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