Pad Krapow Gai (Chicken and Holy Basil Stir Fry)
Ground chicken stir-fried over high heat with garlic, Thai chilies, and holy basil, then served over jasmine rice with a crispy fried egg. The basil goes in off the heat so it stays fragrant rather than bitter. Ready in about 20 minutes.
Servings: 3 people
Calories: 641kcal
Equipment
- 1 wok
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil such as vegetable or canola, divided
- 1 tablespoons garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 3 pieces Thai chile peppers
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoons sweet soy sauce (Kecap Manis) (optional)
- 1 tablespoons sugar
- ½ cup holy basil leaves
- 4 eggs optional
- cooked jasmine rice
Instructions
- Mix the sauce. Combine the fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.2 tablespoons oyster sauce, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 tablespoons sweet soy sauce (Kecap Manis), 1 tablespoons sugar
- Prep the aromatics. Mince the garlic and Thai chilies, or smash them together in a mortar and pestle. Pick the holy basil leaves off the stems.1 tablespoons garlic cloves, minced, 3 pieces Thai chile peppers, ½ cup holy basil leaves
- Fry the egg. Heat a generous amount of oil in a small pan over medium-high. Crack in the egg and fry until the edges are lacy and crisp and the yolk is still soft. Set aside.4 eggs
- Heat the wok. Get a wok or large skillet hot over high heat, then add the oil.3 tablespoons neutral oil
- Aromatics, 15 seconds. Add the garlic, onion and chilies and stir until fragrant. Move quickly, they burn fast.1 tablespoons garlic cloves, minced, 3 pieces Thai chile peppers, 1 small onion, diced
- Brown the chicken. Add the ground chicken and break it up. Stir-fry until no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Let it sit against the pan between stirs so some of it browns.1 pound ground chicken
- Add the sauce. Pour it in and stir to coat. Cook about 1 minute until it reduces and clings. Add a splash of water or stock if it looks dry.2 tablespoons oyster sauce, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 tablespoons sweet soy sauce (Kecap Manis), 1 tablespoons sugar
- Basil off the heat. Turn the burner off. Add the holy basil and fold it in gently, about 30 seconds, until just wilted. Do not stir-fry it.½ cup holy basil leaves
- Serve. Spoon over hot jasmine rice with the fried egg on top.cooked jasmine rice
Notes
Serves 2 to 3 over rice, from 1 pound of ground chicken. Three if everyone gets a fried egg and a side, two if it's the whole meal.
Prep everything before you turn on the heat. The whole cook is about five minutes and the garlic burns in under 30 seconds. There is no point where you can stop and chop something.
Mix the sauce ahead. Fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl before you start. Adding them one at a time to a hot wok means overcooking the chicken while you measure.
Fry the egg first, not last. A fried egg holds fine for a few minutes. The stir-fry doesn't. Use more oil than seems reasonable so the edges lace up and crisp while the yolk stays soft.
Get the pan properly hot. If the chicken releases liquid and sits in it, the pan wasn't hot enough and you're steaming rather than stir-frying. You should hear it the moment it hits.
Basil goes in off the heat. Turn the burner off, add the holy basil, and fold it in gently for about 30 seconds. Do not keep stir-frying. Basil worked over high heat bruises, turns bitter, and loses the aroma the dish is named for.
Don't crowd the pan. Doubling the recipe in one wok drops the temperature and everything steams. Cook two batches instead.
Chili guide. Bird's eye chilies: one is mild, three is medium, five or more is street-level heat in Thailand. Removing the seeds cuts heat without losing flavor.
Taste before serving. Fish sauce brands vary a lot in saltiness. If it reads flat, it usually wants a pinch more sugar rather than more salt.
No holy basil? Thai sweet basil is the usual substitute. The dish still works, it just comes out softer and more anise-forward.
Storage. Airtight in the fridge 3 to 4 days, rice stored separately. Reheat in a hot pan with a splash of water rather than the microwave, and fold in a few fresh basil leaves at the end if you have them. Freezes up to 2 months, but pull the portion out before the basil goes in, since frozen basil turns black.
Nutrition
Calories: 641kcal | Carbohydrates: 103.6g | Protein: 23.3g | Fat: 21.2g | Saturated Fat: 4.2g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 6735mg | Potassium: 2189mg | Fiber: 28g | Sugar: 59.7g | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 7mg
