Pad Kra Pao Recipe – Ground Meat with Holy Basil (Pad Krapao)
Pad Kra Pao – The Thai Classic
Pad Kra Pao (also written as Pad Krapao or Phat Kaphrao) is Thailand's number one everyday dish: minced meat, fried spicy in a wok with garlic, chili and holy basil, served with jasmine rice and a crispy fried egg. The name means "basil stir-fry". With our Pad Kra Pao Wok Sauce, the dish is on the table in 15 minutes.
Holy basil has a strong aroma and tastes of cloves and nutmeg when lightly heated.
You can either prepare the Pad Kra Pao sauce yourself or use our authentic Thai Pad Kra Pao Sauce. This makes the whole thing a bit easier.
Ingredients for 3–4 servings of Pad Kra Pao
Preparing Pad Kra Pao is quite quick; 25 minutes should be enough.
Just follow our cooking instructions.
| Minced meat | 400 g |
| Spicy Thai chilies | 5 - 10 pieces |
| Garlic cloves | 5 - 10 pieces |
| Holy basil (Kra Pao) | 2 large handfuls of leaves |
| Light soy sauce | 1 tbsp |
| Fish sauce | 1 tbsp |
| Oyster sauce | 3 tbsp |
| Brown sugar | 1 - 2 tsp |
| Vegetable oil | 2 tbsp |
| Yak Thai Pad Kra Pao Sauce | 1/2 bottle |
Preparing Pad Kra Pao:
1. Cut the sausage into thin diagonal slices.
2. Crush the garlic with the chili in a mortar.
3. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a pan over low heat.
4. Add the minced meat and increase the heat to medium. Depending on your preference, you can fry the minced meat more or less.
5. Then add the garlic-chili mixture and fry briefly (for about half a minute).
6. Mix the light soy sauce with the fish sauce, oyster sauce and brown sugar in a separate bowl until the sugar dissolves. Pour this mixture over the minced meat and fry for another half a minute.
7. Add the holy basil (Bai Kra Pao) leaves at the very end, after the heat has been turned off, and stir them in until they wilt.
8. Alternatively, cook the minced meat 70% through, add Pad Kra Pao Sauce - and finish cooking briefly.
Did you know…?
Popularity: Pad Kra Pao is one of the most popular dishes in Thailand and is often referred to as Thailand's "burger and fries". It is a quick, simple and relatively healthy dish that can be eaten at any time of day.
Versatility: Pad Kra Pao can be prepared with various proteins, including pork, chicken, beef, seafood or tofu. This versatility makes it a dish that can easily be adapted to different preferences.
Holy basil: The dish is prepared with Thai basil, also known as holy basil. This type of basil gives the dish its characteristic spicy, aromatic and peppery flavor.
Traditional preparation: Traditionally, Pad Kra Pao is served with a crispy fried egg, whose yolk is often still slightly runny. This perfectly complements the spicy aromas of the dish.
Variations and more recipes
- Pad Kra Pao Look Chin: spicy fried meatballs
- Pad Kra Pao Moo Yoo with fried egg: with Thai sausage
- Khao Pad Kra Pao: fried rice with holy basil
- Fancy noodles instead of rice? Try our Pad Thai Recipe.
Yak-Thai wishes you bon appétit.
