Pad Gra Prow (Holy Basil Stir-Fry)
By Matthew FairmanPublished on June 21, 2022
Time
30 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Nam Prik Nam Pla (Chile Fish Sauce)
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce 2 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons lime juice 1-4 Thai chiles, stemmed and sliced thin2 teaspoons sugar 1 garlic clove, mincedPad Gra Prow (Holy Basil Stir-Fry)
2 shallots, chopped coarse8 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled2–8 Thai chiles, stemmed2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce 2 tablespoons Thai thin soy sauce 2 tablespoons Thai sweet soy sauce 2 tablespoons Thai oyster sauce ¾ teaspoon white pepper 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1½ pounds 85 percent lean ground pork 3 cups fresh holy basil leavesKai Dao (Crispy Fried Eggs)
4 large eggs ½ cup vegetable oilBefore You Begin
We consulted with Thai native and Toronto chef Nuit Regular while developing this recipe. Holy basil (also called tulsi or gra prow in Thai) is exceedingly difficult to find in the United States, but we recommend searching it out if you can. If you can't find holy basil, you can substitute Italian or Thai basil with delicious results. You can substitute ground chicken, lean ground beef, or crumbled extra-firm tofu for the pork, if desired. Thai chiles (also called prik kee noo or bird's eye chiles) are very spicy, and the ranges given here are an attempt to tailor this recipe to American tastes. For the Nam Prik Nam Pla, use one chile for an extra-mild version of this sauce; two chiles for medium-mild; three for medium; and four for medium-spicy. It's typical for recipes to call for more chiles for this amount of sauce, so if you know you like heat, add more to suit your taste. For the Pad Gra Prow, use two chiles for an extra-mild version of this dish, four chiles for medium-mild, six for medium, and eight for medium-spicy. It's typical for recipes to call for more than eight chiles for this amount of meat, so if you know you like heat, add more to suit your taste. We recommend turning on your hood vent while stir-frying to help reduce the risk of breathing in aerosolized chiles. If you can't find Thai chiles, you can substitute serrano chiles. Use one serrano for every two Thai chiles. When frying the eggs, to take the temperature of the oil, we suggest tilting the wok or skillet slightly so that the oil pools on one side.
Instructions
- FOR THE NAM PRIK NAM PLA (CHILE FISH SAUCE): Combine all ingredients in bowl and stir to dissolve sugar; set aside.
- FOR THE PAD GRA POW (HOLY BASIL STIR-FRY): Add shallots, garlic, and Thai chiles to food processor and pulse until finely chopped, 10 to 12 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer shallot mixture to bowl. Combine fish sauce, thin soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, oyster sauce, and white pepper in second bowl.
- Heat oil in 14-inch wok over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add shallot mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until just beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Increase heat to high. Add pork and cook, stirring frequently and breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until pork is nearly cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add shallot mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until just beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add pork and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until pork is nearly cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in fish sauce mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until liquid is nearly entirely evaporated and pork is darkened and sizzling, 3 to 5 minutes for wok, 5 to 7 minutes for nonstick skillet. Stir in basil, 1 handful at a time, allowing each handful to wilt slightly before adding next. Cook until basil is just wilted, about 1 minute. Transfer to bowl or serving platter and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
- FOR THE KAI DAO (CRISPY FRIED EGGS): Line large plate with paper towels. Crack 1 egg into small bowl.
- Add oil to clean, dry 14-inch wok and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Add egg to oil and cook, gently swirling oil in wok and spooning some oil over egg white to cook it through, until egg is browned around edges and egg white is opaque, 30 to 60 seconds.
- Add oil to clean, dry 8-inch nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Add egg to oil, cover, and cook until egg is browned around edges and egg white is opaque, 30 to 60 seconds.
- Using thin spatula, transfer egg to prepared plate (tilting egg to drain off excess grease). Repeat with remaining eggs, adjusting burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 325 and 350 degrees.
- Serve pad gra prow with nam prik nam pla, kai dao, and rice.
for a wok
for a nonstick skillet
for a wok
for a nonstick skillet
Time
30 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Nam Prik Nam Pla (Chile Fish Sauce)
Pad Gra Prow (Holy Basil Stir-Fry)
Kai Dao (Crispy Fried Eggs)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Nam Prik Nam Pla (Chile Fish Sauce)
Pad Gra Prow (Holy Basil Stir-Fry)
Kai Dao (Crispy Fried Eggs)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Nam Prik Nam Pla (Chile Fish Sauce)
Pad Gra Prow (Holy Basil Stir-Fry)
Kai Dao (Crispy Fried Eggs)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Pad gra prow—a spicy, sweet, and savory stir-fry loaded with emerald-green holy basil leaves—is an incredibly flavorful, ultrapopular Thai street food that's increasingly found elsewhere around the globe. For expert advice on creating our version for American home cooks, we reached out to Nuit Regular, executive chef and co-owner of PAI and Kiin in Toronto, Canada, and author of Kiin: Recipes and Stories from Northern Thailand (2020). Regular schooled us on the essentials of good pad gra prow: an aromatic base of finely chopped garlic, shallot, and fiery Thai chiles; a stir-fry sauce made of Thai fish sauce, oyster sauce, and sweet and thin soy sauces; a chopped or ground protein (commonly ground pork); and a small mountain of peppery, aromatic holy basil leaves. With these ingredients in hand, a wok or nonstick skillet (our recipe gives options for both) makes quick work of the stir-fry.
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
We consulted with Thai native and Toronto chef Nuit Regular while developing this recipe. Holy basil (also called tulsi or gra prow in Thai) is exceedingly difficult to find in the United States, but we recommend searching it out if you can. If you can't find holy basil, you can substitute Italian or Thai basil with delicious results. You can substitute ground chicken, lean ground beef, or crumbled extra-firm tofu for the pork, if desired. Thai chiles (also called prik kee noo or bird's eye chiles) are very spicy, and the ranges given here are an attempt to tailor this recipe to American tastes. For the Nam Prik Nam Pla, use one chile for an extra-mild version of this sauce; two chiles for medium-mild; three for medium; and four for medium-spicy. It's typical for recipes to call for more chiles for this amount of sauce, so if you know you like heat, add more to suit your taste. For the Pad Gra Prow, use two chiles for an extra-mild version of this dish, four chiles for medium-mild, six for medium, and eight for medium-spicy. It's typical for recipes to call for more than eight chiles for this amount of meat, so if you know you like heat, add more to suit your taste. We recommend turning on your hood vent while stir-frying to help reduce the risk of breathing in aerosolized chiles. If you can't find Thai chiles, you can substitute serrano chiles. Use one serrano for every two Thai chiles. When frying the eggs, to take the temperature of the oil, we suggest tilting the wok or skillet slightly so that the oil pools on one side.
Instructions
- FOR THE NAM PRIK NAM PLA (CHILE FISH SAUCE): Combine all ingredients in bowl and stir to dissolve sugar; set aside.
- FOR THE PAD GRA POW (HOLY BASIL STIR-FRY): Add shallots, garlic, and Thai chiles to food processor and pulse until finely chopped, 10 to 12 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer shallot mixture to bowl. Combine fish sauce, thin soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, oyster sauce, and white pepper in second bowl.
- Heat oil in 14-inch wok over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add shallot mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until just beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Increase heat to high. Add pork and cook, stirring frequently and breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until pork is nearly cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add shallot mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until just beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add pork and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until pork is nearly cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in fish sauce mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until liquid is nearly entirely evaporated and pork is darkened and sizzling, 3 to 5 minutes for wok, 5 to 7 minutes for nonstick skillet. Stir in basil, 1 handful at a time, allowing each handful to wilt slightly before adding next. Cook until basil is just wilted, about 1 minute. Transfer to bowl or serving platter and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
- FOR THE KAI DAO (CRISPY FRIED EGGS): Line large plate with paper towels. Crack 1 egg into small bowl.
- Add oil to clean, dry 14-inch wok and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Add egg to oil and cook, gently swirling oil in wok and spooning some oil over egg white to cook it through, until egg is browned around edges and egg white is opaque, 30 to 60 seconds.
- Add oil to clean, dry 8-inch nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Add egg to oil, cover, and cook until egg is browned around edges and egg white is opaque, 30 to 60 seconds.
- Using thin spatula, transfer egg to prepared plate (tilting egg to drain off excess grease). Repeat with remaining eggs, adjusting burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 325 and 350 degrees.
- Serve pad gra prow with nam prik nam pla, kai dao, and rice.
for a wok
for a nonstick skillet
for a wok
for a nonstick skillet
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