Fiery, garlicky stir-fry finished with fragrant holy basil—street-food comfort over hot jasmine rice.

This Thai Holy Basil Stir-Fry—known as Pad Kra Pao—is the 15-minute hero of Bangkok street carts. Ground chicken or pork gets blasted with garlic and bird’s eye chilies, glazed in a salty-sweet sauce, and tossed with holy basil (bai kraphao). Spoon it over rice and crown with a crispy fried egg (kai dao). Weeknight chaos, handled.

Why You’ll Love This Dish

• Done in 15 minutes, start to finish
• Authentic flavor: holy basil, not sweet basil
• Scales for meal prep; endlessly customizable
• That crispy-edge fried egg seals the deal

Ingredients (Serves 4)

To Serve

• 4 cups cooked jasmine rice

Stir-Fry

• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 4–6 cloves garlic, minced or pounded
• 4–8 Thai bird’s eye chilies, chopped (to taste)
• 500 g (1.1 lb) ground chicken or pork (or finely chopped thigh)
• 1 small onion or 3 shallots, sliced (optional)
• 1 cup loosely packed holy basil leaves (25–30 g)

Sauce (mix in a cup)

• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce (for color)
• 1–2 tsp palm sugar or brown sugar
• 2 tbsp water or stock

Fried Eggs

• 4 eggs
• 3–4 tbsp oil (for lacy, crispy edges)

Instructions

1. Make the sauce: Stir together oyster, light soy, fish sauce, dark soy, sugar, and water.
2. Aromatics on blast: Heat a wok over high. Add oil. Toss in garlic and chilies; stir 10–15 seconds until fragrant.
3. Protein: Add ground meat. Spread to sear, then stir-fry 2–3 minutes until just cooked. Add onion/shallots if using; stir 30 seconds.
4. Glaze: Pour in the sauce. Stir-fry 45–60 seconds until glossy and slightly reduced.
5. Basil finish: Kill the heat. Throw in holy basil and toss just until wilted (10–20 seconds).
6. Fry eggs: In a small pan, heat oil until shimmering. Crack in eggs and baste edges for frilly, crispy whites; yolk still runny.
7. Serve: Rice in bowls → stir-fry on top → crown with fried egg.

Pro Tips & Substitutions

• Holy vs. Thai sweet basil: Authentic pad kra pao uses holy basil. If you must sub, mix Thai sweet basil with a few mint leaves for bite.
• Heat control: Drop to 2 chilies for mild; keep seeds for fire.
• Veg add-ins: Sliced long beans or bell pepper go well; add with the onions.
• Saucier version: Splash extra stock and simmer 30 seconds.
• Vegetarian: Use firm tofu or minced mushrooms; swap fish/oyster sauces with soy + vegetarian oyster (mushroom) sauce.

Storage & Reheating

• Best fresh, but keeps 2 days chilled. Reheat quickly in a hot pan; add a spoon of water to loosen.

Serving Suggestions

• Classic: cucumber slices and prik nam pla (fish sauce with chopped chilies and a squeeze of lime).
• Cold beer or Thai iced tea on the side.

Nutritional Information (per serving, with 1 cup cooked rice, approx.)

• Calories: 520 kcal
• Protein: 28 g
• Carbohydrates: 55 g
• Fat: 18 g
• Sodium: 1,250 mg

Varies by soy/fish sauce brand and egg size.

Did You Try This Recipe?

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