Thai Basil Stir Fry (Pad Kra Pao)
A fast and flavorful Thai street food classic featuring crispy browned ground beef, garlic, chillies, and aromatic Thai basil, served over rice with a crispy fried egg.
Ingredients
For the Stir Fry
- 2 –3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 500 g lean ground beef
- 2 small paprikas or red bell peppers/sweet peppers
- 2 –3 Thai red chillies add more if you prefer extra heat
- 5 –6 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce for color and deep caramel notes
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp MSG
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves Thai holy basil/Kra Pao is ideal, or Thai sweet basil
For Serving
- 2 large eggs
- Vegetable oil for frying eggs
- 2 cups cooked white rice Jasmine rice works best
Instructions
- Heat 2-3 tbsp oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add ground beef, breaking it up until cooked through, moisture dries up, and the beef turns crispy and caramelized.
- In a mortar and pestle, coarsely pound the paprikas, Thai red chillies, and garlic into a rough paste.
- Add the garlic-chilli paste to the pan with the beef and cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and MSG. Mix well over high heat for 1-2 minutes until beef is coated.
- Turn off heat, fold in the fresh Thai basil leaves, and mix gently until just wilted.
- In a separate small pan with hot oil, fry eggs until the edges are golden and crispy while the yolks remain runny.
- Serve the hot Thai basil beef over cooked white rice and top with crispy fried eggs.
Video
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