Stir-fried ground pork with basil (pad kra pao) and a wok-fried egg
Thai cuisine · J. Kenji López-Alt · ♥ 10.6K likes · 698.3K views · 17 min video
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Read about pork in the BrightCulinary Book
Timestamp
Ingredients
Method
Techniques
- 6–8 cloves garlic cloves
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 whole serrano
- red onion
Put the garlic in the mortar. Halve the serrano and remove some seeds and ribs for less heat; add it.
Garlic and chili for the paste
- sugar
Slice and roughly chop the red onion; add to the mortar with a tiny sprinkle of sugar and pound to a coarse paste (or chop by hand or use a food processor).
The flavour balance and the shallot
- 2 tbsp oil
Preheat the wok; add a couple tablespoons of oil -- it need not be smoking hot.
Add the paste and stir-fry gently until fragrant without browning deeply.
Add the lean ground pork and cook it through, breaking it into small pieces; no need to work in batches.
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- ½ tbsp dark soy sauce
- oyster sauce
- rice
Add about a tablespoon of light soy sauce, a couple tablespoons of fish sauce, about half a tablespoon of dark soy sauce and a little oyster sauce; stir.
The sauce, and how oyster sauce is made
- basil
- Thai chili flakes
Add a big handful of basil and toss until wilted. Serve with rice, chili flakes to taste.
Finishing with basil and serving
- egg
- oil
- fish sauce
Variation: fried egg on top -- preheat the wok until lightly smoking, add a good amount of oil, fry the egg splashing hot oil over it until puffy with crispy edges, and finish with a touch of fish sauce.