🦐🌱 Thai Basil Stir-fried Seafood (Pad Kra Pao Talay) Super Detailed Recipe + Hong Kong-Style Cooking Tips

Pad Kra Pao Talay (Thai Basil Stir-fried Seafood) is an authentic Thai dish that's incredibly spicy and fragrant, a must-have for any gathering. It features fresh seafood like shrimp, squid, and scallops, along with plenty of holy basil (Thailand's basil), creating a fiery, spicy flavor that goes perfectly with rice! Even Hong Kong home kitchens can create restaurant-quality dishes, and we'll show you how! 🦑🦐🌶️

Ingredients (Serves 2–3)

• Seafood platter (about 300–400g total of shrimp, squid rings, scallops, or other seafood of your choice)

• A large handful of holy basil leaves/Thai basil (about 40g, you can use Thai basil instead at the supermarket)

• 2 Thai red chilies (diced, depending on your preference)

• 4 cloves of garlic (minced)

• 1–2 chili peppers (depending on the spiciness)

• 1/4 onion (chopped, optional)

• 1 green onion (cut into sections, optional)

Sauces and seasonings

• 1.5 tablespoons fish sauce (authentic flavor!)

• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce

• 1–1.5 teaspoons sugar

• Juice of half a lime (sprinkle before serving for a more refreshing taste)

Detailed cooking process

1️⃣ Marinate the seafood with salt and pepper for 5 minutes, then pat dry with kitchen paper and set aside. Wash the basil and pick the leaves.

2️⃣ Heat oil in a pan, sauté minced garlic, chili peppers (onions can be added), and stir-fry until the spicy aroma is overflowing.

3️⃣ Add the seafood platter and stir-fry over high heat for about 1-2 minutes until 70% cooked. (Remember not to stir-fry too long to avoid shrinkage)

4️⃣ Add all the sauce ingredients (fish sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar) and mix well over high heat. Add 1-2 spoons of water to prevent it from being too dry.

5️⃣ Add basil leaves and stir-fry over high heat for 10-20 seconds. Remove from heat once the aroma begins to release. Finally, sprinkle with lime juice for a more flavorful finish.

6️⃣ Serve and sprinkle with chopped green onions. (You can add a sunny-side-up egg on top, a must-have in Thai restaurants!)

Editor's Kitchen Sharing

• If you are afraid of the fishy smell, you can first stir-fry ginger slices before adding seafood to remove the fishy smell and enhance the freshness.

• Basil/holy basil is dropped last and quickly stir-fried to enhance the flavor and retain the strongest bright green color

• The type of seafood is very flexible, you can order whatever you want. This time, the editor used shrimp, squid and scallops. Remember to control the degree of maturity of each.

• If you don’t like spicy food, you can use bell pepper instead

• The best way to enjoy it is with a big bowl of white rice or Thai fried rice.

A plate of stir-fried seafood with basil is spicy and delicious, perfect for rice. Hong Kong people can easily cook the popular Thai flavor at home, and it will definitely be a must-try for dinners with friends and family! 🍚