🥢 Thai-style Pad Kra Pao (Pork/Chicken/Beef) – Super detailed recipe & easy-to-cook version for Hong Kong people!

Pad Kra Pao is one of the most popular Thai home-cooked dishes, boasting a savory, savory flavor that goes well with rice. Classically, it's a quick stir-fry of ground pork, chicken, or beef, seasoned with spicy garlic, fish sauce, and soy sauce. It's topped with fragrant kra pao leaves (often replaced by basil in Hong Kong), and is often topped with a sunny-side-up egg for a perfect finishing touch.

The following is a detailed recipe. I can buy ingredients at home at the supermarket and still make Hong Kong-style stir-fry to Thai restaurant quality! 🔥🍳

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Ingredients (Serves 2-3)
Ingredients:

• Ground meat (pork/chicken/beef): 400g

• Basil leaves: about 1 cup (about 40-50 grams, Hong Kong basil is usually used)

• 1-2 red peppers, cut into rings (can be omitted or added more or less)

• Garlic: 4-5 cloves, minced

• Ginger: 1 small piece, minced (optional for flavor enhancement)

• Cherry tomatoes: 6-8 (or half a beef tomato, diced, optional)

• 2-3 eggs (sun-fried or poached, a must!)

Seasoning:

• Fish sauce: 1.5 tbsp

• Soy sauce: 1.5 tbsp

• Oyster sauce (or soy sauce paste): 1 tablespoon (optional)

• Brown sugar or granulated sugar: 1 tsp

• Rice wine: 1 teaspoon

• Lemon juice: 1 teaspoon (apply before serving to add fragrance)

• Black pepper: a little

• Oil: 2 tablespoons

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Detailed cooking process
1️⃣ Slice the chili peppers, chop the garlic, mince the ginger, pick the basil leaves and wash them, cut the cherry tomatoes in half and set aside.
2️⃣ Heat oil in a pan (peanut oil is more fragrant), stir-fry minced garlic, ginger and chili peppers over medium heat until fragrant and slightly yellow.
3️⃣ Add the minced meat and stir-fry over high heat until the minced meat is completely broken up, slightly charred, and the oil is released (do not stir-fry it right after adding it to the pan; let it sit for 1 minute before stir-frying for a more fragrant texture).
4️⃣ Add cherry tomatoes and stir-fry until softened. Sprinkle with sugar, then add fish sauce, soy sauce, and oyster sauce and stir-fry until combined. If the gravy is too dry, add a little water.
5️⃣ Finally, add the basil and stir-fry over high heat for 10-20 seconds, then turn off the heat (do not fry the basil for too long to keep it green and fragrant).
6️⃣ Turn off the heat, add a splash of fresh lemon juice, sprinkle with black pepper, and you’re done!
7️⃣ Add a little oil to the frying pan and fry the sunny-side-up egg over medium-high heat. The egg white is crispy and the egg yolk is half-cooked (traditional Thai method).
8️⃣ Serve the rice, top with the stir-fried meat, and cover with a fried egg. Done!

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Cooking Tips:

• Basil leaves are the most fragrant when added last, and can be removed from the pan almost immediately after frying.

• Beef dapao is more fragrant and flavorful than pork dapao, with a strong beef flavor, while chicken is healthier and fresher.

• If you like it spicier, add Thai bird's eye chili

• If you don't have fish sauce, you can use soy sauce instead, but the flavor will be reduced.

• Don’t pick out eggs when eating out. Make sure to fry them until the egg whites are crispy and spicy for the authentic taste.

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This dish is spicy and flavorful. It is absolutely delicious when cooked, and it is even more appetizing and convenient when the weather is hot!
This is my own version, perfect for Hong Kong people who want to learn to cook quickly. You should definitely try it yourself. It’s a real accomplishment when you see it crackle and fall apart! 🍚🍳🌶️