Pad Kra Pao (Thai Basil Stir Fry)
Equipment
- Mortar and pestle optional
Ingredients
Beef Stir Fry
- 16 oz ground beef, see note 1
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 Thai chilies
- 1 cup Thai basil, can use regular basil
Pad Kra Pao Sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
Optional Garnish
- Fried egg
- Rice, for serving
Instructions
- Thinly slice your onion. In a mortar and pestle, grind your chilies and garlic into a rough paste, or finely chop them if you prefer.
- In a small bowl, combine dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, fish sauce, and sugar. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
- Add oil to a pan over medium-high heat and add your garlic-chili mixture along with the onions. Cook until softened and fragrant.
- Add in the ground beef, breaking it apart, and cook for about 4 minutes until browned.
- Pour in your sauce and continue cooking until it slightly thickens and coats the beef.
- Finish by tossing in your basil and cooking just until wilted.
- Serve the Pad Kra Pao over a fresh bowl of rice and optionally top with a fried egg.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What Makes Pad Kra Pao So Good
I love Pad Kra Pao because it uses natural flavors of the ingredients to build the delicious dish. This dish is also super simple, and you only need a handful of ingredients! For the simple sauce, all you really need is dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, fish sauce, and sugar and that will give you that signature umami and sweet flavors that every Pad Kra Pao has. It only takes 20 minutes, is absolutely delicious, and tastes like you just got it from a Thai restaurant.
Why This Pad Kra Pao Never Gets Old
Unlike a lot of Pad Kra Pao dishes, this version is lean but keeps the true flavors of the dish. The meat still has the loud flavors, the meat is still juicy, and the sauce is just as good as the regular version! I actually prefer the leaner version because it allows me to eat more of the dish! It also leaves more room to enjoy it with fried eggs and lots and lots of fresh rice!
What You’ll Need To Make Pad Kra Pao
Beef Stir Fry
- 16 oz ground beef
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 Thai chilies
- 1 cup Thai basil (can use regular basil)
Pad Kra Pao Sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
Optional Garnish
- Fried egg
- Rice, for serving
How to Make Pad Kra Pao
Thinly slice your onion. In a mortar and pestle, grind your chilies and garlic into a rough paste (or finely chop).
In a bowl, mix together dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, fish sauce, and sugar. Set aside.
Add oil to a pan over medium-high heat. Add your garlic-chili mixture and sliced onions. Sauté until soft and fragrant.
Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up, for about 4 minutes or until browned.
Pour in your sauce and stir to coat everything. Let it cook for another 1–2 minutes until slightly thickened.
Toss in the basil and cook just until wilted.
Serve hot over rice with a fried egg if desired.
Tips & Variations
I use Thai basil or regular basil because that’s all that is regularly available for me, but I highly recommend Thai holy basil if you can find it. It has an additional peppery kick that is hard to find in Thai or regular basil.
My spice tolerance isn’t great, so I only use two, but feel free to adjust the number of chilies based on your spice tolerance!
I use lean ground beef for this high protein version, but ground chicken, lean ground pork, or even crumbled tofu taste great in this dish.
As soon as you add the basil, take the pan and continue stirring off the heat in order to avoid overcooking the basil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Thai basil the same as regular basil?
Not quite. Thai basil has a slightly spicy, licorice flavor that’s more aromatic than regular Italian basil. I’ve found that both work great in this dish!
Can I make this dish less spicy?
Yes. Just use one chili or remove the seeds from both in order to keep the aromatic flavor but reduce the spice.
Do I need a mortar and pestle?
It’s traditional and makes a difference in texture, but chopping everything finely with a knife honestly works just fine too.
Can I use frozen basil?
Fresh basil is always best, but frozen can always work as well! Just cook until the water from the frozen basil is completely dissipated.
Try These Next
Want another takeout dish? Check out my Thai Basil Fried Rice.
Love beef dishes? Don’t miss my Mongolian Ground Beef!
Looking for something garlicky? Try my Garlic Steak Stir Fry!
