Stir-Fried Holy Basil with Ground Pork and Fried Egg (Pad Krapao Moo Sap)
If you plan to serve more than two people, this dish is best made in multiple small batches instead of making too much at once. Otherwise, it won’t cook properly and will lack the “wok taste” that makes it special.
Ingredients
5 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
½ lb. fatty ground pork
4 to 8 red and green Thai chilies, chopped
2 to 4 garlic cloves, chopped
6 to 8 dashes Squid brand fish sauce
5 to 6 dashes sweet Kwong Hung Seng soy sauce
4 dashes Golden Mountain sauce
1 to 2 dashes Maekrua oyster sauce (optional)
1 cup green beans, chopped small (optional)
1 cup whole holy basil leaves*
2 eggs
Steamed jasmine rice, for serving
Preparation
• Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the ground pork and stir-fry until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
• Add another 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the wok over medium heat. Add the chilies and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, 1 minute. Return the pork to the wok and toss.
• Add the fish sauce, sweet soy sauce, Golden Mountain sauce and oyster sauce, if desired. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, then add the green beans, if desired, and stir-fry another 1 to 2 minutes.
• Increase the heat to high and add the basil. Stir-fry just until the basil wilts, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Return the wok to medium heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.
• Add 1 egg and baste by spooning the hot oil over the egg until crispy, 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining egg.
• Serve the stir-fry over jasmine rice and topped with a fried egg.
* Peppery and savory, holy basil is very different from the more familiar Thai sweet basil. The best version of pad krapao uses only holy basil (krapao) – in Thailand, these basils would never be interchanged. Locally, sweet basil is often substituted, but try to find holy basil if you can.