Pad Ga Prao, also known as Thai basil chicken, is a popular Thai street food dish. It features stir-fried chicken with garlic, chili, and holy basil, served over rice and often topped with a fried egg. This flavorful and aromatic dish is a favorite for its spicy and savory taste.
Pad Ga Prao, a dish likely introduced to Thailand by Chinese immigrants during King Rama VII’s reign, gained popularity around 1957. It involves stir-frying black soybean with garlic, minced meat or chicken, and seasoning with fish sauce and dark soy sauce. By the late 1970s, Pad Ga Prao appeared in cookbooks. The dish, often paired with asparagus beans and alcoholic snacks, involves marinating minced meat in alcohol and seasoning with fish sauce and palm sugar, as noted in the 1998 book Mae Khrua Ek.
Pad Ga Prao is a Thai dish that can be made with any meat such as pork, chicken, beef, or seafood stir-fried with Thai holy basil and garlic, served with rice and optionally topped with fried eggs. The main seasonings include soy sauce, Thai fish sauce, oyster sauce, cane sugar, and bird’s eye chili. Over time, it has evolved to include ingredients like Chinese century eggs and various Thai vegetables, which help reduce meat costs for vendors. Common variants include versions with chicken, pork, beef, prawns, squid, and mushrooms.
The first time I cooked Pad Ga Prao was an unforgettable experience. The moment I started sautéing the garlic and chili, the kitchen was filled with an irresistible aroma. As I added the chicken and holy basil, the fragrance became even more enticing. I was a bit apprehensive about achieving the right balance of flavors, but I followed the recipe closely.
The vibrant colors and the sizzling sounds made the cooking process enjoyable. When I finally tasted the dish, I was delighted by the perfect blend of spiciness and savory notes. Topping it with a fried egg added a rich, creamy texture that complemented the dish beautifully. It was a rewarding experience, and I felt a sense of accomplishment. Pad Ga Prao quickly became a staple in my kitchen, and I enjoyed sharing it with friends and family, who loved it just as much as I did.
This recipe from Hot Thai Kitchen is the ultimate one. It does say how versatile this recipe can be as you can use any kind of protein!
Pad Ga Prao
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz protein of your choice, raw or cooked
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce, only if using raw protein
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Thai black soy sauce, or dark soy sauce, optional
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1-3 Thai chilies, or as many as you can tolerate
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup chopped mild red chilies, see note 1
- 1/4 medium onion, small diced
- 1 1/2 cup holy basil leaves or sub Italian or Thai basil leaves, loosely packed
- Vegetable oil, as needed
- 2 eggs for frying, optional (1 egg per person)
- Prik nam pla, condiment if serving fried eggs, optional
- Jasmine rice, for serving
Directions
- Cut the protein into small bite-sized pieces – make them smaller than your average stir fry as pad gaprao is not good with chunky pieces. If using lean protein such as chicken breast, don’t slice them thinner than ½ an inch so they don’t overcook too quickly.
- If using raw meat, add 1 teaspoon of fish sauce and mix well.
- Make the sauce by combining oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, black or dark soy sauce, sugar, and water. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Pound the Thai chilies into a fine paste in a mortar and pestle, then add the garlic and the mild chilies and pound into a rough paste, just until there are no more big chunks.
- If using raw protein, heat a wok or a skillet until very hot on high heat, add just enough oil to coat the bottom and add the protein, spreading the pieces out into one layer. Let them sear until browned on the underside, then give it a toss and stir until it’s done. This should only take a few minutes in total. Remove from the pan. Note: You can skip searing the protein and just add it to the wok raw, but the browning does add a nice flavour.
- In a wok on medium-high heat, add the chili garlic mixture and stir until the garlic starts to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Add the onions and cook it for 30 seconds to a minute to soften slightly.
- Turn the heat up to high and add the protein and the sauce, and toss everything together just for 30 seconds or so, until the meat is well coated and heated through. If you didn’t pre-cook the protein, take your time and keep tossing until it’s cooked through. Turn off the heat, add the basil, and toss just to wilt.
- Make the fried eggs if you wish, and serve the stir fry with jasmine rice and topped with a fried egg and some prik nam pla!
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