Pad Krapow Moo Saap
ผัดกะเพราหมูสับ·(pad kra-pow moo saap)
Weeknight Kab Khao (The Thai Family Table)
If Thailand had an official menu of last resort—the comfort food you violently crave when stepping off a plane—it is this. True, old-school Pad Krapow is a masterclass in beautiful restraint: just fatty ground pork, blistering heat, an umami-rich glaze, and the unmistakable peppery perfume of holy basil. We're skipping the filler vegetables to practice the ancient dry fry technique, searing the pork in a screaming-hot wok until it renders and crisps before the sauce even hits the pan.
Before you start
Whisk together the sauce ingredients.
In a small bowl, combine the oyster sauce, light soy sauce, fish sauce, dark sweet soy sauce, sugar, and water. Set it right next to your stove so it is ready when the wok is smoking.
Pound the chilies and garlic into a coarse paste.
Place the fresh chilies, dried chilies, garlic, and coarse salt into a mortar and pestle. Pound them aggressively to rupture the cell walls and release the volatile essential oils. If you lack a mortar, mince and crush them together on a cutting board using the side of your knife.
Ingredients
- garlic cloves4 large
- fresh red Thai bird's eye chilies4 med
- dried red Thai chilies2 small
- coarse salt1/4 tsp
- neutral cooking oil2 tbsp
- ground pork1 lb
- holy basil leaves1 1/2 cup
- oyster sauce1 tbsp
- light soy sauce1 tbsp
- fish sauce1/2 tbsp
- dark sweet soy sauce1/2 tsp
- granulated sugar1/2 tsp
- water1 tbsp
- jasmine rice2 cup
- eggs2 large
Method
- 01
Heat the wok until it smokes and bloom the aromatic paste.
Set a wok or heavy skillet over high heat until it is screaming hot, add the oil, and immediately scrape in your chili-garlic paste. Stir rapidly for 10 to 15 seconds until it sizzles aggressively and the fumes force you to cough.
- 02
Add the pork and let it sear undisturbed.
Add the pork and flatten it against the hot pan with a spatula. Let it sit for about 15 seconds to develop a crust, then vigorously break it up so there are no large clumps.
- 03
Dry-fry the pork until the fat renders and the edges crisp.
This is the crucial technique. Keep stir-frying until all the grey, watery liquid released by the meat completely evaporates. Listen for the sound to shift from a wet boil to a sharp, crackling sizzle, which means the pork is now frying in its own fat.
- 04
Glaze the meat.
Pour your sauce mixture over the pork and toss rapidly over high heat for about 1 minute until the liquid reduces into a dark, glossy, savory coating.
- 05
Wilt the basil off the heat.
Turn the heat completely off, drop in the basil leaves, and fold them gently into the hot meat. The residual heat will wilt them in about 10 seconds, preserving their delicate peppery oils.
- 06
Fry the eggs and assemble the plates.
In a separate non-stick skillet, shallow-fry the eggs in a generous slick of very hot oil until the whites blister and brown aggressively, leaving the yolks molten and runny. Serve the pork immediately alongside the jasmine rice, crowned with the crispy fried eggs.
Notes
The Holy Basil substitution secret.
If you cannot source real holy basil, do not substitute anise-flavored Thai sweet basil (horapa). Instead, use 1 1/2 cups of standard Italian basil augmented with 6 to 8 fresh mint leaves to perfectly replicate the signature peppery, clove-like bite.
Never skip the Prik Nam Pla.
This indispensable table condiment cuts the richness of the pork and runny egg yolk. Combine 3 tablespoons premium fish sauce, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 1 finely minced garlic clove, 2 thinly sliced fresh Thai chilies, and a tiny pinch of sugar. Let it sit for 5 minutes before drizzling over your plate.
From Cook Thai in America.