Pad Krapow Gai (ผัดกะเพราไก่)
Bangkok's ultimate hawker-stall street food — minced chicken stir-fried hot and fast with garlic, bird's eye chillies, fish sauce, and a fistful of holy basil, crowned with a crisp-edged fried egg.
Cuisine: Thai (Bangkok) · Style: Dry · Protein: Chicken · Total time: · Difficulty: easy · Servings: 2 · Spice: 4/5
Ingredients
- 400g chicken mince (or finely chopped thigh)
- 6 garlic cloves
- 4-6 bird's eye chillies (Thai chillies)
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1.5 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)
- 2 cups holy basil leaves (Thai basil if you can find it)
- 2 eggs
- Steamed jasmine rice to serve
Steps
- Pound or pulse the garlic and chillies into a coarse paste using a mortar or food processor.
- Heat oil in a wok over the highest heat. Add the garlic-chilli paste and stir for 15 seconds until aromatic.
- Tip in the chicken mince. Break it up with the spatula and stir-fry for 2 minutes until it loses its raw colour.
- Add oyster sauce, both soy sauces, fish sauce, and palm sugar. Toss for 1 minute — the chicken should glaze.
- Switch off the heat and fold in the basil leaves; they should wilt from residual heat, not cook.
- In a separate pan, fry the eggs in hot oil so the edges go crispy and lacy while the yolk stays runny.
- Pile the chicken over rice, slide a fried egg on top, and serve with extra fish sauce on the side.