Thai basil beef stir-fry (pad kra pao)
Written by Estelle & Alice for The Wok House
The basil goes into the wok last, and I turn off the heat twenty seconds later, as soon as it has wilted. A minute too long and the leaves turn black, taking their fragrance with them. Everything else moves along while the rice cooks. Allow just over half an hour, rice included.
Pad kra pao (phat kaphrao) is an everyday Thai stir-fry, served over rice, often with a fried egg with crispy edges, khai dao. It takes its name from kra pao, holy basil, which is peppery with a hint of clove. Holy basil is hard to find in the UK, and Thai basil, which tastes more of aniseed, makes a good substitute. The simplest versions stick to meat, garlic, chilli and basil; this one adds onion and red pepper. The thing that matters is searing the beef in small amounts in a very hot wok, so that it browns instead of boiling.
Thai basil beef (pad kra pao)
Thinly sliced beef seared in batches over a high heat, then stir-fried with pounded garlic and chilli, onion, red pepper and Thai basil in an oyster and fish sauce, served over jasmine rice.
For 3 or 4 people, use a 32cm wok. The beef goes in 2 batches, in a single layer, and there's still room for the basil at the end.
Ingredients
For the beef
For the sauce
Aromatics and vegetables
To cook and serve
Equipment
- 32cm carbon steel wok
- Wok spatula
- Pestle and mortar, or a chef's knife
- Saucepan with a lid, for the rice
- Kitchen paper, for the eggs
Method
Start the rice
Rinse 300g jasmine rice under cold water until it runs almost clear. Put it in a saucepan with one and a half times its volume of water, bring to the boil, then cover and cook for 12 minutes over a very low heat. Turn off the heat and leave it to swell for 10 minutes without lifting the lid. Get on with the rest in the meantime.
Marinate the beef
Cut 500g beef against the grain into strips 3mm thick and 5cm long. Mix them with 1 ½ tbsp water until it has been absorbed, then with 1 tbsp cornflour and 1 ½ tsp oil: each strip should have a thin, sticky coating. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Make the sauce
In a bowl, mix the oyster sauce, fish sauce, both soy sauces, the sugar and 2 tbsp water until the sugar has dissolved. Put the bowl next to the wok: once the heat is on, everything happens within a few minutes.
Pound the garlic and chilli
Pound 6 garlic cloves and the chillies in the mortar to a coarse paste, with pieces still visible. Without a mortar, chop them finely together with a knife. Slice the onion and the pepper into thin strips, then pick the basil leaves.
Fried eggs (optional)
Heat the wok over a high heat with 4 tbsp oil. When it shimmers, fry the eggs (4 in total), two at a time at most, spooning hot oil over the whites. In 1 to 2 minutes, the edges puff up and brown while the yolk stays runny. Drain them on kitchen paper, then pour the remaining oil into a heatproof bowl.
Sear the beef
Heat the wok over a high heat until it is lightly smoking. Sear the beef in 2 batches: for each batch, add 1 tablespoon of oil, spread the strips out in a single layer and leave them for 1 minute without touching them, then stir-fry for 30 seconds. They should be browned and still pink in places. Set aside on a plate.
Onion, garlic and chilli
Turn the heat down to medium-high and add 1 tbsp oil. Stir-fry the onion for 1 to 2 minutes, until its edges brown. Add the garlic and chilli paste and stir for 20 seconds: it should smell strong without browning. Add the pepper and stir-fry for another 30 seconds; it stays crunchy.
Return the beef and sauce
Turn the heat back up to full. Return the beef and its juices to the wok, then pour the sauce down the side, where it sizzles and reduces straight away. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, until the sauce coats the beef and the bottom of the wok is almost dry.
Add the basil
Add the basil and stir-fry for about 20 seconds, just long enough for it to wilt into the sauce, then turn off the heat.
Serve
Divide the rice between plates, with the beef and its juices alongside. Top the rice with a fried egg if you made them, scatter with coriander and serve straight away: the basil darkens and loses its fragrance as it waits.
Wok tips
- In a 32cm wok, don't sear more than 300g beef at a time. Any more and the strips overlap, the metal cools and the meat releases its water: it turns grey instead of browning. Between batches, wait until the wok is smoking again.
- Pounded garlic burns within seconds in a wok that's too hot, and turns bitter. Turn the heat down before adding it and keep the pepper within reach: it cools the wok and stops the garlic cooking. Switch on the extractor fan, as the chilli fumes catch in your throat.
- On induction or a ceramic hob, use a flat-bottomed wok, which stays in contact with the hob; the Kaikoma, in carbon steel, works on all hobs, induction included. Heat it for 2 minutes at full power before the first batch and stir-fry with the spatula without lifting it. A ceramic hob is slow to heat back up: leave the empty wok on the heat for a minute between batches.
- In a new wok, fried eggs stick. In a well-seasoned wok and in shimmering oil, they come away on their own once the edges have crisped. If one sticks, wait 30 seconds before touching it.
Variations
- No Thai or holy basil: 30g ordinary basil and about ten mint leaves for 4, added off the heat. The flavour moves away from the Thai dish, but the plate stays fresh.
- No oyster sauce: an extra teaspoon of light soy sauce and ½ teaspoon of sugar. No fish sauce: an extra 2 teaspoons of light soy sauce and a pinch of salt; the dish loses a little depth.
- Pork or chicken mince: 500g, no marinade, seared in two batches and broken up with the spatula until browned.
- Vegetarian: 400g firm tofu, patted dry and cut into 1.5cm cubes, seared until browned on two sides. Replace the fish sauce with 2 teaspoons of light soy sauce, and the oyster sauce with a vegetarian mushroom sauce, in the same amount.
Storage
Keeps for two days in the fridge in an airtight container, with the rice kept separately. Reheat for 1 to 2 minutes in the wok over a high heat with a spoonful of water, then add a handful of fresh basil at the end: yesterday's will have turned black. Fried eggs don't keep, so make them just before serving.
The Kaikoma Wok Pan
Uncoated carbon steel, Ø 32cm, all hobs including induction
Frequently asked questions
Thai basil or holy basil: which should I use?
The kra pao that gives the dish its name is holy basil, peppery with a hint of clove. It's mostly sold in Asian supermarkets, fresh or frozen. Thai basil (horapha), which tastes more of aniseed and is easier to find, makes a slightly milder dish.
How do I make pad kra pao less spicy?
Use 1 bird's eye chilli for 4, split open and deseeded, or a long red chilli, which is much milder. Pounded chilli is hotter than sliced. For anyone who wants more heat, put a small bowl of fish sauce with sliced chilli on the table (prik nam pla).
What cut of beef is best for pad kra pao?
Bavette, hanger or rump steak: tender cuts that cook in two minutes once thinly sliced against the grain. Avoid braising cuts like chuck or cheek, which stay tough. Beef mince works too, without the marinade, broken up with the spatula.
What do you serve with pad kra pao?
Jasmine rice, with the cooking juices spooned over, and a fried egg with crispy edges, khai dao. Its runny yolk softens the chilli. A few slices of cucumber on the side freshen up the plate.
