Thai Basil Pork

To make an authentic Thai basil chicken/pork/beef, you definitely need Thai holy basil (pictured below) which is rare here compared to other types of basil. I started 2017 staying at a hostel in Bugis  – with no access to my kitchen or camera for a week (sobs). But the good thing was, I was walking distance from Thai Supermarket at Golden Mile Complex, and I made sure to buy holy basil before I go home to make this Thai Basil Pork (Pad Kra Pao Gai).

Similar Recipe:

• Thai Basil Chicken Recipe

See Also:

• Claypot Glass Noodles with Prawns Recipe
• Easy Thai Recipes

The unique mild and pleasant medicinal taste  of holy basil is signature in this classic Thai dish. While an equal replacement is impossible, you can substitute holy basil with any type of basil (and along with a bit of mint if you have).

Turn this stir-fry into a one-dish meal with steamed rice, sliced cucumber and fried egg.

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Thai Basil Pork Recipe

Serve this as a side-dish, or a one-dish meal with steamed rice, fried egg and cucumbers.

Watch the video for this recipe here.

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1/4 onion sliced thinly
• 120 grams minced pork (chicken or beef)
  
• 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 3 chilli padi to taste; sliced to small wedges
  
• 2 long bean sliced to 1.5 cm
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 cup loosely packed Thai holy basil leaves
• cornstarch solution dissolve 1 tsp corn starch mix in 2 tbsp water

(A) Sauce

• 3/4 tbsp Thai fish sauce to taste
• 1/4 tsp dark soy sauce
• 100 ml water

To serve as a one-dish meal

• Thai-style fried egg
• cucumber slices
• steamed rice
• sliced chili padi

Directions:

1. Heat oil in wok. Stir fry onions, garlic and chilli briefly until aromatic.
2. Add minced pork. Stir fry pork until half cooked on surface, while constantly breaking the meat to smaller bits with a spatula. Add long beans and stir fry until pork is totally cooked on surface.
3. Add sauce (A) and sugar. Let the sauce bubble briefly, then thicken with cornstarch solution.
4. Add basil and turn off the stove. Stir through while the sauce is bubbly hot, until the basil is just withered.
5. To serve as a one-dish meal, serve with a fried egg, sliced cucumbers, steamed rice and chilli padi.

Ingredients Used: chilli • chilli padi • cornstarch • cucumber • egg • garlic • long bean • onion • pork • soy sauce (dark) • sugar • Thai fish sauce • Thai holy basil