Add this paste into three cups of boiling water for two minutes before adding fish sauce and tamarind juice to taste along with thai basil sprigs, lemongrass stalks, lime wedges, or limes…and some salt if desired! Enjoy! Add pasta, sauce, reserved pasta water: Add the pasta and pour the sauce and reserved pasta water on top of it. Continue stir-frying and tossing until everything is coated with the sauce. Add sliced beef, about 1 pound, we used an inexpesive roast beef and sliced it fairly thin. Stir fry for about a minute. cups Thai Holy Basil Leaves (substitute with Thai sweet basil or Italian basil if holy basil is unavailable) – washed and dried Rosa’s Thai restaurant’s dish, which they sometimes call “no idea” – the dish for undecided customers.

The choice of K or G, or -ao or - ow, are all minor issues, but if you ask me, the closest spelling to the Thai pronunciation is gaprao. fresh Red Chilies (Thai Bird’s Eye or any other small hot red chilies), to taste– de-stemmed, roughly chopped However, when compared to Thai basil’s stronger flavor profile and higher oil content—which results in a number of health benefits—sweet basil can pale in comparison. 2 – Lemon BasilThai Holy Basil Leaves: This lovely and unique basil has a peppery flavor and makes this dish incredibly fragrant and tasty! You can try finding it at your local Asian or Thai grocery store in the US. In Asia, it should be available at the Thai stall in your local wet market. But if it’s not easy to find for you, you can substitute with Thai sweet basil or Italian basil instead. They both can usually be found in large supermarkets.

Thai basil originated from Thailand and other countries in Southeast Asia, such as Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and India, and is also called holy basil. In Thailand, it has been used for centuries to flavor dishes including soups and stir-fries, most notably Tom Yum soup which gives it its distinctive taste. Cook the shrimp: Add the shrimp and stir-fry for 1 minute until they start to develop color and are almost cooked. TIP: If you've got leftover basil after making this dish, bookmark my all-purpose Thai basil stir fry sauce recipe as a great way to use it up! How to Make Pad Gaprao Toss through holy basil: Add the holy basil leaves to the wok and toss through to combine for a minute or so. Cook until the basil has wilted and the liquid has mostly cooked off, then switch off the heat. Thai basil presents distinctive purple stems that get more intense in color while it ages while holy basil has only green and hairy stems.

Ingredients you’ll need

Finally, just like all of my Thai recipes, the ingredients listed (and the quantities) are a guide – it’s what I used – but use it loosely as a guide. Thai food is made to taste the way you want it to. Spoon pad kra pao over some jasmine rice, and top with the fried egg. You can then drizzle the prik nam pla on top of the egg. They are popular because each of them has certain distinctive qualities. To get the best from Thai basil and holy basil, you will need to understand those distinctive qualities.

However, sweet basil doesn’t have the vibrant peppery flavor that holy basil has, and so to get this dish to taste the way it tastes in Thailand, you really can’t substitute another type of basil for holy basil. It is an excellent substitute because it has a closer resemblance to holy basil than the other substitutes listed here. When using fresh Thai basil leaves in place of holy basil, add exactly the amount that your recipe requires for holy basil and increase to taste.Can I make this with pork, beef, or seafood? Thinly sliced pork scotch fillet, tenderloin, skinless pork belly, beef sirloin, or flank steak will all work well. You could also use shrimp or other seafood. Skip marinating the pork, beef, or seafood though, and add 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce to the Pad Kee Mao Sauce. You’ll need 250 grams (8-9 ounces) of whichever protein you choose. cups Thai Holy Basil Leaves (substitute with Thai Sweet Basil or Italian Basil if you can’t find holy basil) – washed and dried I use ground meat in this recipe because it's the most classic and the most "street" way you'll find pad kra pao, but you can use thinly sliced pieces of meat instead. Although, I REALLY think it tastes better with ground meat, so give it a go! What else can you use holy basil for?