Any ardent fan of Asian cuisine would know that it involves a variety of vegetables and sauces. Certain veggies and cooking methods are intrinsic to certain cuisines. For instance, basil is a widely-used leaf in Thai cooking. Pad thai noodles to tom yum soup and the Thai leaf salad are some of the popular dishes from the country, but there’s another less-talked about dish called Pad Krapow.
It literally translates to stir-fried holy basil. The locally-sourced basil is commonly found in the region and the stir fried. This is not all. The dish is complete when shredded chicken comes into play and it is then called Pad Krapow Gai. The stir-fried basil chicken dish is usually paired with jasmine rice and topped with a runny egg yolk. This wholesome dish also has a salad on the side which makes it perfect for lunch.
A mélange of sweet, spicy and salty flavours, the Pad Krapow Gai is a clear reflection of the nuances of Thai fare, especially with the shredded or ground meat that is added to it. With so many curries adoring the Thai palette, this one definitely stands out and here’s a recipe for you to try it at home.
Ingredients:
• 250 gms boneless and ground chicken
• ½ cup chicken broth
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp white sugar
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 cup fresh holy basil leaves
• 2 tbsps thai chillies
Method:
• Begin by adding oil to a skillet and cooking the boneless chicken in it.
• Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by whisking together brown sugar, white sugar, chicken broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and fish sauce.
• Add some garlic cloves and holy basil leaves to the chicken once it is cooked.
• Throw in the thai chillies and toss it all together.
• Next, add the prepared sauce slowly. Let it caramelise.
• Start scraping and cook it well.
• Coat the chicken in the saw and cook for a few minutes.
• Take it off the stove and serve on the side with jasmine rice.
• Top with a runny egg yolk and cucumber salad.
