Thailand’s everyday lunch dish: minced pork stir-fried hard and fast with garlic, chili, and holy basil, served over rice with a fried egg. The dish lives or dies on two things: real holy basil (not sweet Thai basil) and heat high enough to sear the pork rather than steam it.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil, divided
- 5 cloves garlic
- 3–4 Thai bird’s eye chilies, to taste
- 300 g ground pork
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (for colour)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup (about 30 g) holy basil leaves, picked from the stem
- 2 eggs
- Steamed jasmine rice, to serve
Method
Pound the garlic and chilies to a rough, chunky paste with a mortar and pestle. A knife works if you don’t have one. A blender doesn’t: it purées instead of crushing and loses the texture.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok over high heat. Add the paste and stir-fry until fragrant, 20–30 seconds. Don’t let the garlic brown.
Add the pork. Break it up with the spatula and stir-fry over high heat until nearly cooked through, 2–3 minutes.
Add oyster sauce, light soy, dark soy, and sugar. Stir-fry until the pork is fully cooked and the sauce coats it evenly, about 1 minute. Taste and adjust.
Turn off the heat. Add the basil and stir just until wilted, about 10–15 seconds. Don’t leave it on the heat longer than that.
Fry the eggs in the remaining oil over medium-high heat, spooning hot oil over the whites until set, keeping the yolk runny.
Serve the pork over rice, topped with a fried egg.
Notes
- Holy basil (bai kra pao) is not optional for the real flavour: peppery, almost clove-like. Thai sweet basil (horapa) is a common substitute but tastes anise-like and changes the dish.
- High heat matters more than any single ingredient ratio. If your stove runs cool, cook in two batches rather than crowding the wok.
- Traditional side: prik nam pla (fish sauce with sliced chili and lime).