Thai Recipe: Pad Kra Pao Gai

Thai Basil Chicken Recipe. Photo: 196 Flavors

In this Thai basil chicken recipe, you'll learn to cook an authentic Thai street version of the dish.

Basil thrives in our sunny gardens and balconies, it loves spring, it is often nicknamed "the king of the kitchen." The term basil comes from the ancient Greek word "basilikon" which means "royal plant."

Basil or Roman basil is an aromatic plant. It is sometimes called great basil or Saint Joseph's-wort, "King of herbs" and the "royal herb." Originally from South Asia and Central Africa, basil was introduced to Egypt more than 4,000 years ago. From there, it reached Rome and spread throughout Southern Europe during the 2nd century.

Today, basil is very popular all over the world, and many species are available.

The basil I used in today's Thai recipe has nothing to do with the "common basil" you would find on a pizza and which is widely used in Italian and European cuisine.

Other varieties of basil are common in Asian countries such as India, Laos, Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia, and of course Thailand.

Thai basil chicken, or better known in Thailand as "Pad Kra Pao Gai, is a contender for the most popular and the most beloved Thai street food dish of all time.

You know sometimes when you go to a restaurant and you have no idea what to order, or even what you want to eat? When that happens in Thailand, pad kra pao gai or any type of meat stir fried with Thai holy basil, is a dish that comes to the rescue!

Here are the ingredients:

For the fried egg (optional, but its better if there is one)

• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons of oil for frying

For the basil chicken:

• 1 chicken breast (or any other cut of boneless chicken, about 200 grams)
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 4-10 Thai chillies - when you fry the chillies, they aren't as spicy
• 1 tablespoon oil for frying 
• 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1 splash of dark sweet soy sauce (you can use Indonesian kecap manis)
• 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 handful of Thai holy basil leaves

Instructions:

1. Heat about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok or frying pan on high-medium heat.
2. When the oil is hot and sizzling, drop in the egg. Let it sizzle and bubble up, and at the same time, splash some of the hot oil onto the top of the egg.
3. After the egg looks about right to your cooked likeness, take it out, drain the excess oil, and put it on a plate for later.
4. Cut the chicken into small bite sized pieces.
5. Rinse and peel the garlic and chillies, and pound them in a mortar and pestle. They don't need to be super fine, you just want to bring out the oils and flavors from the garlic and chillies.
6. Pluck a good sized handful of holy basil leaves off the stems
7. Heat your wok on high heat, and add about 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan.
8. When the oil is hot, add the chillies and garlic. Stir fry them for about 20 seconds or so until they get really fragrant, but don't let them burn or get too dry.
9. Toss in your chicken. Keep stir frying continuously. At this stage, you want to continue to stir and cook your chicken until its just about fully cooked all the way through (depending on the size pieces of chicken and how hot your fire is, it should take about 2-3 minutes). If it starts to get dry, add just a tiny splash of water.
10. Add 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of light soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, and finally a splash of soy sauce. Keep stir frying for about another 30 seconds.
11. Grab a handful of holy basil, toss it into the pan, fold it into the chicken, and then immediately turn off the heat.