Awesome Thai Food

Thai people have known holy basil for a long time. Holy basil is a plant that is used as both a food and a medicine, however because holy basil has strong pungent scent and spicy taste Thai people will not like eat it directly like they do other kinds of vegetables. However, it is popular to use as an ingredient for flavor and scent in various Thai recipes.

When most Thai people think about holy basil, they often think of the popular dishes made from it. And the most popular is “Pad Ga-prow (Stir fried holy basil), either with pork, chicken or beef”, which is included in the list of most popular Thai foods. And many people remember and be familiar with the acrid smell of the stir fried holy basil that spreads throughout the restaurant and the surrounding area and that causes sneezing sounds assuredly.

Many people say “Pad Ga-prow” either with pork, chicken or beef could be the national dish of Thailand. And many people probably agree with this idea. Because Pad Ga-prow is a popular dish that Thai people order to eat frequently. It actually can be found to eat pretty much anywhere you live in Thailand. And because the spicy delicious taste of Pad Ga-prow is unique in its own it is considered something of a treat. The simple dish of Pad Ga-prow is one food that is not simple anymore.

From my own experience and also from my friends who live abroad the holy basil is really rare and expensive. So when anyone who lives abroad has that moment of time that they crave for and want to make Pad Ga-prow but can’t find holy basil anywhere they must find something else to put in instead of holy basil. Some people use sweet basil to put in instead of holy basil (even though the taste is not the same at all). Or some of them use the ingredients to make it smell like “the aroma smell from the holy basil” to put in, as we say “better than nothing”. So for those reasons holy basil can be considered as a trifle of Thai people in Thailand, but a big issue for Thai people abroad. And today we have a recipe “Khao Pad Ga-prow – stir fried rice with holy basil” to present.

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked rice
• 200 grams (7 ounces) coarsely chopped pork (can also use chopped chicken or chopped beef to do instead)
• 2-3 pods long yard beans (can add other kinds of vegetables such as carrots and baby corn, etc.)
• 10-15 fresh Phrik Khee Nuu chili, stem off (less or more as needed, depends on your preference)
• 3 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 handful fresh basil leaves
• 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp seasoning sauce
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• ½ tsp sugar
• 3 Tbsp water
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium cucumber (washed, peeled and sliced oblique-wise into pieces ; used as a vegetable side dish)

How to do…

1.Rinse the holy basil and long yard beans with water thoroughly. Pluck the holy basil leaves and set them aside to use. For the long yard beans, cut into short pieces approximately 1 centimeter (if using carrots and baby corn too, chop carrot into dice and chop baby corn into small pieces).

2. Pound the fresh Phrik Khee Nuu (Thai fresh chili) and garlic together until roughly fine. Set aside.

3.Add the oil into the saucepan and place on the medium heat until hot. Add pounded chili and garlic to fry until fragrant. Then add chopped pork. Fry and crush the pork so it won’t stick together. Add a little bit of water. Season with oyster sauce, soy sauce, seasoning sauce, fish sauce and sugar, and stir them up. Then add the long yard beans into it (if putting carrots and baby corn too should add them now). Stir them together. Taste and may season more as you like. (But the flavor should be strong because will add the rice into it a little later), fry for another 2 minutes.

4. Add in the rice. And accelerate the heat to high heat. Then follow by adding holy basil leaves into the pan. Fry and mix well together until dry. Turn off the heat and lift the pan down.

5. Scoop Khao Pad Ga-prow onto the serving dish. Put the sliced cucumber next to it. Ready to eat immediately.

Note
If anyone likes to have their Pad Ga-prow on top of rice then skip the step of putting rice into mix with it, and that will be delicious in another form too. In general, Khao Pad Ga-prow is usually served with fried egg and chili fish sauce. The sauce is made of fish sauce, lime juice, slight bit of soy sauce, and finely chopped fresh Phrik Khee Nuu mixed well together (the mixing ratio depends on your preference). Then you will get the chili fish sauce that will make your Khao Pad Ga-prow even more flavorful and delicious.