Dish · thai
Pad Kra Pao
Ground pork stir-fried hard and fast with holy basil, chili, and garlic, served over rice with a fried egg, a dish meant to be eaten quickly and cheaply.
Where it comes from
The dish is common across Thai street-food stalls and home kitchens, built around holy basil, which has a peppery bite unlike the sweeter Thai basil used elsewhere, and gets its char from a wok run at very high heat.
What cooks argue about
Cooks argue over the basil: true holy basil, bai kra pao, for its sharp, almost clove-like bite, or Thai basil as a substitute when holy basil isn't available, which changes the flavor considerably.
Nobody has published a pad kra pao recipe yet. The page stays out of search until one exists, which is the rule for every thin page here.