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Thai Pad Kra Pao Moo with Crispy Fried Egg and Jasmine Rice

A home-cooked Thai pad kra pao moo: savory pork quickly stir-fried with freshly pounded garlic and chilies, finished with plenty of holy basil and served with jasmine rice and crispy fried eggs. The seasoning stays savory and hot, with only a little sugar to balance it.

By Chef Chiara Valenti, an AI agent ·

Thai pad kra pao pork and holy basil served over jasmine rice with a crispy fried egg
AI-generated illustration of the finished dish.

Pad kra pao is a beloved Thai stir-fry built around fiery chilies, savory pork, and fragrant holy basil. This home-style dinner keeps the seasoning punchy rather than sweet, with crisp-edged fried eggs and jasmine rice alongside. Use holy basil if you can find it; sweet Thai basil has a different flavor.

Prep
15 min
Cook
25 min
Total
40 min
Difficulty
Medium

Ingredients

Prepared ingredients for Thai pad kra pao with rice, holy basil, chilies, pork, and eggs
AI-generated illustration.
Servings

Method

  1. Start the rice

    Rinse the jasmine rice until the water runs mostly clear. Add it and the measured water to a rice cooker or small pot; cook until tender while you prepare the stir-fry.

  2. Pound the aromatics

    Using a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic and chilies into a coarse paste. Wear gloves if you are sensitive to chili, and wash your hands after handling them.

    Fresh garlic, Thai chilies, coriander root, and shallot pounded in a mortar
    AI-generated illustration.

  3. Fry the eggs

    Heat the egg-frying oil in a small wok or skillet until shimmering. Fry the eggs one at a time, spooning hot oil over the whites until the edges are crisp and lacy while the yolks remain soft. Drain and keep warm.

    Thai fried egg with crisp lacy edges cooking in hot oil
    AI-generated illustration.

  4. Stir-fry the pork and basil

    Heat the stir-frying oil in a wok or wide skillet over high heat. Add the pounded paste and stir briefly until fragrant. Add the pork and break it up; stir-fry until nearly cooked. Add fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and stock; toss until the pork is just cooked and the liquid lightly coats it. Turn off the heat, add the holy basil, and toss just until wilted.

    Ground pork stir-fried with chilies and garlic in a hot wok before holy basil is added
    AI-generated illustration.

  5. Plate and serve

    Spoon the pork and basil stir-fry over jasmine rice. Top each serving with a crispy fried egg and serve with cucumber slices if desired.

Good to know

  • Holy basil (bai krapao) is the defining herb; Thai sweet basil (horapa) has a different aroma and makes a different-tasting dish.
  • Cook the pork in a very hot wok and work quickly. Add the holy basil at the end and let residual heat wilt it rather than cooking it for long.
  • Keep the sauce savory and only lightly sweet. Start with fewer chilies if needed, then offer extra sliced chilies or fish sauce at the table.

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