Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Krapow Gai)

Recipe courtesy of my fellow ABC mom friend Hilda, who says this is a rough recipe because she doesn’t really use measurements when she makes this dish. She took some friends and me to this Thai restaurant in LA called Sanamluang Cafe after a summer hike in the Hollywood Hills and I have not forgotten how delicious the food was. My hard-to-impress husband and kids even enjoyed it when I returned here before going to Griffith Observatory over the summer. Mouth is watering. Enjoy.

Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Krapow Gai)

peggy Recipe courtesy of my fellow ABC mom friend Hilda, who says this is a rough recipe because she doesn’t really use measurements when she makes this dish. She took some… Entreés Pad Krapow Gai, dinner, ground chicken, basil, fish sauce Thai Print This

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes 15 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.3/5

( 3 voted )

Ingredients

• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 onion, sliced width-wise
• 20-30 Thai basil leaves
• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1/2 tsp brown or white sugar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• Thai chili power to taste

Instructions

1. Saute veggies until a little limp. Set aside.
2. Heat oil and add minced garlic and sweat briefly.
3. Add ground meat and break it up.
4. Once it is almost done cooking, add dark soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar.
5. Add all the veggies and mix.
6. Add a little oyster sauce and chili powder.
7. Check for taste. I usually like mine to have more fish sauce flavor so sometimes I will add more of that. When it has the flavor and spice that you like, you can turn off the heat and mix the basil leaves in and let the heat wilt the leaves.
8. Serve on top of rice. 

Can I omit the peppers?

I love lots of veggies, but I’ve omitted them before when I’m cooking just for my kids or when I don’t have peppers on hand. In these cases I’ve added more sliced onions and it still tastes good, but obviously is missing that peppery taste. Red peppers especially have a lighter pepper taste and sweetness that I think really complements the dish and gives it beautiful color with the green basil.

Can I substitute regular or dried basil for the Thai basil?

Regular basil is ok too, but Thai basil has a stronger flavor which is better for the dish. I’ve also used regular old dried basil. It doesn’t have that same strong fresh flavor but it’ll do. I wouldn’t substitute other herbs, however. It would completely change the dish’s flavor. If you had to, I have never tried making it with fresh cilantro instead of basil – that is probably the only flavor that I think would still do well but again, give it a completely different flavor.

Can I substitute ground chicken for another ground meat?

I really like the lightness of chicken but I think pork would probably work. I buy ground turkey at Costco and find that it is also a fine substitute.

Can I substitute something else for the Thai chili powder?

Any other chili powder will change the taste dramatically. I don’t know enough about chilis, but I know that Chinese chili powder doesn’t taste the same. Not sure about Korean or Italian red chili flakes. I also notice that when I add more chili powder, it makes the dish taste saltier. So if I know I will be using chili powder, I usually stay at about 1 tbsp of fish sauce. If I don’t use any chili powder, I put more fish sauce in, but not more than 2 tbsp.

Should I use brown or white sugar?

Brown sugar tends to give the flavor a bit more depth because of its caramelized taste. I also feel like it thickens the sauce a bit more. In a hurry? Just use white.

I’m avoiding carbs. What can I serve this with other than rice?

Rice is standard – my kids love it with the jasmine rice. But being low carb, I like putting it in romaine lettuce leaves. I’ve heard of others using riced cauliflower. It is quite a salty dish so it definitely needs something more plain.

Enjoy!