Thai Basil with Beef (Pad Kra Pao Nue)
Pad Kra Pao Nue is a Thai stir fry of Beef, Basil, and Thai Chilis. Serve it with a crispy fried egg for an authentic Thai meal.
This is one of my favorite dishes and I love the simplicity of Pad Kra Pao. After several attempts, I perfected my Pad Ka Proa Nue recipe- Thai Basil with Beef. You’ll find this recipe on food carts in Thailand and it’s always very spicy!
My previous post of Thai Basil Chicken is what’s commonly served here in restaurants. It’s still really good with onions, peppers, and veggies, but this version is much simpler and authentic.
Another important note is the difference in Basil (Thai Basil, Holy Basil, and Italian Basil). I used Thai Basil for both basil dishes, which can be found in Asian Markets.
Thai Holy Basil is what the authentic dish calls for since the flavor and aroma is more pungent and spicier. Holy Basil can be found in Asian markets but is rarer.
If Thai basil or Holy basil is unavailable, you can use Italian basil, but the flavor profile will differ.
The step I was missing in my recipe testing was marinating the meat. You don’t have to marinate for long, but it greatly affects the taste.
Combine 1 tablespoon of Oyster Sauce and 1 tablespoon of Golden Mountain Soy Sauce with the beef and let it marinate for a few minutes while you prep the other ingredients.
This is a fast dish, and you need to have everything prepped before cooking. This is a general rule for any stir fry dishes.
Begin by heating a couple of tablespoons of oil in a wok, then add the pounded garlic chili for about 10 seconds and add the marinated ground beef.
Cook until almost done, then add the sauce mixture. Turn off the heat and add the Basil leaves.
Super simple, right? This dish is best served with a crispy fried egg on top and jasmine rice. The runny yolk from the egg helps balance out the spiciness from the basil and peppers.
Thai Basil Beef Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Thai Caliente
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground Beef or Beef Diced into small pieces (I diced my own beef)
- 4 Garlic Cloves
- 1-4 Thai Chili’s adjust to your spice tolerance
- 2 tablespoon Oyster Sauce reserve 1 tablespoon for the marinade
- 2 tablespoon Golden Mountain reserve 1 tablespoon for the marinade
- Large handful of Thai Basil or Holy Basil leaves
- 1 Fried Egg per serving
Instructions
- Marinate Ground Beef with Oyster Sauce and Golden Mountain Soy sauce, set aside and prep remaining ingredients.
- Pound Thai chili’s and garlic in a mortar. If you don’t have one, a food processor will do, or you can finely chop them.
- Wash Basil and remove from stems.
- Heat a wok over medium-high heat and add Oil. Saute chili’s and garlic for about 10 seconds, then add Ground beef mixture and cook until almost done.
- Add remaining oyster sauce and soy sauce, stir well, then turn off the heat and add Thai Basil. If the sauce needs more juice you can add a little water. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- For each serving top with a crispy egg that’s slightly runny and steamed rice.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and depends on ingredients and amounts used. Thai Caliente makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
