The Best Thai Recipe You Can Make in a Hurry

The best Thai recipe I make in a hurry requires just five ingredients (not counting pantry staples) and only 20 minutes. And it’s delicious!

I learned to make Kra Prao from my daughter-in-law, who is from Thailand. You just need a few Thai ingredients on hand. It’s really no big deal, with a little forethought. And the reward is a super tasty meal that you can whip up in a hurry.

Try Thai Curry Beef, a quick and easy supper using everyday ingredients.

Here’s how to plan ahead:

• Fish sauce–It’s a staple of many a good cook these days. Invest in a quality brand and refrigerate; it can keep for a couple of years. And try some ways to use fish sauce for non-Asian cooking, from Bon Appétit.
• Thai bird chiles–I buy them at a local farmers’ market and just freeze in a baggie. You can substitute whole dried Thai chiles, which are available online. Or try subbing with dried cayenne pepper or serrano peppers–you’ll have to guess at the amount to use.
• Thai basil–I can buy this variety of basil at our farmers’ market, but in a pinch, I use the more common Italian basil, as I did over the weekend when I brought home a potted basil plant from Trader Joe’s.

Kra Prao (Ground Pork and Basil)

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Thai chiles, seeded and minced
• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 2 cups Thai basil leaves, lightly packed, or Italian basil
• Sunny-side up egg for each serving (optional)
• Hot rice

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and chiles and stir just until fragrant, about 15 seconds.  Do not burn garlic.  Add ground pork, stir and cook until browned, about 2 minutes.  Add sugar and fish sauce and stir, then add basil and cook, stirring, just until basil wilts, about 1 to 2 minutes more.  Serve on hot rice. 

Makes 3 to 4 servings.

For ten years, Sandy was director of a national culinary center for one of the world’s largest public relations agencies, where she supervised the ideation and creation of more than a thousand recipes. She has been a frequent judge of the James Beard Cookbook Awards, most recently in 2020.

Tips:

• Be sure to remove the seeds from the chiles before mincing. The seeds are very hot.
• Italian basil leaves are not as sturdy as Thai basil, so if you use the Italian variety, just add to the hot skillet, stir, and turn off the heat. The leaves will wilt in the residual heat.
• Because the fish sauce is the key seasoning, be sure to use a good brand. If you’ve never used fish sauce before, you might try using less and tasting first, before determining if you want to add the whole amount called for in this recipe.

Notes:

This is a very versatile dish with some excellent variations.

• Top each serving with a sunny-side up egg; break the yolk when you start eating and let it drizzle over the Kra Prao.
• Add sliced onion when you stir-fry.  It’s not authentic, but it adds sweetness.
• Add green onions,  cut in 2-inch lengths, for color.
• Everyone has their own tolerance for heat; I think the heat level from the chiles is moderate, but if you like milder dishes, you could start with just one chile.
• Instead of ground pork, you can use shrimp, clams, ground beef, ground chicken or turkey, or even drained, good-quality canned tuna, according to my daughter-in-law.

.

Don’t forget to sign up for my email newsletter! Every Wednesday, I’ll give you a new idea for an activity or insight to nurture the little ones in your life. Come visit!