Pad Krapow Gai Recipe

As with his irreverent needlework, artist Richard Saja is self-taught when it comes to making the fiery Thai food he likes for lunch in the studio. For a break in the photo shoot for our profile on him, Saja prepared pad krapow gai, spicy chicken with holy basil and chilis, best enjoyed with a cold beer. It took him six years to perfect the recipe. The secret: cook the three elements separately. 

What is Pad Krapow Gai?

Pad Krapow Gai, a popular Thai dish, is a flavorful and aromatic stir-fry made with chicken (gai) and Thai basil (krapow). “Pad” means stir-fried in Thai, while “krapow” refers to Thai basil, a key ingredient in the recipe. The unique taste of Pad Krapow Gai comes from the fresh, peppery kick of Thai basil. The basil is stir-fried quickly to preserve its vibrant flavor, infusing the dish with its aromatic essence. The combination of chilies, garlic, and the savory sauce brings a satisfying depth of flavor. It’s both rich and spicy, perfect for keeping the inspiration going on a long day in the studio. If you so choose, you can also substitute out chicken for tofu to make the dish vegetarian.

Pad Kaprow Gai Recipe

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• Author: Richard Saja

Print Recipe

Description

Designer Richard Saja shares his favorite lunch recipe while he’s hard at work.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the rice: 

• 1 cup white jasmine rice (broken preferred)
• 2 cups coconut milk

For the stir-fry:

• 3 glugs olive oil
• 2 tsp Maldon sea salt
• 1/2 lb mushrooms (shiitake mushrooms preferred because they stand up to a stir-fry)
• 2 large or 3 small shallots, roughly chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 20 to 25 small red bird’s eye chili peppers, stems removed
• 1 tbsp crushed red chili flakes (Richard’s favorite variety comes from El Potrero Trading Post in Chimayo, NM)
• 1 bunch Thai purple basil leaves

For the chicken:

• 1 glug olive oil
• 2 lb ground chicken
• 4 tbsp fish sauce (I like Red Boat or Pufina Patis)
• 3 tbsp coconut sugar syrup (substitute the same amount of any kind of brown sugar if necessary)

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Instructions

For the rice:

1. Put rice and milk in a pot and cook until all liquid is absorbed.
2. Jasmine rice cooks quickly, especially the broken variety, so set aside covered and fluff with a fork before serving.

For the stir fry:

1. In a large pot or wok add 2 glugs of olive oil, sea salt, and mushrooms and sauté on medium flame for about 3 to 4 minutes each side, until they’re barely browned around the edges. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl and set aside.
2. Add 1 glug olive oil and on a very low flame cook shallots, garlic, chilies and crushed red chili flakes for 20 to 30 minutes.

For the chicken: 

1. In a separate pot, pour glug of olive oil in a pot and add chicken. Break apart as it cooks down and add fish sauce and sugar and toss together. When meat is cooked through, remove from heat.
2. Using a slotted spoon, add cooked chicken and sautéed mushrooms and basil leaves to shallot-oil mixture. Stir-fry on a high flame until basil leaves have wilted and mixture is heated through.
3. Divide coconut rice between 4 bowls, top with chicken mixture, garnish with basil leaves and serve.

Recipe by Richard Saja
Photography by Tara Donne

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