Phat kaphrao

{{Infobox food

| name = Phat kaphrao

| image = Basil fried crispy pork with rice - Chiang Mai - 2017-07-11 (002).jpg

| image_size = 280px

| caption = A plate of phat kaphrao mu krop with rice

| country = Thailand

| region =

| national_cuisine = Thai

| creator =

| course = entree or main

| type = Rice dish

| served = hot

| main_ingredient = {{hlist| rice | Thai holy basil | meat or seafood | garlic | Thai fish sauce | Thai chili | sugar}}

| variations =

| calories =

| other =

}}

Pad kaphrao ({{langx|th|ผัดกะเพรา}}, {{IPA|th|pʰàt kà.pʰrāw|pron}}; {{translation|stir-fried holy basil}}), also spelled pad kaprow, pad kaprao, or pad gaprao, is one of the most popular Thai dishes in Thailand.{{cite web|last1=Thuan|first1=Willy|title=Thuan, W. (n.d.). Top 10 Thai Food - Most Popular Thai Foods|url=http://www.bangkok.com/food-top10.htm}}

History

Phat kaphrao likely gained popularity around 1957, having been adapted from Chinese cuisine. It is thought to be an adaptation of stir-fried beef with cumin leaves.{{Cn|date=June 2025}}

Phat kaphrao was included in cookbooks as early as the late 1970s.{{CN|date=November 2023}} It is prepared using fish sauce and monosodium glutamate only; following the stir-frying of the beef, rice is stir-fried to make fried rice. Asparagus beans, specifically the inner portion, and alcoholic snacks{{Clarify|reason=What is an "alcoholic snack"?|date=June 2025}} are paired with this dish.

Ingredients

File:Kraphao mu khai dao.jpg

Phat kaphrao consists of meat such as pork, chicken, beef, or seafood stir fried with Thai holy basil and garlic. It is served with rice and optionally topped with fried eggs. The main seasonings are soy sauce, Thai fish sauce, oyster sauce (optional), cane sugar, and bird's eye chili.

Over time, phat kaphrao has evolved with the addition of other ingredients such as Chinese century eggs and Thai local vegetables, namely asparagus beans, baby corns, onions, carrots, banana peppers, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and coconut shoots. However, adding vegetables in phat kaphrao is also seen as an effort to reduce the cost of meat and increase profit margins on the part of food vendors.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/25/magazine/a-garlicky-stir-fry-with-basil-leaves-from-bangkok.html|title=A Garlicky Stir-Fry With Basil Leaves From Bangkok|work=The New York Times |date=25 January 2018 |last1=Rao |first1=Tejal }}{{cite web|url=https://pantip.com/topic/33443116|title=Why Phat Kaphrao needs cowpea|date=30 March 2016}}

Common variants may use chicken, pork, minced pork, pork livers, crispy pork belly, beef, minced beef, meatballs, prawns, squid, meat and seafood, seafood, Chinese century eggs, or mushrooms.

Popularity

=Thailand=

Phat kaphrao is inexpensive, easy to prepare, nutritious, and fast to eat. It is generally eaten with rice.{{cite web|title=ตำนาน "ผัดกะเพรา" เฉลยที่มาเมนูสิ้นคิด|date=18 December 2020 |url=https://www.thairath.co.th/scoop/1996665}} Phed Mark is a famous restaurant in Bangkok owned by renowned food vlogger Mark Wiens. It specialises exclusively and serves only Phat Kaphrao.{{cite web |title=Phat Kaprao |url=https://phedmark.com/ |website=Phed Mark |access-date=30 June 2025}}

=Japan=

Phat kaphrao and khao man kai ({{lang|th|ข้าวมันไก่}}) are popular in Japan and is often cooked at home.{{cite web|title='ผัดกระเพรา-ข้าวมันไก่' เมนูฮิตแดนอาทิตย์อุทัย|date=12 May 2017 |url=https://www.bangkokbiznews.com/news/detail/754487}}

=Taiwan=

In Taiwan, the dish is usually made with pork and referred to as 打拋豬 (Dǎ pāo zhū). The usual recipe includes tomatoes.{{cite web|title='ผัดกะเพรามะเขือเทศ' และการเดินทางของกองพล 93|date=19 February 2023 |url=https://www.the101.world/pad-kaprao-with-tomatoes}}

References

Category:National dishes

Category:Street food