Thai-style stir-fried ground pork with basil (Pad bai horapa or pad ka-prao) from The Wok - Recipes and Techniques (page 112) by J. Kenji López-Alt

  • basil
  • shallots
  • Show all ingredients...

  • EYB Comments

    Can substitute ground chicken, ground beef, or firm tofu for ground pork.

Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Accompaniments: Extra-crispy fried eggs

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

  • Eat Your Books

    Can substitute ground chicken, ground beef, or firm tofu for ground pork.

  • nicco_5akp7q on April 21, 2026

    I make this at least once a week for my girlfriend and I. She requests it more often than that. The Thai basil is the only part I never really have on hand so I have to remember to pick up some with each pound of pork I get. Otherwise it’s super easy to make and soooo comforting. My only note, is to do one pound of pork at a time (depending on how big your wok is). Adding too much pork and overcrowding your pan makes things take so long. Rookie mistake, I know, but I enjoy it so much I end up making a ton at a time lol.

  • jess_6pw7pb on March 08, 2026

    Added a splash of lime juice and topped with chili crunch/sesame seeds

  • Fyretigger on August 31, 2025

    I had a larger amount of meat than called for and I made the mistake of not increasing the seasonings in kind. I was able to correct this after cooking by adding more oyster sauce. The basil flavor intensified in the leftovers, which I enjoyed.

  • ebalk02 on August 25, 2023

    A pretty good rendition, and nice with some lime and nam prik pla.

  • twoyolks on December 17, 2022

    This was pretty squarely in the pretty good category. There felt like an ingredient, like lime juice, was missing in the finished dish.

  • Stephenn31 on October 13, 2022

    Made with cabbage I had in the fridge instead of the green beans and it turned out well. I added heat after with sambal olek

  • Ishie1013 on August 16, 2022

    OMG this was simply amazing without a lot of ingredients. I ground the pork myself since the market was out and then used the crispy egg recipe along with some chili crisp to top it, delicious. And came together quickly.

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