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Thailand, Asia · Pad Kra Pao with Fried Egg

Kra Pao Garlic-Butter Spaghetti

A Thai café favourite: garlic and bird's eye chili warmed in olive oil, tossed with minced pork, oyster sauce and spaghetti, then finished with butter and holy basil.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time26 min
DifficultyEasy

Method

  1. Thinly slice the garlic, slice the chilies into rings and halve the cherry tomatoes. Mix the oyster sauce, fish sauce and sugar in a small bowl.

    Add in this stepGarlic (cloves) 5Thai bird's eye chilies 2Cherry tomatoes 8Oyster sauce 1 tbspFish sauce 1 tspSugar ½ tsp

  2. Fill a 20 cm pot with the water and bring it to the boil over high heat, about . Once it is boiling hard, add the salt and spaghetti and cook over medium-high heat for , 1–2 minutes less than the packet says so it still has a little bite. Before draining, scoop out a mug of the pasta water.

    Add in this stepWater (for the pasta) 2½ LSalt (for the pasta water) 1½ tspSpaghetti 200 g

    high heat→medium-high heat

  3. While the pasta cooks, put the olive oil, garlic and chilies in a 26 cm frying pan and warm gently over medium-low heat for . As soon as the garlic turns pale gold, move on.

    Add in this stepExtra virgin olive oil 1½ tbsp

    medium-low heat

  4. Add the minced pork and stir-fry over high heat for , breaking it up. Add the cherry tomatoes for the last minute until their skins just split. The pork is done when no pink remains and it is lightly browned.

    Add in this stepMinced pork 200 g

    high heat

  5. Add the sauce mix, the drained spaghetti and the reserved pasta water, and toss with tongs over medium-high heat for . It is ready when the sauce coats the noodles glossily and only a little liquid is left in the pan.

    Add in this stepPasta cooking water 100 ml

    medium-high heat

  6. Turn off the heat (heat off), add the butter and basil and toss quickly until the butter melts into a creamy sauce. If it looks dry, add pasta water a tablespoon at a time. Serve straight away.

    Add in this stepUnsalted butter 15 gHoly basil (or Thai basil) 20 g

    heat off

Cook's tip

Oyster sauce and fish sauce are salty, so the pasta water gets less salt than usual. Always add the butter off the heat, or it splits into grease instead of a smooth sauce. For a milder dish, remove the chili seeds.

Cooking it at camp

With two burners, cook the pasta and sauce at the same time; with one, cook the pasta first, toss it with a little olive oil and add it to the sauce later. Be sure to keep a mug of the cooking water.