Pad Gra Pao (Thai Stir-fried pork with basil)

Pad Gra Pao ready to eat!

Pad Gra Pao is a delicious Thai pork stir-fry featuring salty, sweet, and spicy notes that is a regular in our weeknight meal rotation. Erin introduced Mark to this dish a few years ago, having become a fan of it herself during her time in Thailand and Southeast Asia. When we visited Thailand a couple summers ago, I (Mark) had the chance to try the dish from a local vendor and was shocked by how similar the version we make at home was to the version we had in Thailand. The main difference between our version and what we enjoyed in Thailand is the spice level: we use fewer chili peppers.

The recipe we use originally comes from Leela at SheSimmers. The main difference in our version is that we typically use only regular soy sauce and use fewer Thai chili peppers. Regardless, it is still delicious. Every time we make this dish it turns out slightly different depending on the spiciness of the chile peppers, the amount of garlic or shallot we use, or the exact mixture of sauce ingredients. However, it never disappoints and this stir-fry is a staple in our weeknight diets.

Ingredients

The aromatics - garlic, shallot, Thai chile pepper, and Thai basil

The sauce - oyster, soy, and fish sauces

• 1 pound ground pork
• 5-7 garlic cloves
• 2-3 Thai chili peppers
• 1 large shallot
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce
• 2-3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 cup Thai basil leaves, packed
• Thai Jasmine Rice for serving
• Fried egg for serving

Directions

Minced aromatics ready for sautéing

1. Finely chop or mince garlic, chili peppers, and shallot together. If you have a mortar and pestle, pound these ingredients together into a coarse paste.
   
   

   

   Sautéing the aromatics

   
   
   
2. Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, then add garlic, chili peppers, and shallot mixture. Fry until fragrant.
   
   

   

   Stir-frying the pork with the aromatics

   
   
   
3. Add meat to pan and break it up into small pieces as it cooks.
4. When the meat is nearly cooked, add remaining ingredients (except basil), and stir well to incorporate.
   
   

   

   Adding Thai basil to the stir-fry

   
   
5. Once meat is cooked through, add basil leaves and stir a few times, then remove pan from heat and continue to stir basil in until it wilts from the residual heat.
6. Serve over Thai Jasmine rice and then top with Thai-style crispy fried egg.

Notes

• Feel free to substitute ground beef or chicken for the pork for a variation on the dish. I don't think we have ever tried, but tofu crumbles might also work for a vegetarian (protein-wise) variation.
• The soy sauce can entirely regular soy sauce or a combination of thin/light soy sauce and dark sweet soy sauce in 2:1 ratio.
• The Thai-style crispy fried egg can be replaced with a sunny-side-up or over-easy egg.

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Salsa Verde (Cooked Tomatillo Salsa with Cilantro and Jalapeno)

Salsa Verde

Salsa Verde is a classic Mexican salsa made from cooked green tomatillos. It is absolutely delicious on Carnitas or as a dipping salsa for tortilla chips (in addition to being great on many other Mexican dishes). This recipe comes courtesy of Deborah Schneider and her book Salsas and Moles, which has proven to be an indispensable guide for our Mexican and Mexican-inspired cooking.

Salsa Verde's main ingredient is the green tomatillo. Similar in a way to the tomato, in that it looks like a small to medium green tomato on the outside and has seeds inside, the tomatillo is quite different than a tomato. Tomatillos may also be purple-green in color, but as far as I know this is only a visual variation that has no impact on flavor. A tomatillo typically comes with a husk surrounding the fruit, which is removed before washing the fruit. You may notice a sticky residue on the tomatillo after removing the husk (this is normal), but it will disappear with a little running water. Tomatillos have a tart-sweet flavor that is complemented nicely by the onion, jalapeno, and cilantro in the recipe.

Tomatillos (with and without husks) - including a cool purple-green one!

Ingredients

• 10-12 medium tomatillos, husked and washed
• 1 clove of garlic
• ½ white onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 large jalapeno or serrano chile, stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 10 sprigs cilantro (tough stems removed, tender stems included)
• (optional) ½ of a lime

Directions

1. Place tomatillos, garlic, onion, jalapeno, and salt in a saucepan (2 ½ to 3 ½ quart). Add just enough water to barely cover the tomatillos then bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Boil until tomatillos are tender and the tip of a knife can be inserted, about 5 minutes. Do not overcook. You want tender, not mushy.
   
   

   

   Ingredients in the pot with water

   
   
   

   

   Cooked tomatillo mix ready for blending

   
   
   
3. Drain off the cooking water and transfer the contents of the saucepan to a blender. Add the cilantro leaves then pulse the mixture until smooth. Specks of cilantro and some tomatillo seeds will still be visible after pulsing.
4. Add a squeeze of lime (start with a little, and increase as desired, but don't add too much!) and taste to adjust seasoning. You want to primarily taste the tomatillo with a bit of added sweetness, heat, herb, and acid from the remaining ingredients.
5. Enjoy with chips or try it out on top of some freshly made carnitas!

Notes

• If using table salt, use ½ tsp, then add more at the end if needed.
• Add another clove of garlic if you are a garlic lover.
• Serrano peppers are typically spicier than jalapeno peppers. If you enjoy spicy salsas, use a serrano. If you like milder salsas, feel free to remove the seeds from the chile pepper before using.
• You can use a food processor or even an immersion blender instead of a regular blender. I have found that a blender makes the best salsa, though, so use one if you can.

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