If you haven’t realized how to eat Phat Kraphao and relished this fine dish then you are really missing out on one of the best gustatory pleasures in life!!!  This yummy Thai dish when translated simply means "fried with holy basil".
 

 

As the translation suggests the dish consists of meat like pork or chicken stir fried with basil.  If you are in Thailand and want to eat Phat Kraphao then order for Phat Kraphao Mu which is basically holy basil with minced pork or Phat Kraphao Kai which is holy basil with minced chicken.  You can even get holy basil fried with chopped prawns which is called Phat Kraphao Kung. The same dish is called Phat Kraphao Nuea when it uses minced beef, but it isn't ordered quiet often in Thailand.
 
This yummy dish is usually served with a dip called "phrik nam pla" which is a mixture of fish sauce and lime juice with chopped chilies and sliced garlic.
 
The dish can be served with a fried egg, sunny side up. In such cases the dish will have the Thai word “rat khao khai dao” attached to its name.
 
The Phat Kraphao is a great dish to have with Thai Fried Rice or even noodles. Actually the Phat Kraphao Mu is made with rice fried with a certain variety of Thai basil called "bai kraphao" (Ocimum tenuiflorum), sliced pork and chillies.
 
You can also serve the dish with slices of cucumber and tomato, and a stalk of spring onion and can be served for lunch or dinner or even at a party!
 
You can couple this yummy dish with other Thai dishes like fish in dry red curry (chuchi pla), a spicy green papaya salad with dried prawns, tomatoes, yardlong beans and peanuts (som tam thai), a salad of grilled beef, shallots and celery or mint (yam nuea yang), and a non-spicy vegetable soup with tofu and seaweed (tom chuet taohu kap sarai)! Enjoy!!
 
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