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Gapao Rice (Thai Basil Chicken)
Serves 2 · About 20 min
A Thai dish: ground chicken and vegetables stir-fried with fish sauce and oyster sauce, with the smell of basil. Served on rice with a fried egg on top.
⚠️ The egg in this dish is softA soft yolk or runny surface means the egg isn’t fully cooked. For young children, older people and anyone who is unwell, cook the egg until the yolk is firm, as shown in the steps.
① Cut the ingredients→② Fry the eggs→③ Stir-fry the ground meat→④ Season and add the basil→⑤ Arrange on the rice
What to buy
Meat
Vegetables
Eggs
Seasonings
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How to make it
1
Cut the ingredients
- Take the seeds and stems out of the onion, green pepper and red bell pepper, then cut into 1 cm cubes
- Pick just the leaves off the basil stems. Tear big leaves in half by hand
- In a small dish, mix 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tbsp water (the sauce mix)
How to tell it's doneThe vegetables are cut to about the same size, and the sauce mix is ready.
Be carefulWhen using a knife, curl the fingertips of the hand holding the food inward (cat's paw).
2
Fry the eggs
- Put 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan and heat over medium heat
- Crack each egg into a small dish first, then gently slide it in
- Fry while spooning the oil over the whites (the edges get crispy and brown)
- Take out with a spatula and set aside on a plate
How to tell it's doneThe edges are brown and crispy, and all of the white is set and white. The yolk can be soft and runny.
Be carefulThere is a lot of oil, so it pops and splatters when you add the egg. Keep your face away and slide the egg gently from the dish down the side of the pan. If you are scared of splatters, hold the lid like a shield.
Be carefulFor small children or people who are not feeling well, once the white is set, turn to low heat, put the lid on and cook 2–3 minutes until the yolk is firm too (it does not run when you break it).
3
Stir-fry the ground meat
- If there is still oil in the pan from step 2, use it as is (if there is almost none, add 1 tsp vegetable oil)
- Turn to low heat, add 1 tsp garlic and the sliced chili, and stir for 30 seconds until it smells good
- Turn to medium heat, add the ground meat, and stir-fry, pressing and breaking it apart with a spatula
- When all the meat has turned white, add the onion and stir-fry 1 minute
How to tell it's doneNo pink is left anywhere in the ground meat, and it is whitish brown all over. The edges of the onion are a little see-through.
Be carefulWash your hands, knife and cutting board with dish soap after touching raw meat, before cutting vegetables.
Be carefulGarlic burns fast and turns bitter on high heat. Add the meat as soon as it smells good on low heat.
4
Season and add the basil
- Add the green pepper and red bell pepper and stir-fry 1 minute
- Pour in the sauce mix and stir-fry, mixing, until almost no liquid is left
- Turn off the heat, then add the basil and mix quickly
- Taste it. If it is too salty, use a little less fish sauce next time
How to tell it's doneThe sauce coats everything, brown and shiny, and there is almost no liquid on the bottom of the pan. The basil is a little soft.
Be carefulIf you add basil with the heat on, it turns black fast and loses its smell. Add it after turning off the heat.
5
Arrange on the rice
- Put warm rice on plates, with half of the step 4 mix next to it on each
- Put a fried egg from step 2 on the rice
- Break the yolk and eat, mixing it with the meat and rice
ReadyA fried egg on the rice, and ground meat with basil next to it.
📚 Learn more about this dish
🥬 Ingredient guide
🔪 Cutting & cooking tips
If it didn't work out
WateryYou stir-fried too long after adding the vegetables, or the sauce mix had too much water. For now, cook it on medium-high heat for 1 minute to boil off the liquid. Next time, go to the sauce mix 1 minute after adding the vegetables.
Too saltyFish sauce is very salty. Eat it with more rice. Next time, use 2 tsp fish sauce, taste, then add more.
The ground meat is dryCooked too long. Once the pink is gone, it is already cooked. Next time, turn off the heat as soon as the liquid is gone.
The basil turned black and has no smellYou added it with the heat on and cooked it too long. Next time, add it after turning off the heat and just mix quickly.
Too spicyToo much sliced chili. Breaking the fried egg yolk and mixing it in makes it a little milder. Next time, use half the chili or leave it out.
The oil splattered a lot when frying the eggYou dropped the egg from high up, or cracked it straight into the pan. Next time, crack it into a small dish and slide it in low from the side of the pan.
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