Recipes

Stir-fried Red Chili Curry with Crispy Pork Belly

Pad Prik Kaeng Moo Grob

Crispy pork belly and mixed vegetables stir-fried in toasted red curry paste with basil

Prep

5 min

Cook

5 min

Serves

4

Heat

hot

This dish leans on a more complex red curry paste than most quick stir-fries, one built with toasted coriander seed, cumin, and white peppercorn rather than the fresher, simpler chili pastes used elsewhere. That extra complexity is why the basil choice matters so much here: Thai sweet basil's anise-like flavor complements the toasted spices, while holy basil's minty edge would clash. Crispy pork belly, already cooked, only needs to warm through and pick up the sauce, and a colorful mix of vegetables — carrot, cauliflower, baby corn, yardlong beans — rounds the dish out into something as visually vibrant as it is spicy.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Crispy deep-fried pork belly (moo grob) (sliced)
• 8 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (Prik Gaeng Ped)
• 4 cups Thai sweet basil (leaves and flower tops)
• 1 cup Yardlong beans (cut into pieces)
• 14 slivers Carrot (cut into slivers)
• 6 Baby corns
• 10 small pieces Cauliflower (cut into small pieces)
• 4 tablespoons White cane sugar
• 8 teaspoons Oyster sauce
• 6 teaspoons Light soy sauce

Directions

1. Have your crispy pork belly ready and sliced (it needs to be made well ahead and fully cooled). Pick the basil leaves and cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces.
2. Heat oil in a wok until very hot. Stir in the red curry paste and let it cook briefly until it starts to color the oil — it will look a little separated at first, but smooths out as other ingredients go in.
3. Add the vegetables and stir until well coated with the chili paste and oil.
4. Add the light soy sauce and pork belly. Cook for a few seconds, stirring constantly, then add the sugar and stir until fully melted.
5. Add the oyster sauce and keep stirring — the mixture will start to dry and thicken as the sauce and chili blend together.
6. Add a splash of water and stir well. Cook for a few seconds until it forms a smooth, red-brown sauce.
7. Add the basil and stir quickly to coat it evenly in the sauce. Let it cook just long enough to wilt, no more than a few seconds. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
8. Serve with steamed jasmine rice, or on a shared plate as part of a family meal. The dish has plenty of color on its own, though a few basil tops make a nice garnish.

Notes

Use Thai sweet basil here, not holy basil — holy basil's minty flavor clashes with this particular curry paste's toasted spice profile, while sweet basil's anise notes complement it.

Substitutions

A good packaged red curry paste (Prik Gaeng Ped) works fine if you don't have homemade on hand — just be sure it's the type with toasted whole spices, not a milder basic red curry paste.