Fennel & Minced Pork

Fennel, Thai basil & mince stir-fry – PAD KA PRAO –

THAILAND

This is one of those dishes that are really hard to screw up. The ingredients list is short and there are no special skills or precise timings involved. This was my ‘spaghetti bolognese’ in my college days. The traditional dish pad ka prao literally translates as holy basil stir-fry, but the herb can be tricky to get hold of. I use Thai basil, which is much easier to find – in my case, from the pot on my windowsill. Although Thai basil doesn’t taste exactly the same as holy basil, its minty, peppery taste also works wonderfully with the salty and spicy flavours of the dish. Fennel was an extra something I liked to add; it brought out the liquorice notes in the Thai basil, plus it added towards my 5-a-day, making this a perfect speedy, balanced one-dish meal.

Serves 3–4

• 1 small fennel bulb
• 2 tablespoons groundnut oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 200g minced pork or chicken
• 4–6 bird’s-eye chillies, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• a big pinch of unrefined brown cane sugar, to taste
• a big bunch of fresh Thai basil, leaves only

To serve

• plain steamed rice
• 1 fried egg per person

1. Halve the fennel lengthwise, then slice thinly.
2. Pour the oil into a smoking hot wok. Add the garlic and fennel and stir-fry until the garlic is fragrant and the fennel has softened and is lightly browned.
3. Add the minced pork or chicken, using your spatula to break the meat into small lumps. Keep stirring and frying until the meat is just cooked. Toss in the chillies, fish sauce, oyster sauce and sugar, stirring well to combine. Add a little splash of water – just enough to form a sauce – and bring to a simmer for a minute.
4. Remove the wok from the heat and add the Thai basil leaves. Gently fold them into the meat, until they wilt from the residual heat in the wok.
5. Serve immediately over plain steamed rice, and top with a crispy fried egg.