Last Updated on April 16, 2024
Vegan Thai Basil Stir Fry (Pad Kra Pao) is one of the most popular Thai street food, Spicy, Tangy with the intense aroma of Thai basil and lime. So appetizing! Best meal for lunch or dinner in a hot summer!!
What’s Pad Kra Pao?
Pad Kra Pao, one of the most popular Thai dishes, in English, means ” Thai Holy Basil stir-fry.” Also known as Phat Kaphroa, Pad Krapow, Kaprao, and Thai Holy Basil Stir-Fry.
No matter how you spell it, they all point to this same delicious, aromatic stir-fry dish. Here is another well-known Thai Stir-fry, check it out here Vegan Pad See Ew (Thai Stir-Fry Rice Noodles)
This dish goes perfectly with Easy coconut rice
Super Tasty Thai Street Food, whip up in 20 minutes!
Don’t feel intimidated, this Thai stir fry vegetables might look a bit “complicated.” But trust me, It’s incredibly quick and easy to cook – I usually knock this one up in around 20 minutes! Just let me show you how to cook step by step…
Ingredients for Vegan Thai Basil Stir Fry
This dish traditionally uses Holy basil, due to where I live, it’s very hard to find holy basil. So instead, I use Thai basil, which is more common to find in western countries. Thai basil is not as spicy as Holy basil, which is good for people who are not quite good with spicy food. (Like my hubby)
Traditionally, there are no vegetables in this dish, but I found out it’s surprisingly good with tomatoes in it. Some people put long beans( snake beans,) snow peas even broccoli. Well, there is no right or wrong as long as you like it. Hey, It’s home cooking…alright?
Red chilis are essential for this dish, skipping red chilis is kinda non-negotiable. If you like it hot, you can go for Birdseye chili. If you’re not very good at hot food, put half of Red Cayenne chili won’t hurt you.
You can check this article see my recommended brands for sauces: The magic ingredients in my vegan cooking
How to Prepare
Firstly, we choose firm tofu as the main protein in this dish, because its texture is most similar to ground meat after shallow fried. And it holds its shape during cooking, unlike soft tofu.
We add chopped pearl oyster mushroom, it has a slightly chewy and meaty texture. When cooked, they have a mild and nutty, seafood-like flavor.
1.2. Prepare a cotton cloth and a bowl
3.4. Break firm tofu into crumbles by rubbing fingers
5.6. Squeeze out as much water and you can
Dice up the brown onion and finely chop ginger, then,
- Chopping pearl mushroom
- Slice red chili
- Dice up deseed tomatoes
- Pick Thai basil leave off the stem
How to deseed tomatoes easily?
- Cut tomatoes into quaters
- 3.4. Run the knife between seeds and flesh throughly.
All the prep done, let’s start cooking!
First, add your tofu crumble into a hot pan with oil and shallow fry it until it has a golden crust outside.
How to make Vegan Pad Gra Pao
- Sauté diced onion, minced ginger and red chili until the aroma comes out.
- Add diced tomatoes.
- Add chopped pearl oyster mushroom
- Add fried tofu crumbles
- Add light dark soy sauce, vegan oyster sauce and coconut sugar.
- Add water
- Simmering the sauce till reduced by half.
- Squeeze half lime juice.
- Add Thai basil.
- After basil wilt, it’s ready to serve!
If you like it salty, you can add some Vegan fish sauce.
Hope you enjoy this Thai Basil Tofu recipe!
More Vegan Thai Recipes
Other Dinner recipes you may like:
- Asian Marinated Tofu
- Pad Pak (Thai Vegetables)
- Singapore Noodles
- The best easy vegan ramen
- BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Burgers
- Sha Cha Glass Noodles in under 10 minutes
- Super easy five spice Tempeh popcorn with basil
- Vegan Curried Tofu Fried rice- one wok in under 15 minutes!
- Yaki Udon (Stir-fried Udon Noodles With Vegetables)
- King Oyster Mushroom Stir Fry with Cashew Nuts
Vegan Thai Basil Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 11 oz Firm tofu
- 2 tbsp oil high-smoking point
- ¼ cup Yellow onion finely diced
- 7 oz Pearl oyster mushroom Note 1
- 1 pc Red chili sliced, Note 2
- 1 tbsp Minced ginger
- 2 pc Tomato
- 200 ml Water
- 1 bunch Thai Basil or Holy basil
- 1 tbsp Lime juice
Cooking sauce
- 2 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce
- 2½ tbsp Vegan oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Coconut sugar
Serve with
- cooked rice
Instructions
- 1. Prepare a cotton cloth and a bowl, break firm tofu into crumbles by rubbing fingers, thennsqueeze out as much water and you can
- 2. Dice up brown onion, finely chop ginger, chopping pearl mushroom, slice red chili, dice up deseed tomatoes and pick Thai basil leave off the stem.
- 3. Heat up 2 tbsp cooking oil and add tofu crumble into a hot pan with oil and shallow fry it until it has golden crust outside.
- 4. Saute diced onion, minced ginger and red chili until aroma comes out. Add diced tomatoes, chopped pearl oyster mushroom then fried tofu crumbles.
- 5. Add light dark soy sauce, vegan oyster sauce and coconut sugar. then add water
- 6. Simmering and reduce the sauce down by half.
- 7. Squeeze half lime juice in.
- 8. Add Thai basil.
- 9. After basil wilt, it’s ready to serve!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Fluffy Diary
( Beak invasion)
Sir Little Baby: What are you eating?
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Sooo lecker, vielen dank für das tolle Rezept und danke für die Gramm Angaben!
Viele Grüße,
Jesse-Gabriel aus Berlin
Sooo delicious, thank you very much for the great recipe and thanks for the gram information!
Many greetings,
Jesse-Gabriel from Berlin
Hi Jessie,
I’m so happy…your words mean a lot to me…I will try my best to share more Vegan recipes here! Thank you!!
Very tasty dish. I like the sacue on the rice…the taste of Thai basil and the lemony sauce…
Thank you, Heather,
I’m so happy you liked this recipe! :))