Red Curry Stir-Fry with Tilapia (Pad Ped Pla Nin)

February 2, 2021

Red Curry Stir-Fry with Tilapia (Pad Ped Pla Nin) © kvalifood.com

Pad ped is a Thai stir-fry where the curry paste coats the protein directly rather than swimming in sauce. The name literally means “spicy stir-fry,” and tilapia stands in for the catfish traditionally used in Thailand. Deep-frying the fish first gives it a crispy, rough surface that grabs onto the curry paste.

Ingredients

Serves 3

Vegetable oil for deep-frying, as needed
3 dl holy basil (or Thai basil leaves)(see Notes)
450 g tilapia fillet, skin optional, cut into 2 ½ cm cubes
2 ¼ dl all-purpose flour (or cornstarch)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 recipe red curry paste, (or 4 Tbsp store-bought paste)
30-125 ml chicken stock, unsalted
2 tsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp palm sugar, finely chopped, packed
½ dl fingerroot (grachai), brined (or fresh), finely julienned
3 stems young peppercorns, brined (or fresh), cut each stem in half (optional)
4-5 kaffir lime leaves, finely julienned
1 spur chili, sliced, (or 1/4 red bell pepper), julienned
Jasmine rice, for serving

Directions

Heat about 1 inch of vegetable oil in a pot over medium heat to 350°F (177°C). Have a paper-towel-lined plate ready. Fry half a cup of the basil leaves in small batches - the oil will bubble aggressively at first, so stand back. Once the bubbling nearly stops (just a few seconds), the leaves are crispy. Remove with a wire skimmer and drain on paper towel. Keep the oil in the pot.

Pat the tilapia dry with paper towel. Toss the fish cubes in the flour or cornstarch, then shake off the excess through a sieve or skimmer - you want just a thin, translucent coating.

Bring the frying oil up to 375°F (191°C) over medium-high heat. Fry the fish until golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towel.

Heat 2 Tbsp fresh oil in a wok or large saute pan over medium heat. Add the curry paste and cook until aromatic, 1-2 minutes. Pour in half the chicken stock along with the fish sauce and palm sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the fingerroot, young peppercorns, and kaffir lime leaves and stir for 30 seconds to let the flavours infuse.

If the sauce has reduced too much, add some or all of the remaining stock - you need enough to coat the fish. Add the fried tilapia and spur chili, tossing gently to coat all pieces evenly. When the sauce is no longer pooling in the pan, turn off the heat and fold in the remaining fresh basil.

Plate the stir-fry, top with the crispy basil, and serve with jasmine rice.

Notes

Some of the basil is used for deep-frying, so those leaves must be completely dry. Wet leaves will cause the oil to splatter dangerously. If you wash the basil, dry it thoroughly before frying.
For extra heat, eat the young peppercorns by picking them off the stems. Discard the stems.
If you want to skip the deep-frying entirely, use a different protein that handles stir-frying well - pork, beef, chicken, scallops, or shrimp all work. The sauce won’t coat as well as it does on the crispy fish, but it still tastes good. Use less stock since raw protein releases liquid as it cooks.
The curry paste can be made in advance.