Stir-Fry on Kvalifood

Tamarind Shrimp (Goong Pad Makaam)

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 20:21:07 +0100

Tamarind Shrimp (Goong Pad Makaam) © kvalifood.com

Goong pad makaam is a Thai stir-fry that showcases the balance of sweet, salty, and sour that Thai cooking does so well. Large shrimp get seared and then tossed in a tamarind-palm sugar sauce built on an aromatic paste of garlic, shallots, cilantro roots, and Thai chilies. Crispy fried shallots on top are essential - they add a sweet crunch that ties the whole dish together. About 20 minutes.

Cashew Chicken (Gai Pad Med Mamuang Himapan)

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 03:43:47 +0100

Cashew Chicken (Gai Pad Med Mamuang Himapan) © kvalifood.com

A Thai-Chinese fusion stir-fry that’s more of a restaurant dish than street food in Thailand, partly because cashews are expensive. The chili paste and fried dried chilies give it a Thai character, while the toasted sesame oil points to its Chinese roots. Serves 2-3, about 20 minutes.

Ingredients

Serves 2-3

The Sauce

1 heaping Tbsp Thai chili paste (nam prik pao)
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp seasoning sauce, such as Golden Mountain (or Maggi)
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil

The Rest

450 g chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into bite-size pieces
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 onion, medium, cut into 1 ½ cm strips
2 ¼ dl straw (or beech mushrooms)
2 spur chilies (or 1/2 red bell pepper), julienned
1 1/2 tsp sugar, granulated
1 ¾ dl cashews, roasted
2 green onions, green part only, cut into 5 cm pieces
5-7 dried chilies, fried (optional)

Serves 2-3

Chicken Stir-Fry with Ginger and Mushrooms (Gai Pad King)

Fri, 26 Mar 2021 02:37:27 +0100

Chicken Stir-Fry with Ginger and Mushrooms (Gai Pad King) © kvalifood.com

A Chinese-style Thai stir-fry with milder flavours than most Thai dishes, making it a good introduction for people not used to the cuisine. Ginger isn’t actually used much in Thai cooking - it came in through Chinese influence. The black fungus adds a fun crunch. Serves 3-4, about 10 minutes of active cooking plus at least 20 minutes to marinate.

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

Tue, 02 Feb 2021 08:47:37 +0100

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

Serves 3

Pineapple Fried Rice (Kao Pad Sapparod)

Fri, 13 Mar 2020 12:56:58 +0100

Pineapple Fried Rice (Kao Pad Sapparod) © kvalifood.com

A Thai fried rice where the sweetness and tartness of pineapple play off the savoury, curry-spiced rice. The cashews add nuttiness and crunch. Use whatever curry powder you like - there’s no single correct one. Serves 2, about 10 minutes of active cooking.

Ingredients

Serves 2

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
8 shrimp, medium size (leave 4 whole, cut the rest into small pieces)
1 egg
3 ½ dl cooked jasmine rice
60 ml onion, small dice
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp shrimp paste (shrimp tomalley, optional)
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp sugar, granulated
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper, ground
125 ml fresh pineapple, small bite-sized pieces
½ dl roasted cashews
125 ml tomatoes, seeds removed, 1 ½ cm cubes
2 green onions, chopped
Cucumber slices, for serving

Serves 2

Red Curry Stir-Fry with Tofu and Long Beans (Tao Hoo Pad Prik King)

Sat, 11 Aug 2018 18:25:23 +0100

Red Curry Stir-Fry with Tofu and Long Beans (Tao Hoo Pad Prik King) © kvalifood.com

Pad prik king is a dry-style Thai stir-fry where the curry paste clings directly to the ingredients instead of forming a sauce. This vegetarian version uses soy sauce instead of fish sauce and swaps the shrimp paste out of the curry paste. A salted duck egg adds savoury richness - the yolk melts into the sauce while the firm egg white gives bursts of saltiness like crumbled feta.

Eggplant Stir-Fry with Thai Basil (Pad Makeua Yao)

Fri, 19 Aug 2016 08:09:13 +0100

Pad makeua yao is a Thai stir-fry where eggplant is the star. The pieces get briefly deep-fried first, which keeps the skin vibrant and gives the flesh a head start on cooking. Then they are tossed with ground pork, garlic, chilies, and a savoury sauce built on fermented soybean paste. Thai basil goes in at the end and ties the whole thing together. Serve with jasmine rice.

Holy Basil Chicken Fried Rice with Fried Egg (Kao Pad Gaprao Gai Kai Dao)

Mon, 29 Jun 2015 02:54:14 +0100

This is the fried rice version of pad gaprao - one of the most popular lunch dishes in Thailand, where ground meat is stir-fried with holy basil and served over rice with a fried egg. Some restaurants skip the “served over” step and throw the rice right into the stir-fry, making it a one-pan fried rice. It is essentially the rice version of pad kee mao (drunken noodles), using the same basil and similar sauces.

Pad Thai

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 10:25:17 +0100

Thailand’s most famous stir-fried noodle dish, created around World War II as a national dish using Thai (rather than Chinese) ingredients and flavours. That’s why it contains no soy sauce or oyster sauce - just tamarind, fish sauce, and palm sugar. The balance of sweet, sour, and salty is the whole point. Serves 2-3, about 15 minutes of active cooking plus 1 hour to soak the noodles.

Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Soy Sauce and Chinese Broccoli (Pad See Ew)

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 21:46:07 +0100

Pad see ew is one of the most popular lunch dishes in Thailand, especially for people who don’t eat spicy food. “Pad” means stir-fry and “see ew” means soy sauce - at its core, it’s just noodles and soy sauce, but the combination of umami, sweet-salty balance, and the satisfying chew of fresh rice noodles makes it deeply satisfying. The key is getting some char on the noodles, which means high heat and not crowding the pan. About 10 minutes active plus 15 minutes to marinate protein.