Pad Prik: Thai Chilli Stir-Fry and Pad Prik King

Pad means stir-fry and prik means chilli. The rest of the name or the menu description often tells you which chilli or paste the cook uses. E1 E4 E5

Say roughly “pat prik khing”. The final word refers to ginger in Thai. This sound guide leaves out Thai tones. E1 T1

Yes. They are different ways of writing ผัดพริกขิง in English. You will also see Pad Prik Khing. T1 E1 E3

Pailin’s chicken recipe and the Pholfoodmafia seabass version use no added fresh ginger. Read the paste label if you need to avoid an ingredient. E1 T1

The chicken version here is salty and a little sweet, with chilli and a citrus aroma from makrut lime leaves. Paste choice affects the heat. E1

The paste coats the meat and beans, with very little liquid left at the bottom of the pan. The home recipe uses a little stock or water during cooking. E1

Prik gaeng means curry paste. Mark Wiens’s chicken example uses red curry paste, long beans and makrut leaves, so it overlaps with the dry-style Pad Prik King here. E1 E4

It uses nam prik pao, a roasted chilli paste with a different flavour. Praew’s chicken version uses it with peppers, onion and its own sauce mix. E6

It is a stir-fry featuring mild, long yuak peppers. In Mark Wiens’s chicken example they are the main pepper. E5

The home Pad Prik King here features curry paste. Pad Khing is a ginger stir-fry and uses sliced fresh ginger in the recipe on our site. E1 T2

The home stir-fry reduces until the paste clings to the chicken and beans. The red curry guide has a separate coconut curry recipe with more liquid. E1

The name alone gives limited information. Praew’s fresh-chilli beef recipe and Pailin’s dry chicken recipe use different seasonings. Charm Thai Cafe adds coconut milk to make a sauce. E1 E7

Yes. Pailin’s recipe is written for red curry paste. Check its strength, salt and ingredient list before deciding how much additional seasoning to add. E1 U4

Yes. Rachel’s pork recipe uses a paste sold for this dish. Follow the proportions of the recipe you choose, as pastes vary in strength. E3

Use a recipe written for roasted chilli paste if that is what you have. It has its own sweetness and seasoning, and gives a different result. E1 E6

Light brown sugar is Pailin’s suggested substitute. Dissolve it in the pan with the fish sauce and a little stock or water. E1

Pailin gives a range of 1 to 3 teaspoons for the stir-fry, separate from the 2 teaspoons used to marinate the chicken. Start at the lower end if your paste is salty. E1

Choose a red curry paste with a heat level that suits you. Reducing the amount also reduces the seasoning, so taste the cooked dish before adjusting it. E1

It uses long beans, also called yardlong beans. Cut them into short lengths before you heat the pan. E1

Yes. Pailin suggests fine green beans as a practical substitute when long beans are difficult to find. E1

Add them after the chicken has gone back into the sauce. Toss until the beans are just tender and the chicken is cooked through. E1 U1

Yes. Pailin suggests frozen leaves as an option when you cannot find fresh ones. E1

The torn leaves perfume the sauce as it cooks. The finely shredded leaves add aroma just before serving. E1

Lime juice adds acidity. The leaves supply a different fragrance. For the recipe here, use fresh or frozen makrut leaves if you can find them. E1

Pailin uses chicken breast or thigh. Cut it evenly and keep breast pieces at least 1 cm thick so they do not dry out too quickly. E1

Pailin allows about 15 minutes while preparing the other ingredients. Keep the chicken covered in the fridge while it marinates. E1 U2

Spreading the pieces out lets them brown without crowding the wok. The chicken finishes cooking after it goes back into the paste. E1

Letting the pan cool slightly gives you time to loosen the paste in oil before heating again. Stir it as it cooks so it becomes fragrant without scorching. E1

Add part when you stir in the sugar and fish sauce. Use the rest as needed to loosen the paste or stop it sticking. E1

Yes. Pailin gives a wok or a large frying pan as options. Work in batches if the pan cannot hold the chicken in one layer. E1

Yes. Lee Jackson’s Cook Eat World recipe uses thinly sliced steak with snake beans and lime leaves. Use its own quantities and cooking sequence. E2

Yes. Rachel publishes a pork version with Prik Khing paste, beans and makrut leaves. Cook pork thoroughly. E3 U1

Pholfoodmafia coats separately fried seabass in curry paste with long beans. KRUA.CO uses crisp catfish in another preparation. T1 T3

Pla means fish. Pholfoodmafia’s example specifies seabass. The fish is fried separately before it is coated in the paste. T1

Firm tofu works as a home adaptation. Check the paste and replace fish sauce with suitable plant-based seasoning if making a vegan dish. E1 U5

Yes. KRUA.CO’s crispy chicken version coats and fries the chicken and uses a separately pounded paste. Use that recipe for its own ingredients and method. T2

Yes. Fish sauce seasons the marinade and stir-fry. Check the curry paste as well, as recipes and products differ. E1 U5

Some pastes include shrimp paste or dried shrimp. KRUA.CO’s crispy-chicken version uses both. Read the label of the paste you actually buy. T2 U5

It depends on the whole recipe. Check the paste, stock, fish sauce and other seasonings, and consider cross-contact in the kitchen. E1 U4

The home recipe has optional cooked salted duck egg. Ingredients and preparation can differ, so confirm the full dish if you need to avoid egg. E1 U5

Only if the sauce, paste, seasonings and preparation are suitable. Conventional fish sauce, shrimp paste and oyster sauce need suitable replacements where used. E1 T2 E5

Tell the team what you need to avoid before ordering. Our shared kitchen handles allergens, and we cannot guarantee freedom from cross-contact.

Yes. We add coconut milk to make a sauce for our Pad Prik. The home chicken Pad Prik King on this page uses stock or water for its dry-style coating.

The main menu lists onion, mixed pepper and spring onion with the chilli paste. Check the stir-fry menu for current choices.

The main menu marks it medium. Tell the team how much heat you enjoy when ordering.

The menu lists vegan and gluten-free preparations. Tell us what you need so we can check the whole dish. If you have an allergy, explain it separately before ordering.

Plain jasmine rice gives the concentrated seasoning a softer accompaniment. The home recipe suggests cooked salted duck egg as an optional side. E1

Open the stir-fry menu and look for Pad Prik, the spicy chilli paste stir-fry.

The dry-style version needs a short reduction. Let excess liquid cook away while the chicken finishes, until the paste coats the chicken and beans. E1

The pan may have been too hot after searing the chicken. Cool it briefly, loosen the paste in oil off the heat, then stir it over medium heat. E1

It may have cooked too long in the first stage. Brown the outside briefly, then finish cooking it after it returns to the sauce. E1

Use less fish sauce next time and check how salty the paste is. Plain rice can soften the impact of a concentrated coating at the table. E1

Add a small splash from the measured stock or water, stir and continue cooking the chicken through. E1 U1

Cook in batches if doubling would crowd the pan. Finish each batch through to fully cooked chicken before serving. E1 U1

Probe the thickest piece with a clean food thermometer. The Food Standards Agency lists 75°C held for 30 seconds as one time and temperature combination. U1

Cool it in small portions, refrigerate within one to two hours and keep the fridge at 0°C to 5°C. Eat within 48 hours or freeze it. U2

Yes. Cool and freeze it in portions, then defrost in the fridge. Use it within 24 hours of fully defrosting. The beans may soften. U2

Reheat the stir-fry once, until steaming hot throughout. Stir or turn the pieces during microwave reheating. U1

Cool rice quickly, ideally within one hour. Keep it in the fridge for no more than 24 hours and reheat only once until steaming hot throughout. U3

That depends on the recipe, portion size, amount of oil and sauce, and whether rice is included. The home dry-style recipe and the restaurant dish use different ingredients.