Low Calorie Pad Kra Pao
A fresh, fragrant, and spicy dish perfect for cutting calories.
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Estimated Time
- Preparing 15 min
- Cooking 10 min
Nutritions / Serving
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Energy496 kCal
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Carbs54 g
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Protein50 g
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Fat10 g
Serves 2.
Ingredients
- Pork Tenderloin 400 g
- Thai Chili 10 g
- Garlic 20 g
- Thai Basil 10 g
- Baking Soda 0.25 tsp
- Salt 0.25 tsp
- Corn Starch 0.5 tbsp
- Oyster Sauce 1 tsp
- Soy Sauce 1 tbsp
- Fish Sauce 0.5 tsp
- Granulated Sugar 1 tsp
- Dark Soy Sauce 1 tsp
- Water 30 g
- Cooking Oil 8 g
- Cooked Rice 340 g
Trim off any excess fat and silverskin from the pork tenderloin, then slice into thin strips. Place in a container, add 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, and enough water to cover the pork. Mix well and marinate for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, drain the water and squeeze out excess moisture. Pat the pork strips dry thoroughly with kitchen paper. Add 1/2 tbsp cornstarch and mix well.
Crush 5 g of Thai chili and 20 g of garlic together in a mortar and pestle.
In a small bowl, mix together 1 tsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp fish sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp dark soy sauce, and 30 g water.
Use only the leaves of the Thai basil. Thinly slice the remaining 5 g of Thai chili at an angle and set aside.
Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add 5 g of oil.
Once hot, add all the pork strips and spread them out. Do not stir. Sear for about 2–3 minutes until the edges change color and the bottom turns golden. Flip and stir briefly, then remove from the pan and set aside.
Without washing the pan, add 3 g of oil and heat over medium-high. Add the crushed chili and garlic, stir-fry until fragrant.
Return the pork to the pan and stir-fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute, allowing the chili and garlic to infuse into the meat and finish cooking it.
Pour in the prepared sauce and stir-fry for 20–30 seconds until the pork is evenly coated.
Turn off the heat, add Thai basil leaves and sliced chili, and toss until the basil softens. Serve and enjoy.
Discussion
Trimming off excess fat and silverskin from the tenderloin helps further reduce calories.
If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you can crush the garlic with a knife and finely chop it together with the chili.
For reduced sugar or lower calories, you can substitute the sugar with the sweetener. It doesn’t affect the dish’s taste.
Since authentic holy basil may be hard to find, this recipe uses Thai basil as a substitute. Italian basil also works well.
Letting one side of the meat sear and avoiding constant stirring helps prevent excess moisture release and keeps the meat tender.
The sliced chili added at the end can be substituted with a milder chili variety depending on your spice tolerance.
This dish pairs well with refreshing vegetables like cucumber or cherry tomatoes.