Pad Kaprao (Stir-Fried Vegan Mince With Holy Basil)

It uses vegan mince, garlic, chilies, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, vegan oyster sauce, vegan fish sauce, coconut sugar, and Thai holy basil. The mince cooks quickly in a hot wok and soaks up the sauce.

Pad kaprao usually comes with rice and often uses pork mince. This version keeps the same quick cooking style but uses vegan mince instead.

Thai holy basil gives the dish its main flavor. Fresh holy basil can be hard to find, but frozen holy basil can also work. Yang Liu and Katharina Pinczolits include this recipe in Vegan Asian Street Food.

Make it for dinner when you want something quick, spicy, and filling. The recipe serves two and cooks in about five minutes once the ingredients are ready.

Serve it with steamed rice and eat it straight away. This recipe is republished by Vegan Asian Street Food: Over 80 Plant-based Recipes for Every Occasion by Yang Liu and Katharina Pinczolits £24, hardback, Hardie Grant Books, published 22 January 2026.

Photography © Katharina Pinczolits

Ingredients

• 4 garlic cloves
• 3 birdseye chilies destemmed
• 3 fresh cayenne chilies destemmed
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ½ tablespoon Golden Mountain seasoning sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon vegan oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons Vegan fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons coconut palm sugar
• 500 g vegan mince
• 75 ml canola rapeseed oil
• 100 g kaprao Thai holy basil leaves
• Steamed rice to serve

Instructions

• Using a pestle and mortar, pound the garlic, birdseye chillies and cayenne chillies until they are well smacked.
• In a bowl or jug, mix together all the sauces and the coconut sugar.
• Break the vegan mince into small pieces to allow it to cook faster.
• Heat a wok over medium–high heat. Once hot, add the oil, and the smacked garlic and chilli. Stir for a minute until aromatic, then add the vegan mince and increase heat to high. Stir for 2–3 minutes until the colour darkens a little.
• Pour in the sauce mixture and stir quickly until the sauce is absorbed. Add the kaprao leaves and stir for a further 30 seconds.
• Serve the dish with rice.

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