Welcome to the fourth week of Movement Control Order in Malaysia! How are you coping so far? Have you been keeping busy with hobbies and projects? Eating lots of homecooked food? Chilling out with books, movies and Netflix (finally watching that movie you meant to catch)? Becoming a pro-gamer? No matter how you choose to spend this period, just know that our effort of staying at home is not in vain and we can all flatten the curve together.

To be honest, when the MCO was announced, I was a little bit freaked out because not only my shows were cancelled, our school were also forced to close which means a complete loss of income for me for the entire month. Fortunately, the hardwork over Christmas and CNY period means I don’t get to starve yet at least for a few months. It does give me a chance to get involved with several projects and an opportunity to really rest and plan for the future. So, all is not lost. Plus, I get to update my blog again! 😂

Today’s recipe is an easy one. Only a few ingredients are needed, as are most of my recipes nowadays. It is true that when you are cooking with good produce, you don’t have to overseason. Pad Krapow is a lovely Thai dish that the whole family can enjoy. And our version of course features cauliflower rice. Although a gripe I have is that Thai basil is quite hard to find in my local grocer. Is anyone a garden enthusiast and can share tips for growing herbs?

Pad Krapow, literally means Stir Fry basil, is commonly made with either pork or chicken. It’s spicy, aromatic and savoury, like most of the Thai dishes. In our household we will always have a bunch of mince pork so whenever I get my hands on Thai Basil, this dish will be on the table. It’s super easy as well. Let’s get to it!

Keto Pad Krapow (serves 3)
500g Mince Pork (I use mince pork Jowl for extra fattiness)
2 cloves of Garlic, Minced
2 small Shallots, chopped
3-4 Chili Padi, sliced (or more if you like it spicy)
1 pack of Thai Basil
1 teaspoon Best Quality fish sauce you can find (either Ong Ky or Red Boat)
1 teaspoon Tamari
Half a head of Cauliflower

Heat some lard (oil of your choice) in pan, and stir fry garlic and shallots until aromatic. Add pork to cook for 2-3 minutes until no longer pink.

Season with fish sauce, Tamari and chili and let everything mix well for 2-3 more minutes.

Stir in the Thai basil and turn off the heat immediately. Give everything a good mix and serve.

To make the cauliflower rice. Simply break the cauliflower in small floret, use a food processor to chop into rice size. Or if you are good with grater, you can opt for that as well. Fry in a little bit of lard until it dries up and slightly softened.

Optional: You can also add a fried egg on top. We normally go without as we do eat quite a fair bit of eggs for breakfast.

Also optional: I find that this dish is sufficiently seasoned but if you do miss the sweet taste you can also add in a bit of Sweetener while seasoning.

Time to serve the Pad Krapow! ❤️

And have a great week, everybody!