Kee Maow Stir Fry or Pad Kee Maow is a very popular dish in Thailand and is a result of blending local Thai food with the food of the Chinese immigrants who lived in Thailand. The name of the dish literally translates as ‘drunkard’s stir-fry’ and is named because of the behavior of heavy drinkers who like to drunkenly scour the refrigerator from whatever they can find, throw them in a pan and stir-fry them without any specific recipes, resulting in the delicious kee Maow Stir Fry menu that we know and love today. The dish uses noodles stir-fried with soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic, and various types of meat or even tofu for the chewy texture. In addition, chili, peanuts, holy basil leaves or sometimes basil leaves are added. This dish, like many in Thailand, has evolved over time and new ingredients are experimented with all the time. A popular version these days is made with various seafood like crab, shrimp and fish meat to pair with green peppercorns. Moreover, some recipes use something else other than rice based noodles such as spaghetti.
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Health Benefits
‘Spicy Keemaow Spaghetti with Fingerroot and Green Peppercorn’ can help prevent Covid-19
An adapted menu that combines deliciousness between Thai and Western food by using spaghetti to cook with the method of Phad Kee Maow. It has a spicy, pungent aroma that is appetizing. The Pad Kee Maow has ingredients that enhance the smell and taste like ginger root, which has properties to nourish the body just like an elixir, and holy basil leaves contain orientin compounds, which is an important substance that prevents the virus from entering cells and reduces the risk of contracting COVID-19.
- ‘Finger root’ helps relieve cough and cold symptoms*
- ‘Green peppercorn’ nourishes bones, teeth, and prevents osteoporosis.
- ‘Holy basil leaves’ contain caffeine, which has anti-influenza and immune-modulating effects**
- ‘Garlic’ enhances immune function.
Ingredients
- cooked spaghetti 150 gr
- shrimp 90 gr
- garlic (chopped) 10 gr
- bird’s eye chili 2 gr
- sliced red chili 2 gr
- fingerroot 5 gr
- green peppercorn 3 gr
- kaffir lime leaf 2 gr
- oyster sauce 20 gr
- fish sauce 10 gr
- soy sauce 5 gr
- sugar 5 gr
- white pepper 1 gr
- holy basil 2 gr
- dried chili 2 gr
- oil 20 gr
Directions
Cook the spaghetti for 8-10 minutes or according to the cooking instructions on the packet.
Sautee the dried chili and garlic in a pan until they release an aroma.
Add the shrimp and stir-fry until cooked through. Add the red chilis, fingerroot, green peppercorns and kaffir lime leaves, season with fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, pepper and mix thoroughly until consistent.
Add the holy basil leaves, stir in and serve.
Reference
*Chong TE, et al. Boesenbergia rotunda: From Ethnomedicine to Drug Discovery. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2012; Article ID 473637
**Tsai KW. Immunomodulatory effects of aqueous extract of Ocimum basilicum (Linn.) and some of its constituents on human immune cells. Biology. 2011; 5(7): 375-85