Pad Ped Ped Yang (Thai Stir-Fried Duck with Red Curry)

About This Recipe

Pad Ped (ผัดเผ็ด) is the Thai stir-fried equivalent of a curry — fast, ferociously hot in the wok, and built on the same aromatic paste foundation as slow-cooked curries but with a different technique that produces a drier, more caramelized coating on the protein rather than a soupy broth. Pad Ped Ped Yang — literally 'spicy stir-fry roasted duck' — is one of the most celebrated versions, pairing intensely flavored red curry paste with sliced roasted (or Chinese BBQ) duck, young green peppercorns on the stem, kaffir lime leaves, long red chilies, and a generous handful of Thai basil. The technique requires very high heat: the wok must be screaming hot before the curry paste hits the oil, and every subsequent ingredient is added in rapid succession, the whole dish coming together in 5–7 minutes. The result is a dish with complex layered flavors — the richness of roasted duck, the heat and fragrance of the curry paste, the numbing tingle of fresh green pepper, and the clean herbal finish of Thai basil — that reads as sophisticated restaurant cooking but is achievable at home with a screaming hot wok or cast-iron pan.

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 400 gChinese BBQ duck or roasted duck, sliced off the bone
• 2 tbspred curry paste
• 2 tbspneutral oil with high smoke point
• 150 mlcoconut milk
• 2 tbspfish sauce
• 1 tsppalm sugar or brown sugar
• 4kaffir lime leaves, central vein removed, very finely shredded
• 1 sprigfresh green peppercorns on the stem (or 1 tsp brined green peppercorns)
• 2long red spur chilies, sliced diagonally
• 1 large handfulThai basil leaves
• 100 gbaby tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 50 gfresh pineapple chunks(optional, for sweetness)

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat the wok

   Place the wok over the highest possible heat for at least 2 minutes until it begins to smoke. This is the most important step — inadequate heat produces steamed, not stir-fried, results.

   If using a domestic hob, use your largest and heaviest wok or a cast-iron skillet — they retain heat better than thin steel when ingredients are added.

2. 2

   Fry the curry paste

   Add oil. Immediately add curry paste. Fry, pressing and scraping, for 60–90 seconds until the paste darkens, sizzles aggressively, and the kitchen smells intensely of lemongrass and chili.

3. 3

   Add coconut milk

   Pour in coconut milk. Stir to combine with the paste. It will immediately bubble and reduce — cook 1 minute until slightly thickened.

4. 4

   Add duck

   Add duck slices. Toss to coat in the sauce. Cook 2 minutes — the duck is already cooked; you are just heating and coating it.

5. 5

   Season and add aromatics

   Add fish sauce and palm sugar. Toss. Add kaffir lime leaves, green peppercorns, sliced chilies, tomatoes, and pineapple if using. Toss vigorously for 60 seconds over high heat.

6. 6

   Finish with basil and serve

   Pull from heat. Add Thai basil and toss once — residual heat wilts it. Transfer immediately to a plate. Serve with jasmine rice.

   Pad ped waits for no one — serve the instant it's done. Every minute on the plate softens the fragrant basil further.

Variations

• •

  Pad ped moo (pork): use sliced pork belly or pork tenderloin — cook 3–4 minutes longer than duck.

• •

  Pad ped goong (prawn): use large prawns; total cooking time is 4 minutes. One of the fastest Thai restaurant-quality dishes possible.

• •

  Vegetarian pad ped: use deep-fried tofu and king oyster mushrooms; replace fish sauce with soy sauce and add a drop of sesame oil at the end.

Storage

Pad ped should be eaten immediately after cooking. Leftovers refrigerate up to 1 day; reheat in a very hot wok 2 minutes — do not microwave.

Frequently Asked Questions