Bold, fragrant stir-fry of roasted duck with red curry paste, kaffir lime leaves, Thai basil, and long red chilies — a Thai restaurant classic with restaurant-level depth.
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.
Serves 2
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.
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.
Pour in coconut milk. Stir to combine with the paste. It will immediately bubble and reduce — cook 1 minute until slightly thickened.
Add duck slices. Toss to coat in the sauce. Cook 2 minutes — the duck is already cooked; you are just heating and coating it.
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.
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.
Chinese BBQ duck from a roast meat shop gives the ideal flavor and texture — the existing char and roasted fat integrate beautifully into the curry paste.
Kaffir lime leaves must be very finely shredded for pad ped — thin enough that they dissolve into the dish rather than sitting as leathery strips.
Fresh green peppercorns on the stem are worth seeking out at Thai grocery stores — their fresh, bright heat is completely different from dried or brined peppercorns.
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.
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.
Pad ped is a central technique in Thai cuisine that emerged from the Royal Court cooking tradition of Bangkok, where dishes were designed to showcase mastery of wok technique and aromatic paste preparation simultaneously. The pairing of roasted duck with red curry paste reflects the influence of Chinese roast meat culture on Thai cooking, which grew particularly in Bangkok's Chinatown district (Yaowarat) from the 19th century onward.
Any Chinatown roast meat shop sells whole or half Chinese BBQ (roasted) duck daily. Restaurants serving Cantonese cuisine also often sell roasted duck by the portion. Buy it the day you cook — it reheats best in the wok rather than the microwave.
Yes — boneless chicken thigh works well. Slice thinly and add to the wok raw after the coconut milk step; cook 4–5 minutes until cooked through before adding other ingredients. The dish will be lighter and less rich than the duck version.
Open windows and use your extractor fan at full power. A cast-iron skillet preheated for 5 minutes on the highest burner produces more retained heat than a thin wok on a domestic hob — use it if you have one. The smoke is normal and indicates correct temperature.
Per serving (320g / 11.3 oz) · 2 servings total
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