A Spicy Thai Stir-Fry in Minutes
Pad phed moo (also spelled phad phed, pad phet or phad ped) is a spicy Thai stir-fry of pork cooked in red curry paste. Pad means stir-fry, phed means spicy and moo means pork. Instead of simmering the paste into a curry, you fry it in a hot wok with thin slices of pork, bamboo shoots and pea aubergines, then finish with makrut lime leaves. It’s bold, fast and perfect for spice lovers.
At a glance
Thai name: Pad Phed Moo (ผัดเผ็ดหมู), “spicy pork stir-fry”
Heat: spicy. Mae Jum Red Curry Paste is 3/5
Key ingredients: red curry paste, pork loin, bamboo shoots, pea aubergines, makrut lime leaves
Swap the protein: prawns, beef or tofu
Serve with: steamed jasmine rice
This is a great way to use Thai curry paste in something other than a curry. I made pad phed moo as part of my Thai feast to celebrate Songkran. Everyone at the table loved it and kept asking for more, and I really hope you enjoy it too!
What is Pad Phed?
Pad phed literally means “spicy stir-fry”. It’s a dry-style dish: there’s no coconut milk, so the curry paste coats every piece of meat and vegetable instead of turning into a sauce. That’s what makes it different from a red curry. It’s high heat, fast-paced and packed with flavour, tasting far more complex than the few minutes it takes to cook.
The wok technique is believed to have been influenced by Chinese stir-frying, brought to Thailand through trade and migration. Thai cooks made it their own with herb-packed curry pastes and Thai seasonings. Today, pad phed is a favourite of Thai home cooks and street food stalls alike.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Mae Jum Thai Red Curry Paste is the heart of the dish. It’s made from Jum’s family recipe, stone-ground the traditional way with fresh and dried red chillies, and it’s vegan, with no fish sauce, so you season it yourself.
Pork loin: lean enough to cook quickly at high heat without toughening. Slice it thinly across the grain.
Thai pea aubergines: small, round and slightly bitter, with a firm texture that won’t turn to mush. Look for them in Asian supermarkets.
Bamboo shoots: add crunch and a mild, earthy flavour. Tinned work perfectly.
Coconut oil: a high enough smoke point for stir-frying, with a subtle sweetness.
Fish sauce and palm sugar: salt and umami from the fish sauce, balanced by the gentle caramel sweetness of palm sugar. Soft brown sugar works if you can’t find palm sugar.
Makrut lime leaves: torn off the central stem and stirred in at the end for a fragrant, floral citrus lift. They freeze brilliantly.
How to Make Pad Phed Moo
Prep everything first. Slice the pork into strips about 5cm long and 0.5cm thick (partly freezing it makes this easier), and have everything within reach. This dish moves fast.
Fry the paste. Heat coconut oil in a wok over the highest heat, then stir-fry the red curry paste until broken down and fragrant.
Add the pork. Stir-fry until it’s just cooked through and coated in the paste.
Add the vegetables. Add the bamboo shoots and pea aubergines and stir-fry until hot and tender-crisp.
Season. Add fish sauce and palm sugar, then taste and adjust.
Finish and serve. Tear in the makrut lime leaves, toss, and serve straight away with jasmine rice.
Tips for the Perfect Pad Phed Moo
Use the highest heat you have. On gas, use your largest burner. On electric or induction, preheat the pan thoroughly.
Don’t rush the paste. Frying it until fragrant releases the aromatics and builds the base flavour.
Slice the pork evenly, so it all cooks at the same rate.
Taste before serving. More fish sauce for salt, palm sugar to balance the heat, or a squeeze of lime for brightness.
Try It with Other Proteins and Pastes
Prawns: reduce the stir-fry time to about 3 minutes.
Beef: use thin slices of a tender cut.
Tofu: press it well and swap the fish sauce for light soy sauce, for a fully plant-based version.
Yellow Curry Paste: for a turmeric-rich version that’s still spicy (3/5). Try our Yellow Curry Paste.
Jungle Curry Paste: for an even hotter, more herbal version. Try our Jungle Curry Paste.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does pad phed mean?
Pad means stir-fry and phed means spicy, so pad phed is a “spicy stir-fry”. Pad phed moo is the pork version.
What’s the difference between pad phed and red curry?
Both use red curry paste, but pad phed is a dry stir-fry with no coconut milk, while red curry is simmered in coconut milk to make a sauce.
Is pad phed spicy?
Yes. It’s a spicy dish by name. Mae Jum Red Curry Paste is 3/5. For less heat, use a little less paste and serve with plenty of jasmine rice.
Can I make pad phed vegetarian?
Yes. Use firm tofu instead of pork and light soy sauce instead of fish sauce. Mae Jum curry pastes are vegan.
From Jum’s Kitchen
Pad phed moo proves that great Thai food doesn’t have to take hours. With the right paste, a hot wok and a few good ingredients, you can have a restaurant-quality dish on the table in under 30 minutes: vibrant, bold and the kind of meal that has everyone reaching for seconds.
Whether you cook it as part of a Thai feast, like we did for Songkran, or as a quick weeknight dinner, it never disappoints. Make it a couple of times and you’ll find yourself coming back to it again and again, trying new proteins and pastes as you go.
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Phad Phed Moo
- 500 g Pork Loin
- 35 g Mae Jum Thai Red Curry Paste
- 100 g Thai Pea Aubergines
- 200 g Bamboo Shoots
- 100 ml Water
- 3 tbsp Coconut Oil
- 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 1 tbsp Palm Sugar
- 4 Kaffir Lime Leaves
Thai Red Curry Paste
