Gapao rice pairs garlic and basil pork with warm rice and a fried egg. Looking for a quick dinner with something fresh, something crisp and plenty of flavor in every spoonful? Let’s make a colorful bowl together.
Konnichiwa, I’m Hana. We will chop everything first, brown the pork and save the basil until the end. This Japanese café-style adaptation of Thai basil stir-fry uses red pepper, onion and short-grain rice. Five original step photos guide you through it.
Table of Contents
Gapao Rice Recipe Overview
Makes 2 generous rice bowls. Timing starts with cooked rice ready; cooking rice takes extra time.
Expect small pork crumbles with a light savory glaze, tender onion and red pepper that holds its shape. The basil should smell fresh at the table, and the topping should coat the rice without soaking it.
A wide pan helps the pork brown. A second small pan makes the eggs convenient, but one pan works too. Measure the sauce before cooking so everything is ready beside the stove.
What Is Gapao Rice?
Gapao rice is the name used in Japan for a rice meal inspired by Thai pad kra pao, a stir-fry associated with holy basil. Japanese home versions often include vegetables; Kikkoman’s gapao recipe is one example.
Here, accessible sweet basil gives an herbal finish. Its flavor differs from holy basil, so this is an adaptation. Keep the rice separate while cooking the topping, then bring everything together in the bowl.
Ingredients for Gapao Rice
1Pork and vegetables
Use 300 g ground pork, 80 g yellow onion and 100 g red bell pepper. Cut the vegetables into roughly 1 cm pieces. Weighing them is more reliable than using half an onion or pepper.
2Garlic, chili and basil
Prepare 3 garlic cloves, ½–1 green serrano chili and 10 g sweet basil leaves. Chili is optional; removing the inner ribs can reduce heat, but peppers vary. Dry washed basil to keep excess water out of the glaze.
3The savory sauce
Mix 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar and 2 tablespoons water. Each tablespoon is 15 ml. The bottled sauces supply the salt.
4Rice, eggs and oil
Have 400 g hot cooked short-grain rice, 2 large eggs and 2 tablespoons neutral oil. The rice amount is its cooked weight. Divide the oil between the pork and egg pans.
Gather a board, knife, sauce bowl, spatula, thermometer and clean plate for cooked eggs. Keep raw-pork utensils away from the basil and cooked rice.
Ingredient Swaps
Chicken or jasmine rice
Replace pork with the same weight of ground chicken, cooked to 74°C / 165°F. Jasmine rice also works; keep the cooking order the same.
Mild or plant-based
Omit chili for a mild bowl. For a plant-based variation, use drained crumbled firm tofu, mushroom stir-fry sauce, a suitable vegan fish-sauce substitute and no egg. Flavor and timing will differ.
Sauce labels matter
Oyster sauce contains oyster, fish sauce commonly contains fish, and soy sauce often contains wheat. Choose suitable alternatives for every sauce if needed; changing the meat alone does not resolve these ingredients.
How to Make Gapao Rice in 5 Steps
Read the steps once, set out two serving bowls and keep the vegetables close by. Start rice from dry first; its cooking time is additional to the 25-minute timing below.
Step 1: Prepare the vegetables and sauce
Dice 80 g onion and 100 g red bell pepper into roughly 1 cm pieces. Mince 3 garlic cloves and thinly slice ½–1 serrano chili, using less or none for a mild bowl. Wash and dry 10 g basil. In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar and 2 tablespoons water. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Keep 400 g cooked rice hot and ready.
Step 2: Brown the pork with garlic and chili
Heat a wide frying pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Stir the garlic and chili for about 20–30 seconds, just until fragrant. Add 300 g ground pork and break it into small crumbles with a wooden spatula. Increase to medium-high heat and cook for about 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until opaque and lightly browned. Lower the heat if the garlic starts darkening. The red pepper, onion and basil go in later.
Step 3: Cook the vegetables and glaze the pork
Add the onion and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the red pepper and stir for another 1–2 minutes, keeping the pieces distinct. Pour in the prepared sauce, scraping any browned bits from the pan. Simmer for 1–2 minutes until the liquid lightly coats the pork instead of collecting underneath it. Check that the ground pork reaches 71°C / 160°F with a food thermometer. Turn the heat very low while you cook the eggs; leave the basil out for now.
Step 4: Fry two eggs
Warm the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a separate nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Crack each egg into a small bowl first, then gently slide it into the pan. Fry until the edges turn lightly golden and the whites set. Cover briefly or turn the eggs as needed to cook both the yolks and whites until firm, allowing around 4–5 minutes or longer if needed. Slide onto a clean plate. If you use only one pan, transfer the pork to a covered bowl before frying the eggs.
Step 5: Fold in basil and build the bowls
Take the pork pan off the heat. Reserve a few small basil leaves for garnish and fold the rest into the hot stir-fry for about 15–20 seconds, just until softened. Divide the 400 g hot rice between two shallow bowls. Spoon the basil pork beside or over the rice, top each bowl with one fried egg and add the reserved leaves. Serve straight away, with the rice visible beside the colorful topping.
Check meat with a thermometer using FoodSafety.gov’s temperature chart. Color alone is unreliable; pork and poultry have different safe temperatures. Cook egg whites and yolks until firm.
Hana’s Tips and Troubleshooting
- Give the pork room. A wide pan lets crumbles brown between stirs. Crowding traps moisture.
- Watch the glaze. Simmer a wet topping longer before adding basil. If it catches, add a teaspoon or two of water.
- Save the green leaves. Basil softens in hot pork quickly. Add it off the heat for a fresher finish.
- Taste before serving. If the topping tastes salty, loosen it with a little water and serve with the full portion of plain rice.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers promptly in separate shallow containers at 4°C / 40°F or below. Follow NHS rice guidance: chill rice within one hour and eat within 24 hours. Use that limit for an assembled bowl too.
Reheat safely chilled rice only once, until steaming throughout. Heat pork leftovers to 74°C / 165°F, stirring evenly. Make a fresh egg and add fresh basil if possible. Discard rice left at room temperature overnight.
Serving Ideas and More Rice Bowls
Serve immediately with a spoon and unsweetened tea. A small cucumber side gives a cool contrast. For another rice-and-egg dinner, try these existing JapanDishes recipes:
Gapao Rice ガパオライス
Course: MainCuisine: Japanese-inspired, Thai-inspiredDifficulty: Easy2
bowls10
minutes15
minutes25
minutesJapanese café-style Gapao Rice with basil pork, red pepper, onion, steamed rice and a fried egg. Five clear steps make two bowls in about 25 minutes, starting with cooked rice ready.
Ingredients
300 g ground pork
80 g yellow onion, diced into 1 cm pieces
100 g red bell pepper, seeds removed, diced into 1 cm pieces
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
½–1 green serrano chili, thinly sliced (optional; adjust to taste)
10 g fresh sweet basil leaves, washed and dried
2 tablespoons neutral oil, divided
1 tablespoon (15 ml) soy sauce
1 tablespoon (15 ml) oyster sauce
1 teaspoon (5 ml) fish sauce
1 teaspoon (4 g) white sugar
2 tablespoons (30 ml) water
2 large eggs
400 g hot cooked Japanese short-grain rice (cooked weight)
Directions
- Dice the onion and red pepper, mince the garlic and slice the optional chili. Wash and dry the basil. Mix the soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar and water. Have the cooked rice ready.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wide pan. Stir garlic and chili for 20–30 seconds. Add the pork, break into small crumbles and cook over medium-high heat for about 4–5 minutes, until opaque and lightly browned.
- Cook the onion with the pork for about 2 minutes, then add the red pepper for 1–2 minutes. Add the sauce and simmer 1–2 minutes until lightly glazed. Check ground pork reaches 71°C / 160°F. Keep on very low heat.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a separate nonstick pan. Fry the two eggs for about 4–5 minutes, covering or turning as needed until both whites and yolks are firm. Allow extra time if needed.
- Remove the pork from the heat and fold in the basil, reserving a few leaves for garnish. Divide the rice and pork between two bowls. Top each with a fried egg and reserved basil; serve immediately.
Notes
- Timing starts with cooked rice ready; cooking rice takes extra time. Ground pork must reach 71°C / 160°F; ground chicken must reach 74°C / 165°F. Cook egg whites and yolks until firm. Sauces contain fish, oyster, soy and often wheat; check labels for dietary needs. Chili is optional. Refrigerate cooked rice within one hour and eat within 24 hours. Reheat rice only once until steaming throughout; reheat pork leftovers to 74°C / 165°F.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make gapao rice without holy basil?
Yes. This adaptation uses sweet basil. Holy basil and Thai basil have different aromas; use what you can find without expecting identical flavor.
Does the rice go into the frying pan?
No. Keep steamed rice separate, then add the topping in the bowl. This is not a fried-rice method.
Why is my stir-fry watery?
Moisture or crowding may be the cause. Simmer uncovered before adding basil until lightly glazed. More bottled sauce would also add salt.
Can I use just one pan?
Yes. Transfer cooked pork and vegetables to a covered bowl, then fry eggs in the cleaned pan. Fold basil into the hot pork before serving.
Can I prepare part of it ahead?
Chop vegetables and mix sauce ahead, keeping both covered and chilled. Wash basil close to cooking. Fresh rice and eggs give the best texture.
Bring the bowls to the table while the basil smells fresh. Enjoy the warm rice, savory topping and your freshly cooked egg. Itadakimasu!
Recipe background: Kikkoman’s Japanese gapao recipe. Cooking temperatures: FoodSafety.gov. Rice storage: NHS. Images were generated with AI for JapanDishes.