Ask ten people from any given country about their national dish, and you’re likely to get at least three different answers. But watch them order lunch for a few days, and the answer will be literally served on a plate.

The true daily choice of millions of Thais around the country is Pad Kaprao, the holy basil stir-fry. This staple of Thai food is available at any street eatery as well as at any upmarket restaurant. Cooked with any protein, from leftover yesterday’s meat to fresh seafood, Pad Kaprao has a dozen faces and half a dozen names in English.

Thais call Pad Kaprao “menu sin khid,” meaning it is a dish you order when you are not sure or cannot decide what exactly you want. The holy basil stir-fry is guaranteed to satisfy.

Though holy basil has been known to Thais for centuries, Pad Kaprao is believed to have gained its overwhelming popularity in the second half of the 20th century.

Thai chef and book-writer Pailin (Pai) Chongchitnant refers to Pad Kaprao as a “universally loved” dish and “one of the most useful recipes she has ever shared.”

A Thai kitchen normally has everything needed for Pad Kaprao at any given moment, so the cook just needs to bring the meat and the holy basil. Just as with any stir-fry, the dish consists of several basic components. Here are the steps to this stairway to the heaven of flavors from Chef Pai’s blog.

• Get the protein ready. Using a hot wok, quickly brown your minced meat or whatever you have and set it aside.
• Get the aromatics ready. Pound some Thai chilies and garlic into a rough paste. Set it aside.
• Get the sauce ready. Mix oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and water. Set it aside.
• Assemble! Quickly fry the aromatic paste to release the flavor for a minute or two. Add some chopped onions, followed by the protein and the sauce after another minute. Stir-fry for another minute all together, then throw in your holy basil leaves, toss, and turn off the heat. Done!

Pad Kaprao is served with steamed jasmine rice topped with a fried egg. For utmost Thainess, keep the yolk runny so you can break it with a fork and watch it flow down your rice like golden lava.

The most typical condiment would be “prik nam pla,” which is fish sauce with chopped chilies. Some people would opt for “prik nam som,” which is chilies in vinegar, though acidity is not typical of this dish.

Please note that Pad Kaprao should be spicy, reaching around 8/10 on your personal heat scale.