Pad Kra Pao Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe (Italian × Thai)

Method

1. Stir the oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce and palm sugar together in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves; this is your stir-fry sauce. Trim the tough ends off the broccoli rabe and cut it into 4 cm pieces. Pound the garlic and chilies roughly in a mortar, or chop them coarsely with a knife.

   Add in this stepOyster sauce 1½ tbspFish sauce 2 tspSoy sauce 1½ tspPalm sugar (or light brown sugar) 1 tsp

2. Bring 3 L of water to a rolling boil in a large pot over high heat (about 12 min) and add the coarse salt.

   Add in this stepCoarse salt (for the pasta water) 30 g

   high heat

3. Add the orecchiette and cook for 7 min, then add the broccoli rabe and cook for 5 min more. The pasta should still have a little bite, because it finishes in the wok.

   Add in this stepDried orecchiette 200 gBroccoli rabe (cime di rapa), untrimmed weight 300 g

4. While the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a 26 cm wok or deep frying pan over medium heat, add the garlic and chilies and stir for 30 sec, until fragrant. The chili fumes sting, so keep your face back from the pan.

   Add in this stepNeutral vegetable oil 1½ tbspGarlic cloves 4Bird's eye chilies 2

   medium heat

5. Turn the heat up to high heat, add the pork and stir-fry for 4 min, breaking it into small pieces and letting it sit for a moment now and then so the edges brown. When no pink remains, pour in the sauce and stir.

   Add in this stepGround pork 160 g

   high heat

6. Scoop out a mugful of cooking water, then lift the pasta and greens into the wok, add the water and toss over high heat for 1 min, until the sauce coats everything and soaks into the little cups of pasta. Turn off the heat, stir in the basil just until it wilts, squeeze over the lime and serve at once.

   Add in this stepPasta cooking water (reserved) 80 mlHoly basil leaves (or Thai basil) 20 gLime ½

   high heat