If there is one dish I keep coming back to whenever I want something bold, spicy, and incredibly satisfying with rice, it’s this Ayam Pad Phed (Pad Phet Chicken / Phat Phet Gai / Pad Ped Gai).

This is a Thai-Malaysian spicy chicken dish that begs for a big bowl of steamed rice… a true rice-stealer, ‘tambah nasi’ kind of dish! The spicy, savoury sauce clings to every grain, and I guarantee you’ll be going back for seconds.

It’s everything I love about Southeast Asian cooking: layers of fresh aromatics, fiery chillies, bright lemongrass and makrut lime leaves, with the earthy warmth of turmeric all cooked together into one incredibly flavourful dish.

The best part? Despite the long list of aromatic ingredients, Ayam Pad Phed is actually a simple dish to make at home. Once the aromatic paste is prepared, everything comes together quickly in one pan for a meal that tastes like it came from a restaurant.

Ayam Pad Phed is a spicy and aromatic Malaysian chicken stir fry with roots in Thai cuisine.

It’s one of many Thai-inspired dishes that Malaysians adapted into their cuisine, and made it their own. Other Thai-Malaysian dishes include Ayam Paprik (Pad Prik Chicken Stir Fry) and Nasi Pattaya (Omelette-wrapped Fried Rice).

The name is derived from Thai:

• Ayam = chicken (or ‘gai’ in Thai)
• Pad = stir fry
• Phed (Pet) = spicy

Although inspired by Thailand’s famous Pad Phet Gai, the Malaysian version is prepared quite differently. Instead of relying on curry paste, it uses a blend of fresh aromatics such as lemongrass, fresh turmeric, makrut lime leaves and chillies to create a dish that’s fragrant, spicy and deeply savoury.

This is the Malaysian version, and it’s the recipe I’m sharing here. If you’re looking for the authentic Thai Pad Phet Gai, I’ll be sharing that recipe separately.

Ayam Pad Phed vs Pad Phet Gai

It’s easy to assume these are the same dish, but there are a few key differences.

Thai Pad Phet Gai is typically made with red curry paste, giving it a richer, deeper curry flavour. It often includes ingredients like fingerroot (krachai), fresh green peppercorns and Thai basil, and is usually prepared with boneless sliced or minced chicken.

Malaysian Ayam Pad Phed, on the other hand, skips the curry paste altogether. Instead, it relies on a fresh aromatic blend of ingredients like lemongrass, fresh turmeric and chillies, with makrut lime leaves and dried tamarind (asam keping) adding brightness and tang. Bone-in chicken is also commonly used, making it a heartier family-style dish.

Both dishes are spicy, fragrant and delicious, but Malaysian Ayam Pad Phed has developed its own identity over time with flavours that are distinctly Malaysian rather than simply a copy of the Thai original.

Key Ingredients

Chicken

• Bone-in chicken is traditionally used in Ayam Pad Phed and gives the dish extra flavour during cooking. If you prefer, boneless chicken thighs work just as well and cook a little faster.

• The chicken is lightly seasoned with turmeric and salt before frying, which helps develop flavour and gives the chicken its beautiful golden colour.

Aromatics

This dish is incredibly easy to make – the hardest part in fact is in rounding up the base ingredients. These are Southeast Asian pantry staples, and can easily be found at Asian markets.

• Makrut Lime Leaves: To give Ayam Pad Phed its bright, citrusy aroma. They add a floral, almost perfume-like fragrance that cuts through the richness of the chicken and chilli paste. Slice them very thinly so they distribute evenly throughout the dish. If you’re using frozen leaves, tear them in whole.

• Onion, Garlic & Ginger: These are the foundation of the aromatic paste.

• Lemongrass: Lemongrass is another key ingredient, and this adds fragrance as well. We only need the white inner core. To prepare this, cut off the tops, and the root bottom, and peel the hard outer layer. Then slice the inner white core thinly, it should slice easily. Watch the video for a closer look at this!

• Bird’s Eye Chillies: It’s not Pad Phet Gai if there’s no spice! The Bird’s Eye Chillies add that all-important heat. Real Pad Ped Gai uses solely bird’s eye chillies.

• Red and Green Chillies: in this recipe, you would notice I added red and green spur chillies instead for a much milder heat. The spur chillies add a mild, sweet spice to the dish, while adding bulk. If you are big on spice, then go ahead and use just bird’s eye chillies!

• Turmeric: In this recipe, I used fresh turmeric. You can in fact replace this with turmeric powder, which is a lot more accessible. I usually use turmeric powder.

Seasonings

The sauce is intentionally simple so the aromatics remain the star.

You’ll need:

• Fish sauce for savouriness

• Palm sugar to balance the heat

• Dried tamarind slices (asam keping) for a gentle tang

What is Asam Keping?

Asam keping, also known as asam gelugur, are dried slices of the Garcinia fruit commonly used in Malaysian cooking as a souring agent.

Although often confused with tamarind pulp, they are different ingredients with different flavours. Asam keping has a cleaner, sharper acidity, while tamarind pulp is fruitier and sweeter.

If you can’t find asam keping, substitute with about 1 teaspoon concentrated tamarind paste. The flavour will be slightly different but still delicious.

Vegetables

Long beans are the traditional vegetable used in Ayam Pad Phed. They add freshness and crunch while soaking up the aromatic sauce beautifully.

Regular green beans make an excellent substitute if long beans aren’t available. Other vegetables you can use include:

• Carrots
• Thai eggplant or baby eggplant
• Bell peppers
• Broccoli or broccolini
• Snow peas or sugar snap peas

2. Marinate and Fry the Chicken

• Rub the chicken with the turmeric and salt until evenly coated.

• Let it marinate for at least 10 minutes. There is no need to refrigerate overnight, but you can for deeper flavour.

• Heat the oil over medium heat. Once hot, fry the chicken for about 10 minutes, or until lightly golden and just cooked through.

• Remove and set aside.

Pre-Frying the Chicken

I only make Pad Ped Gai this way: by frying the chicken pieces first! This takes an extra step, but it makes a big difference to me. Frying the turmeric-marinated chicken first will solidify the texture of the chicken. I find that frying it first, deepens the flavour of the turmeric. This is helpful especially if you’re not marinating the chicken overnight. Frying it till golden and cooked will remove that ‘fishy’ chicken flavour.

This is optional though. Not frying it first will undoubtedly save you a couple of steps and some time, but do note you’ll have a different chicken texture.

How to Serve

Ayam Pad Phed is best served hot with freshly steamed jasmine rice to soak up all of the delicious sauce.

For a complete Malaysian-style meal, pair it with:

• Steamed rice

• A simple stir-fried vegetable

• Fried egg

• Fresh cucumber

• Sambal on the side for extra heat