Thai Sweet Basil with Chicken
OK, I’m reprinting this recipe here (with a few minor changes) but I got it from here. I HIGHLY recommend you visit that site as it is EASILY the best source of authentic Thai recipes I’ve ever seen. I’m a huge fan of Thai basil and have been trying to replicate this recipe for some time now. I even had some Thai basil growing here for a little while (before I ate it all). The great thing is that this is extremely healthy - chicken, a bit of oil, and a bunch of vegis. What could be bad about that? FYI - you can switch out chicken with just about any other meat. Seafood is traditional (shrimp, scallops) though I’ve had this dish with pork and duck. Feel free to experiment.
Thai Basil with Chicken
Source: http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/recipes/baschi.html
- 2-3 Tbs. peanut oil for stir-frying
- 10-12 cloves garlic, finely chopped (I use a whole head)
- 2-3 shallots, thinly sliced (or substitute with 1/2 cup sliced onion) – optional
- 1-2 Red Bell Peppers thinly sliced
- 1 lb. boneless chicken thighs, coarsely chopped, or cut into small bite-size pieces (breast is fine though the texture isn’t quite as good)
- 12-20 Thai chillies (prik kee noo), cut into very thin rounds; or substitute 4-6 serrano, jalapeño or fresno peppers, cut into large slivers with seeds
- 2 small kaffir lime leaves (bai ma-gkrood), very finely slivered (optional)
- 2-3 tsp. black soy sauce (the semi-sweet kind), or to taste
- 2 Tbs. fish sauce (nam bplah), or to taste
- 1 cup fresh Thai holy basil (bai gka-prow), or Thai sweet basil (bai horapa) leaves and flower buds; or use 1/4 cup dried holy basil, soaked to soften plus 1/2 to 1 cup fresh Thai sweet basil (bai horapa)
- Dash of ground white pepper
Prepare the ingredients as instructed. Leave the fresh basil leaves whole; the flower buds may also be used. The dried holy basil will soften when soaked in tap water for about 10 to 15 minutes. Pull off and discard the hard stems. Drain.
Heat a wok until its surface is smoking hot. Swirl in the oil to coat the wok surface.
Wait a few seconds for the oil to heat, then stir in the garlic, followed a few seconds later with the shallots or onion.
Stir another 15 to 20 seconds before adding the red bell pepper.
Stir another 15-30 seconds and add the chicken.
Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, or until most of the chicken has changed color on the outside and is no longer pink.
Toss in the chillies, slivered kaffir lime leaves (if using), and softened dried holy basil (if using). Sprinkle black soy sauce over the mixture and stir-fry for another 15 to 20 seconds.
Season to taste with fish sauce, then stir in the fresh basil.
Toss well. Stir-fry another 1/2 to 1 minute, or until the basil is wilted and the chicken cooked through.
Sprinkle with white pepper.
Stir and transfer to a serving dish, or spoon directly over individual plates of plain steamed rice.
Serves 6 to 8 with other dishes in a shared family-style meal.
Tom’s Notes - I’ve done this recipe three times and haven’t measured anything and I’ve never added too much or too little of anything so don’t sweat the amounts. Just eyeball it. The only thing I’d say is don’t skimp on the Thai basil - it’s the major flavor and as far as I can tell, you can’t have too much. (FYI - I have no idea with “holy” basil is - I’ve only ever used sweet basil. It has a normal basil looking leaf but with a purple stem. It has an anise (black licorice) like flavor with a bit of heat and a bit of sweet.) I never could find the kaffir leaves so I’ve left them out. From the original recipe, I’ve added some red bell peppers but you could add other vegis as well. Just make sure you add them at the right time (depending on how long they take to cook). As far as I’m concerned, the shallots are NOT optional. I’ve forgotten to add the white pepper at the end and it hasn’t affected the flavor too much. I’d suggest cutting the chicken as small as possible (you could use ground if you want) as it cooks faster and gives you a better sauce to chicken ratio.
When you add the fish sauce, you’re going to think you’ve done something horribly, horribly wrong. You haven’t, it just smells like ass. Once it cooks for a bit, it’ll start smelling right (the Thai basil leaves will help with this as well). Note - the other site says you can use any kind of fresh basil but I think they mean any kind of fresh Thai basil (there are more than one type). I’m not convinced it would be a good idea to use Italian basil. For the garlic, I just use a whole head. I mince it by hand but if you are using the bottled stuff, I’d estimate it is about 1-2 tablespoons. Just remember that at the beginning to keep the stuff moving. If you burn that garlic, it is all over and you’ll have to start over.
As far as the heat - this is a hot recipe. Now, understand that I use all the recommended chilies plus some. I guess you could leave them out if you wanted but I’d suggest at least one or two. It is Thai food after all - it’s supposed to be a little hot. Over all, the flavor of this recipe is outstanding and it goes great over rice or noodles. I love this stuff and you probably will too. It actually takes a lot longer to prep the vegis than it does the cook the dish. Just cut the stuff up before hand and stick it in the fridge for dinner. I like to place everything out on the counter in a row in the order they go in the pan. That way I have have about a 75% less chance of fucking something up. Enjoy.
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