Thai Basil Chicken
I’ve always been a fan of this dish, and have spent a long time trying to find a recipe that I like that lives up to what I frequently order in Thai restaurants. I think I’ve found one that comes pretty close. This one comes to us courtesy of Kasma Loha-unchit. I’ve listed the ingredients here, follow the link for the full instructions.
- 2-3 Tbs. peanut oil for stir-frying
- 10-12 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2-3 shallots, thinly sliced (or substitute with 1/2 cup sliced onion) – optional
- 1 lb. boneless chicken thighs, coarsely chopped, or cut into small bite-size pieces
- 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
Any recipe that calls for garlic and basil in those kinds of quantities is my kind of food. Even at that, I think the recipe was still weak on the garlic. Sadly, since my wife and children aren’t as gung-ho for spicy Thai food as I am, I made this with some canned mild green chillies for the pepper flavour, and then added Sriracha (“Rooster Sauce”) to mine after serving. It’s not the same as adding Thai peppers to the original fry, but it’ll have to do.
