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Basil Recipes 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 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. This is a good and easy stir-fried dish and one of the favorites among Thai people. It is served over rice
as a one-dish meal – for breakfast or for lunch, often topped with a crispy fried egg. Of course, it also appears frequently
as one of the courses in a shared family-style meal. If you are not able to find fresh
holy basil, this recipe can be substituted with any fresh basil. I have also tried it with a mixture of fresh Thai sweet basil
(bai horapa) and fresh mint leaves with good results. The smaller the chicken
is cut, the greater the surface area to coat with the flavors of the aromatic herbs and sauces, and the more flavorful the
stir-fry will be. Some of my students have reported good results using ground turkey. In Thailand, this dish is often made
with chopped pork, or bird meat, especially in fast-food, curry-rice shops (rahn kao gkaeng), where an enormous variety
of dishes are prepared ahead of time and served over steaming white rice to order. When I travel in the rural areas, I often
stop at such rice shops in small towns for lunch. Some of the best pad gka-prow can be had at these inconspicuous,
no-frills, open-air places. They are made particularly spicy to help preserve the meat, as the dishes are prepared early in
the morning and served throughout the day until they are sold out. One of our particular
favorites is to make it with ground pork and lots of Thai chillies. For pork, make sure you use
holy basil (Bai Gkaprow), as it goes especially well with pork. Try the above
recipe also with fresh seafood (in this case, no need to chop) – shrimps, scallops, mussels, clams, crab and firm-flesh
fish, such as fresh halibut and salmon.
 Braised
Onions and Mushrooms in Basil Cream4-5 medium onions 8 oz. button mushrooms, ends trimmed 2 Tbs. butter 2 Tbs. olive oil 2 garlic cloves 3/4 cup of chicken broth (1/2 can) 3 Tbs dry vermouth 1 tsp. dried thyme or 2 sprigs fresh 1/4 c fresh chopped basil 1 c heavy cream salt to taste Heat butter and oil in heavy pan on stove’s medium heat. Peel onions. Cut in half vertically, so each half has the bottom of the bulb to hold it together. Brown onions, mushrooms and garlic in butter, turning mushrooms and onions over only once or twice. Remove garlic cloves, chop fine and return to pan. Add chicken stock, vermouth and thyme. Cover and cook on med-low heat for 20-25 minutes. In a skillet or sauté pan, heat the butter and sauté the shallots and basil. Deglaze the pan by adding the vermouth, bringing to a rapid boil for one minute and scraping up the bits with a spoon. Add cream. Simmer the sauce to reduce to desired consistency. Salt to taste. Add the onions, mushrooms and rewarm. Wonderful as a sauce or side with beef or lamb. |
