A popular Thai street food dish. It is spicy and garlicky with a beautiful flavor and aroma from fresh basil leaves. It is a must try for Thai food lovers and hardly takes 15 minutes to cook. The authentic recipe for basil chicken calls for holy basil. I couldn’t find it in my local Asian grocery store so replaced it with Thai basil. Italian basil also works well for this recipe. Best served with plain rice, crispy fried egg with a soft /runny yolk and the delicious Thai condiment, Prik Nam Pla and salad
Ingredients (Serves 3)
- Chicken thighs – 400 gm, cut into very small pieces (you can use minced chicken instead)
- Oil – 1 – 1.5 tbsp
- Thai red ripe chilies – 5 – 6 (use green chilies if fresh red chilies are not available)
Garlic – 5 medium cloves - Oyster sauce – 1 tbsp
Soy sauce, light – 1 tbsp
Soy sauce, dark – 1 tsp
Fish sauce – 1/2 tsp
Sugar – 1 tsp - Holy basil leaves – 1 1/4 cup (I used Thai basil…you can use Italian basil also.)Method
1. Crush garlic and ripe red chilies in a mortar and pestle.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add crushed garlic and red chilies. Cook for a minute. Add chicken pieces and cook for 4 – 5 minutes until cooked through. Add ingredients numbered 4 and cook for a minute. Switch off. Add basil leaves and toss for 20 – 30 seconds till it wilts. Serve immediately with plain rice, prik nam pla(recipe below), cucumber slices and fried egg.For Prik Nam Pla Condiment
Also known as Thai sauce, its a staple table condiment in Thai cuisine. It has only 4 ingredients – fish sauce, red chilies, sugar and lime juice which gives a salty, spicy, sweet n sour flavor. It tastes really yum and can be served over rice, fried rice, noodles, in soups etc.
Fish sauce – 2 tbsp
Lime juice – 1 tbsp
Red ripe chilies – 4 – 5, cut into thin rounds
Sugar – 1 pinch
Garlic – 1/2 tsp minced (optional)
Combine all the above ingredients. Set aside for at least 30 minutes. Serve with plain rice and Thai basil chicken or fried rice.
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