I am always in the mood for Thai food.  Edmonton has a number of very good Thai places to choose from, and I have two or three in particular that I would never turn down an invite to.  But, as I’ve had the pleasure of preparing and tasting some Thai recipes made on a home stove, I thought that I would try to make one of my favourites rather than try to rustle someone up for a dinner out.  And it’s much more budget friendly.

Like Sugar, I’m a big fan of green curries.  A green curry with chicken is a standard for me when eating out.  The other one is basil chicken.  The flavour is not as complex or as rich as a curry, but the spice of the chilies and the sweetness of the basil is a winning combination.  Add an appetizer and some steamed rice, and Cream is in Thai heaven.

Essentially just a stir fry, there’s not a lot to fret about regarding ingredients or technique when making basil chicken.  Googling a recipe results in the Thai names of Gai Pad Krapow or Pad Krapow Gai.  Both paths will end in deliciousness I think.  As I waded through results, I found that a more authentic recipe calls for holy basil, which is apparently hard to find.  The real deal is not made with the expected purple-stemmed Thai basil.  A few sites recommended using a mix of mint and Thai basil as a substitution.  So, I did just that. 

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It’s not a dish with many vegetables, but as the restaurant versions I prefer always have bell peppers, I required one of those, and I added green beans for good measure.  It also seems to be more authentic to use ground chicken.  The reason for this being that more surface area of the chicken gets hit with the few but strong flavours.  So, if you’re using breast (like me), make sure to dice it quite small.

 

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The aromas that fill the house when the ingredients hit the hot pan are intoxicating.  Add the perfume of a pot of jasmine rice and the sun of a long Alberta day, and Thai heaven is in fact your own home.

 

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Thai Basil Chicken

 

Makes enough for two.

 

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2-5 chilies, finely chopped (I used 3 small Thai red chilies and the heat was a tolerable medium)

2 shallots, finely sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

About 2 handfuls of green beans, trimmed and chopped to about 1.5 inches in length

1 red pepper, sliced

2 chicken breasts, diced

2.5 tablespoons fish sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

About 1 cup Thai basil leaves

About 0.5 cup mint leaves

1 lime

Cooked jasmine rice

 

1.  Heat oil over high heat in wok or frying pan.  When the oil starts to smoke, add the chilies, shallots, and garlic and stir fry for about 30 seconds, until golden.

2.  Add the beans and red pepper and fry until tender-crisp, about 4 minutes.

3.  Add the chicken and stir fry until cooked, about 5 minutes, depending on size of dice.

4.  Add the fish sauce and sugar, stir to coat.

5.  Reduce heat to medium and add the herbs.  Stir fry until wilted.  Remove from heat.

 

Serve with lime wedges and atop jasmine rice.