Thai Basil Chicken

in ,
DSC_09573.jpg

I’ve been growing Thai basil and Japanese eggplants in my garden since July for the express purpose of making Thai green curry from scratch using only ingredients I grew myself. I even got a curry tree (who knew that curry leaves came from a tree?)… but then some kind of bug or something burrowed its way into my eggplants and stunted their growth so my dream is dead. Meanwhile, my basil plants are growing out of control, so I just trimmed the bushes and threw the wok on the stove, and 20 minutes later this beautiful bowl of chicken was sitting in front of me. P.S. I grew that nasturtium flower from a seed!!!

Now, this recipe really needs a disclaimer. I call it Thai Basil Chicken, but it’s really more like Chinese Chicken with Thai Basil. I’m allergic to fish sauce, so I really can’t cook anything using traditional Thai recipes. Because of that, I basically replace the fish sauce in any Thai recipe I use with an equal amount of soy sauce and a few drops of dark sesame oil. It doesn’t really have a Thai taste actually, but whatever, it’s the best I can do and it does taste good, I promise.

Butter Count: How much butter is in my crushed green curry dreams?

 

INGREDIENTS:

2 tsp canola oil

1/4 cup shallots, minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes

3 Tbsp soy sauce

1/8 tsp dark sesame oil

2 1/2 tsp sugar

1 1/4 tsp sambal oelek

1 tsp water

1/2 tsp cornstarch

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup Thai basil leaves, roughly chopped

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Add the oil to a large non-stick pan and heat it over medium heat.

  2. Add the shallots and garlic, and toss about 1 minute or until fragrant.

  3. Add the chicken. Cook about 14 minutes, flipping the chicken cubes halfway through, until the chicken is cooked.

  4. While the chicken is cooking, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, sambal oelek, water, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl, and whisk it until well blended.

  5. When the chicken is cooked, add the sauce to the pan and cook about 1 minute, or until the sauce is thickened.

  6. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the basil.

  7. Serve with cooked rice.