Thai food is one of my favourite cuisines maybe because I have had the good fortune of visiting Thailand twice and enjoying the amazing spread of food not just in restaurants but also on street kiosks and food courts. There is always something new to discover when you visit that country. Needless to say, most of us who grew up in India were exposed only to Indo-Chinese food and seldom had the chance to experience the rich variety of cuisines across the Southeast Asian region. Thai food is also not limited to their coconut milk based gravies although those are what I crave for whenever I want some comfort food.
By the way, this recipe was the first to get photographed two weeks ago when my son coaxed me to start posting recipes again. I was super hesitant at first, maybe even lazy to plate the food and take pictures which is why you will only find one image for this post. I hope to be a little more regular in the upcoming days. The recipe for this dish was picked by my son who found it in a cookbook on Asian food. While I strongly feel that it is the famous Thai dish Pad Krapow Gai (Stir-fried chicken with Holy Basil) we were not true to the recipe as it was a quick decision to make it for our dinner and we tossed in whatever ingredients we had. However, the taste was just as stunning and it is definitely something you can try in lieu of the original dish. Serve it with plain rice or fried rice – the taste is wonderful
Stir Fried Chicken with Basil and Chilli
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 fat cloves of garlic thinly sliced
- 2-3 fresh red chillies deseeded and chopped
- 450 grams boneless chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
- 3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce * see notes
- 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon granulated white sugar
- 10-12 Thai basil leaves * see notes
To garnish
- 2 fresh red chillies deseeded and finely chopped
- 15-20 Thai basil leaves deep fried
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and add the sliced garlic and chillies. Fry until the garlic turns golden brown – take care to see that it doesn’t burnt or it will taste bitter
- Add the chicken pieces and stir fry till the chicken changes colour – don’t overcrowd the pan, fry in batches if need be or else the chicken will steam cook rather than getting fried
- Add the fish sauce (or oyster/mushroom sauce), soy sauce and sugar and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens a bit, forms a glaze and the chicken turns brownish and is cooked through.
- Stir in the fresh basil leaves and give it a mix. Transfer to a serving dish
- Garnish the dish with the chopped red chillies and deep fried basil leaves. Serve hot
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
The nutritional values are only indicative.
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