Chicken with chilli and basil
“Basil thrives in summer heat. Keep it well watered and it seems to grow before your eyes.”
- 3 banana chillies
- 4 small green chillies
- 2 long red chillies
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 coriander roots
- a teaspoon of salt
- 400g of diced chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp of fish sauce
- 1 tbsp of palm sugar
- 3 torn kaffir lime leaves
- 25 Thai basil leaves
- jasmine rice
- 2 tbsp of safflower oil
The cuisines of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand use many types of basil, added at the end of cooking so the flavour is still fresh and pungent. Thai cooking uses three distinct varieties. The first, simply called Thai basil or horapa and used widely in red and green curries, is the one closest to the type used in pesto and has a sweet anise smell. The second is holy basil or krapao, used as a strong flavour in curries or chilli stir-fries, and the third is a lemon basil the Thais call manglaek, used in soups.
Method
This recipe is adapted from David Thompson's Classic Thai Cuisine.
Crush 4 small green and 2 long red chillies (all deseeded), 4 cloves of garlic, 2 coriander roots and a teaspoon of salt to form a coarse paste.
Heat 2 tbsp of safflower oil in a wok, add the paste and fry on high, stirring for 2 minutes. Add 400g of diced chicken thighs and 3 banana chillies (deseeded and cut in half) and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes. Take from the heat and add 2 tbsp of fish sauce, 1 tbsp of palm sugar, 3 torn kaffir lime leaves and 25 Thai basil leaves.
Before serving, add more chilli, fish sauce and/or palm sugar if necessary.
To serve
Serves 4
with jasmine rice.
