My sister-in-law has a Thai basil plant that yields an abundance of basil year long, so I thought I’d make a stir fry with it. If you’ve never had Thai basil, it’s similar to Italian sweet basil, but the leaves are firmer and has a slight anise flavor. It’s a perfect pairing with other bold flavors like garlic, fish sauce and chili’s.
Plus this dish is fast and easy, but big on flavor.
High yielding Thai Basil Plant
Wash 12 large sprigs of basil and strip leaves off the stems. Discard stems and set aside leaves.
Cut the boneless chicken thighs into bite size strips and marinate with spices and cornstarch.
Heat pan with olive oil. Add chopped garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds.
Add marinated chicken in a layer and allow to caramelize on one side for a few minutes before stirring the chicken around. When the bottom side of the chicken is browned, then start stirring the chicken around til cooked through.
Once the chicken is cooked through, there should naturally be some sauce due to the cornstarch in the marinade.
At this stage, add the basil
Stir fry until the basil is wilted. Turn off the heat and serve hot over rice.
Yields 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 6 boneless skinless thighs cut to bite size strips
- 1.5 T soy sauce
- 1 T fish sauce
- 1.5 t sugar
- 1.5 t mirin
- 1 t garlic powder
- 2 t dried chopped onions
- 2 t garlic chili sauce
- 2 t cornstarch
- 12 large stems of Thai basil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- Olive oil
Procedures:
1. Cut chicken thighs into bite size strips. Add soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, mirin, garlic powder, dried chopped onions, garlic chili sauce, and cornstarch and mix. Marinate for a few hours in the fridge.
2. Wash basil and remove leaves off the stem. Discard stem and set leaves aside until ready to use.
3. When ready to cook, take marinated chicken out of fridge. Heat a large pan with olive oil on medium high heat.
4. Add chopped garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds until fragrant. Then add the marinated chicken spreading out to a layer in the pan. Allow the chicken to caramelize a bit in the pan by not stirring for a few minutes. When the chicken is browned on the bottom, start stirring the chicken until the chicken is cooked through.
5. When the chicken is cooked, there should be a natural sauce that is formed from the cornstarch in the marinade. Add the basil and stir fry just until the basil is wilted (About 30 seconds). Turn off the heat and serve hot over rice.