Quick, so easy and always a joy to eat, Thai Basil Chicken is a hugely popular Thai dish that is an eternal keeper for the recipes box.
About Thai Basil Chicken
Thai Basil Chicken is a widely recognized dish often served over a bed of rice accompanied by a fried egg. The fried egg is assembled by cracking an egg into hot oil, basting the yolk with hot oil and leaving it untouched to fry. The final appearance is similar to a fried sunny side up egg.
The dish can be very spicy or mildly spicy, depending on what combination of chili peppers you choose to use.
Ingredients for Thai Basil Chicken
Some ingredients are hard to find, but the dish is quite forgiving.
Protein – Traditionally cooked by mincing chicken such as chicken thighs by hand, minced pork or turkey turn out splendid. Firm tofu is a vegan possibility.
Basil – Any basil variety works. Thai holy basil is the recommended basil of choice, but not to be confused with Thai basil. Thai holy basil has a “distinctive sweet taste and a clove aroma, with mild hints of black pepper, lemon, and even peppermint”, whereas Thai basil has a “licorice or anise flavor, a hint of cinnamon, and a mild spicy taste” (source: evergreenseeds).
Thai chili peppers – Any dried or fresh Thai chili peppers work. I often substitute with mild Sichuan dried peppers combined with a small, sweet bell pepper. Serrano peppers are another option to consider.
What are the types of Thai chili peppers
Several varieties of Thai chili peppers exist, ranging from low heat to very high heat. Below are common types of Thai chili peppers (source: Thai Food Online).
SHU (Scoville Heat Units) scale definition: Indicates the degree of capsaicin present in chilies. Capsaicin is the ingredient that makes chilies spicy. A higher SHU measurement means a spicier chili.
- Thai Spur Chili Pepper (Prik Chee Fah) / Large red Thai chilies — SHU Scale: 1,000 (LOW HEAT). Red and typically 5-12 cm in length. For a milder kick these chilies are best for Thai Basil Chicken.
- Large Green Thai Chilies — SHU Scale: 1,500 (LOW HEAT). Similar in appearance to spur chilies but provide slightly more heat.
- Thai Jinda Pepper (Prik Jinda) — SHU Scale: 75,000 (MEDIUM-HIGH HEAT). Similar in shape but smaller than spur chilies, jinda peppers are very spicy. Dried versions are available on amazon.com.
- Thai Bird’s Eye Chillies (Prik Kee Nu) — SHU Scale: 90,000 (HIGH HEAT). Very well known, these small chilies are very spicy.
- Small Thai Red Chillies (Prik Kee Noo) — SHU Scale: 110,000 (VERY HIGH HEAT). Smaller than Thai bird’s eye chilies and the hottest of all Thai chilies.
Equipment used
Coffee grinder – Grinds the garlic and chili peppers into a rough paste. The authentic route is to use a mortar and pestle. Pounding and grinding the garlic and chili peppers releases their flavors well and retains the texture better.
Thai Basil Chicken
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Loading...Quick, so easy and always a joy to eat, Thai Basil “Chicken” is a popular Thai dish that could be an eternal keeper for your recipes box.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground meat (chicken, turkey, pork)
- 1 bunch basil with stems removed
- 1 tbsp oil
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- Garlic and chili mixture
- 6 cloves garlic
- 5 chilies dried or fresh
- Sauce mixture
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp coconut sugar or other sugar
Instructions
Grind up garlic and chilies. Use a mortar and pestle, coffee grinder or hand mince.
Make the sauce. Combine oyster sauce, fish sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and sugar in a small bowl.
Warm a pan over medium heat with oil. Add the ground garlic and chilies, stir and cook until fragrant and sizzling.
Add ground meat and break it up. At the same time work the fried garlic and chili mixture into the meat.
Add sauce to the pan and toss to coat meat. Sprinkle white pepper and toss. If necessary, add 1-2 tablespoons of water to prevent meat from sticking to the pan.
Add basil and toss with meat. Cook about ½ minute further, remove and serve.
Notes
Serve over a bed of jasmine rice and alongside a fried, sunny-side up egg.
