by Elissa
Like Katie, I am in the lucky position of having a riot of basil growing in my yard (we have a sunny patch in our front yard that herbs just love, and it makes me so happy to grow my own herbs after years of apartment-dwelling herbal failures). Our Thai basil plant now resembes a medium-sized shrub, and I thought I'd share my favorite way to use Thai basil. You can also use regular basil if you don't have the Thai stuff on hand. This is a great fast dinner--just add rice and you're ready to go!
This is basically a riff on the dish at Thai restaurants that is often called Ka Pow, and the flavor profile is very similar to drunken noodles. You can barely see the basil in this photo because you wilt it into the stir fry at the end of the cooking process, but it's still incredibly fragrant and flavorful. If you don't like heat you can easily omit the hot pepper. (I often do a mild batch for the kids and a spicy batch for the grown-ups.)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 4-5 boneless skinless chicken thighs)
2 cups green beans cut into 1-inch pieces (or other vegetables--recipe is very flexible)
1 large shallot, chopped (can substitute half an onion)
1 small hot pepper, sliced (can use Thai bird chile, jalapeno, or similar)
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon fish sauce
1 Tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons sherry (can use cooking sherry or whatever white wine you have around)
1-2 Tablespoons water
2-3 cups basil leaves (preferably Thai basil)
Cut up the chicken into bite-sized pieces and combine with 2 teaspoons soy sauce, set aside while you prep the other ingredients. Chop the vegetables and in a small bowl combine the 1 Tb. soy sauce with the fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, sherry, and water. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat (it's important to get the pan good and hot before you begin cooking). Add the shallot and cook for a minute or two. Add the chicken and hot pepper and let it cook for a few minutes before you begin stir frying. Once the chicken is looking browned and mostly done add the green beans and cook for a couple more minutes. Pour in the sauce mixture (it should start boiling right away) Cover for 2 minutes to help steam the green beans. Remove the cover and add the basil. Stir until the basil is wilted.
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