Crispy Thai Basil and Chicken

Frying is fun. Frying basil and having the apartment smell like an herb garden is even more fun. Eating that fried basil and realizing my arteries aren't going to clog nearly as fast as if I'd dropped a Twinkie in that oil is the bestest fun. Yes... bestest.

The most difficult part of the whole recipe is getting your hands on the Thai Basil (or if you're really lucky, Holy Basil). Thai Basil is different from Italian Basil. It's sweeter, more floral and carries a distinct note of pepper. I buy this stuff all the time from my shop down the street but I know I can also get it for a higher price at our local overpriced farmer's market.

When Holly got home from her 10 weeks in Thailand in 2008, one dish she remembered quite fondly was Crispy Basil. She just walked past me, saw a picture of Thai basil and told me the story of her first time trying it. She and her classmates were on their way to temple and the bus driver pulled over for lunch. They ordered up a dish of crispy basil and the driver warned them that it would be spicy. She had Holy Basil, not standard Thai Basil, so this won't burn your face off.

This recipe comes from The Food of Thailand on page 182

Ingredients:

• 2 handfuls Thai basil
• cooking oil
• 5 bird's eye chillies
• 1 tbsp fish oil
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 5 minced garlic cloves
• 1# finely sliced chicken
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 4 shallots, peeled and largely sliced
• 2 tbs chicken stock
• 1 red pepper

Mix the chicken, garlic, chillies, fish sauce and oyster sauce in a bowl. Cover and marinate for 30 minutes.

Heat about 1 inch of oil in a wok or deep frying pan over medium heat. Allow oil to heat for about 5 minutes then test temperature by dropping in a small piece of the basil. If it sizzles, it's ready to go. Deep fry 3/4 of the basil for about 1 minute until they are crispy. Trust me, they crisp up pretty quickly. Remove with a metal slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Discard the oil. I don't discard it. I transfer it to another pan and allow it to cool. I then strain it and funnel it into a jar. Since I only used it for the basil there is no sense in wasting this wonderfully flavored oil. Label the jar and store it somewhere for the next time you make this recipe.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in the same wok or frying pan and stir fry half the chicken over high heat for 3-4 minutes. Remove the chicken and repeat with the other half. Return all the chicken to the wok.

Reduce heat to medium and add the stock and sugar to the wok, then the red pepper and shallots, and stir-fry for another 3-4 minutes. Stir in the fresh basil leaves. Serve up and garnish with the cooled crispy basil leaves. As always, accompany with rice. In this picture I've seasoned the Jasmine rice with a delicious garlic pepper sauce.