anyone have a recipe for basil chicken/beef ?

[greysangel]

Hey everyone!

First off, I love thai food. Secondly I have this big bunch of fresh basil that I would love to use before it croaks on me.

Anyone have any yummy basil dishes?

Thanks!

JeAnne

[browneye]

Some ideas for you:

These are from the Lemon Grass cookbook, a Seattle Thai resaurant that is yummy!

Spicy Basil Beef (Pad Baigapoa)

4 servings

2 Tblps oil (may reduce)
4 cloves garlic
1/2 lb. thin sliced tender beef
1 Tblsp chopped Thai chiles
1/4 cup sliced onions
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 Tblsp oyster sauce
2 Tblsp fish sauce
1 Tblsp sugar
1/8 tsp white pepper
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
green onions, chopped (garnish)

Heat oil in pan, add garlic and chilies. Add beef and stir fry for 1 minute. Add onions and basil. Cook for 1/2 minute, adding oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar and white pepper. Top with green onions and cilantro.
Serve with rice.

[Gail]

Here's a recipe for you and an old thread which may give you some more ideas: http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Archives/Archive-000002/HTML/20000807-1-000366.html

SPICY BASIL CHICKEN
(Gkai Pad Gka-prow)

2 - 3 tablespoons peanut oil for frying
4 - 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 - 3 shallots, thinly sliced (or substitute with 1/2 cup sliced onion)
1 pound boneless chicken thighs, coarsely chopped, or cut into small bite-sized pieces
2 - 3 fresh jalapeño or fresno peppers, cut into large slivers, or 5 - 10 Thai chillies (prik kee noo), chopped and pounded with a mortar and pestle
2 small kaffir lime leaves (bai ma-gkrood) very finely slivered (optional)
2 teaspoons black soy sauce (the semi-sweet kind)BE SURE IT IS BLACK SOY SAUCE SPECIFICALLY LABELED FROM THAILAND, not the regular Chinese soy sauce
1 cup fresh Thai holy basil, or substitute 1/4 cup dried holy basil, soaked to soften plus 1/2 cup fresh Thai sweet basil (see below)
1 - 2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam bplah) to taste
Dash of ground white pepper

Prepare the ingredients as indicated. Leave the fresh basil leaves whole, the flowers may also be used. The dried holy basil will soften when soaked in tap water for 10 - 15 minutes. Pull off and discard the hard stems. Drain.

Heat wok until the surface is smoking hot. Swirl in the oil to coat the wok surface. Wait a few seconds for the oil to heat, then stir in the garlic, followed a few seconds later with shallots. Stir another few seconds before adding the chicken. Stir-fry a minute or two, or until most of the chicken has started to change color on the outside and is no longer pink. Toss in the peppers or chillies, slivered kaffir lime leaves and reconstituted dried holy basil (if using). Sprinkle black soy sauce over the mixture and stir-fry another 15-20 seconds. Then add fresh basil leaves and fish sauce to taste. Stir and mix well. Stir-fry another half a minute or until the basil is wilted and the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with white pepper. Stir and transfer to a serving dish, or spoon directly over individual plates of plain steamed white rice.

NOTES AND POINTERS
This is a good and easy stir-fried dish and one of the favorites among Thai people. It is served over rice as a one-dish meal for breakfast or for lunch, often topped with a crispy fried egg. Of course, it also appears frequently as one of the courses in a shared family-style meal.

If you are not able to find fresh holy basil, this recipe can be substituted with any fresh basil. I have also tried it with a mixture of fresh Thai sweet basil (bai horapa) and fresh mint leaves with good results.

The smaller the chicken is cut, the greater the surface areas will be to coat with the flavors of the aromatic herbs and sauces, and the more flavorful the stir-fry will be. Some of my students have reported good results using ground turkey. In Thailand, this dish is often made with chopped pork or bird meat, especially in fast-food, curry-rice shops where an enormous variety of dishes are prepared ahead of time and served over steaming white frice to order. When I travel in the rural areas, I often stop at such rice shops in small towns for lunch. Some of the best pad gka-prow can be had at these inconspicuous, no-frills, open-air places. They are made particularly spicy to help preserve the meat, as the dishes are prepared early in the morning and served throughout the day until they are sold out.

Try the above recipe also with fresh seafood, such as shrimps, scallops, mussels, clams, crab (all of which require no chopping) and firm-fleshed fish, such as fresh halibut and salmon.

From: It Rains Fishes