Chicken with Holy Basil

Holy basil is used in several different Thai dishes, but probably the most famous is gai pad gaprow, which translates to chicken recipes stir-fried with holy basil. It’s a very common street food in Thailand, sort of like the hamburger here in America. And it’s really easy to make, just like its American counterpart. You need only healthy chicken recipes or some other protein, garlic, chilies, holy basil, and a few Thai seasoning sauces (dark soy sauce being indispensable, the others can vary depending on your tastes).


You start by sauteing the garlic and chilies, then add your protein, season with dark black soy sauce and whatever other sauces you prefer, add the holy basil, and you’re done! Really, that’s it. To make it a little prettier, I threw in a few strips of a red jalapeno pepper with the holy basil, but that’s definitely optional.

One thing that is not optional for the boyfriend is a fried egg on top. To make this, just heat a good bit of oil until it’s super hot and then crack an egg into it. Fry it quickly on both sides and place on top of the dish. Not being Thai myself, I appreciate the dish even without the egg.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to try holy basil, I hope that you do soon! And if a friend is nice enough to bring some to you, please please do better than I did years ago and make some gai pad gaprow with it!

Try this now, it can be an easy appetizers for any kind of party food!

INGREDIENTS
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
3 Thai chili peppers, chopped finely
1 cup chicken, chopped coarsely (~1 chicken breast)
1 red jalapeno pepper, cut into thin strips
1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon thick black soy sauce
1 teaspoon thin soy sauce
1 cup Thai holy basil leaves
2 eggs




INSTRUCTIONS
Cook the chopped garlic and chilis in a good amount of oil (2-4 Tablespoons) over high heat until the garlic is golden brown.

Add the chopped chicken and cook until it is done. While it's cooking, use the spatula to break apart any pieces that clump together.

Add all three sauces and saute a minute longer. Do a taste-test here and adjust seasonings if needed.
Add the red pepper slices and cook till almost done. Then add the holy basil. Saute just until the basil is wilted, then remove from the heat.

Remove the pad gaprow from the wok and return to burner with a little additional oil. Allow the oil to get very hot and then crack an egg into it and allow to fry to your desired level.

Serve pad gaprow alongside jasmine rice with the fried egg sitting on top.




Source:
http://www.rachelcooksthai.com/chicken-with-holy-basil/