Spicy Basil Chicken--Gkai Pad Gkaprow

Ingredients

Ingredients

• 2-3 Tbs. peanut oil for stir-frying
• 10-12 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2-3 shallots, thinly sliced (or substitute with 1/2 cup sliced onion) – optional
• 1 bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange), sliced very thin
• 1 lb. ground chicken, or 1 lb. chicken thighs, sliced very thin
• 12-20 Thai chillies (prik kee noo), cut into very thin rounds; or substitute 4-6 serrano, jalapeño or fresno peppers, cut into large slivers with seeds
• 2 small kaffir lime leaves (bai ma-gkrood), very finely slivered (optional)
• 2-3 tsp. black soy sauce (the semi-sweet kind), or to taste
• 2 Tbs. fish sauce (nam bplah), or to taste
• 1 cup fresh Thai holy basil (bai gka-prow), or Thai sweet basil (bai horapa) leaves and flower buds
• Dash of ground white pepper

Instructions

Prepare the ingredients as instructed. Leave the fresh basil leaves whole; the flower buds may also be used.

Heat a wok until its 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 the shallots or onion and the bell pepper. Stir another 15 to 20 seconds before adding the chicken. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, or until most of the chicken has changed color on the outside and is no longer pink.

Toss in the chillies and slivered kaffir lime leaves (if using). Sprinkle black soy sauce over the mixture and stir-fry for another 15 to 20 seconds. Season to taste with fish sauce, then stir in the fresh basil. Toss well. Stir-fry another 1/2 to 1 minute, or until the basil is wilted and the chicken cooked through. Sprinkle with white pepper. Stir and transfer to a serving dish, or spoon directly over individual plates of plain steamed rice.

Serves 2-4 as main dish or 6-8 as part of a family-style shared meal.

This can be made with endless variations, including with ground pork or ground turkey or even seafood.  You can also add or take away veggies as you prefer.  Just make sure you don't overload the wok, which will lower the temperature and effect the quality of the stir-fry. 

The smaller the surface area of the chicken, the more the flavorful the stir-fry will be, so I prefer to use ground meat. 

In the pictures, you can see me cooking on my patio on a high-heat burner and a wok.  That baby gets hot!  If you don't have an outdoor burner, use a flat bottomed wok and turn your stove on as high as it goes.  Be sure you use peanut oil because of the high smoke point.

This is also good for breakfast, make as directed above and add a crispy fried egg on top.