Spicy Thai Basil Chicken

It's 2012 and I can't believe how fast 2011 flew. That's because I was having the time of my life and as they alway say, time flies when you're having fun. So true! 

2011 was full of adventures - traveling to different places, eating different types of food, experimenting in the kitchen with new dishes. Ever since I started this blog, I've noticed that I have this urge to dig out recipes I would never have tried under normal circumstances. Looking back, I am very pleased with the variety of dishes I've tried and added to my recipe book - though this is more virtual than physical at the moment and I'm hoping I can finally get it organized into a nice recipe folder this year. Hey, I think I found a resolution! Do you have any?

Last December (wow, saying that makes it feel like it was ages ago, though it was only a week back), I had this crazy craving for Thai Basil Chicken and rice. The type I used to go ga-ga over in Singapore. It was one of the number of dishes that I counted under my 'comfort food' category and it would never fail to satisfy me, no matter where I ate it. So, I wanted to find the best recipe that came close to the way the Singaporean cooks make it. 

The first recipe I tried from Thai Food & Travel was delicious but it didn't quench my craving since it wasn't as close to the ones from Singapore. So, I hunt again and found a recipe here that was apparently adapted from the cookbook, Simply Thai Cooking. It was the closest I could get to what I wanted and I was an extremely happy camper after that. The flavor basil adds to the chicken is just divine. So, this is the recipe I'm sticking to until someone can share one that's exactly like the Singaporean ones. Bon Appetit!

Spicy Thai Basil Chicken (Apparently adapted from Simply Thai Cooking - the cookbook)

Ingredients and instructions:

• 1 onion , sliced
• 1/2 green/red bell pepper , sliced
• 1 pound ground chicken
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 12-15 thai green chillies (add more for spiciness that will kill and reduce if you aren't tolerant towards spice)
• 1/2 cup shredded basil
• 1 1/2 tablespoon sesame/peanut oil , for stir-fying

Sauce 1

• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

Sauce 2

• 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 5 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon chili paste

Sauce 3

• 1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons water

Heat oil in wok. Stir-fry onions and peppers. Remove and keep warm.

Add another tablespoon of oil to wok if needed and heat in wok on high. Saute garlic for a few seconds. Add chicken and chillies and stir-fry until chicken is done. Add sauces in order, stirring between each addition to coat. Add cooked vegetables back and stir to coat.

Add basil, stirring just unti hot-crisp, and beginning to wilt. Serve immediately. This goes best with a fried egg, rice and a side of cucumbers to cool off the spicy chicken.

Curried Chicken Pasta

When it comes to quick dinners, I love dishing out pasta and experimenting with the sauce or the meat that goes in it. I was a bit bored of the regular white sauce or meat sauce and wanted something different. I remember watching this short ad segment on Food Network where Aarti Sequeira demonstrates a quick and easy butter chicken where she'd first marinated chicken in yoghurt, ginger and garlic pastes before frying and adding it in a readymade mix.

I thought I'd incorporate that style and come up with my own marinade, making my pasta sauce with that as the base. I'd run out of yoghurt and had to look for substitutes. By the time I fiddled around the kitchen and threw stuff in my marinade, it turned out to be a curry-based chicken. It was so yummy! The final dish didn't taste completely like curry but, the hints of it added a beautiful touch. Bon Appetit!

Ingredients and directions:


For the marinade

• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• pinch of turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Season with salt

Mix all the ingredients together. Cut about 3/4 pound boneless chicken into small cubes and toss in the marinade and refrigerate for half an hour. 

For the sauce

• 400 ml chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons dried minced onions
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 3 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons cream

Heat pan. Put the chicken and the marinade in the pan directly and let it cook for a while. That's right, you don't need oil in the pan since the marinade already has olive oil, you can add a little bit of olive oil later on when you mix the pasta and it feels too dry. 

Saute the chicken till they brown slightly on all sides. Add the chicken stock, minced onions, dried basil, tomato sauce and cream. Once the mixture comes to a boil, simmer and let the chicken cook completely, for about 15-20 minutes. 

If the sauce is still very watery, turn the heat up to high and let the liquid thicken. I added some frozen broccoli and mushroom mix 5 minutes before it was done.

Toss with your favorite pasta and enjoy!