Thai Basil Chicken

The Bangkok street version uses holy basil; Thai basil is the one you can actually buy, and it brings a clean anise note that stands up to fish sauce and chili.

Why the basil matters here. Basil here is a vegetable, not a seasoning — four full cups wilt down to almost nothing. Fold it in with the pan off the burner and it perfumes every grain of rice.

Home kitchen · 4 to 6 servings

• 4 cups Thai basil leaves, stems removed
• 1½ lb Chicken thigh, hand-chopped or coarse ground
• 6 cloves Garlic, roughly pounded
• 4 Thai chilies, pounded (adjust to heat)
• 3 tbsp Fish sauce
• 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
• 2 tsp Palm or brown sugar
• 1 large Red bell pepper, sliced
• as needed Jasmine rice, to serve

Herb quantities are given in loose cups, not weight — a cup should look like too much before you chop it.

Method

1. 1 Pound the garlic and chilies to a rough paste — a mortar gives a very different result from a knife here.
2. 2 Heat a wok or heavy skillet until smoking. Add oil, then the paste, and stir for 15 seconds until fragrant.
3. 3 Add the chicken and press it flat. Let it sear undisturbed for a minute before breaking it up.
4. 4 Add the bell pepper, fish sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Toss two minutes until glossy and just cooked.
5. 5 Off the heat, fold in all the basil and stir until it collapses. Serve immediately over jasmine rice with a fried egg.