I have a few, will try to keep it to the simpler ones. But truthfully, you'll have a hard time making any Thai food without basil! Maybe grow your own in a sunny window, along with some cilantro...? Best bet would be to stock up on hard-to-find ingredients whenever you're in the Big Smoke and can find an Asian specialty store.
Pad Kee Mao (Spicy Ground Chicken and Rice Noodles)
Ingredients:
1 (14-ounce) package wide rice noodles
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 2 limes)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
3 medium garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 pound ground chicken
2 medium red or green bell peppers, thinly sliced
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 medium jalapeño peppers, thinly sliced
1 cup loosely packed Thai basil leaves (or substitute regular basil)
Instructions:
Place noodles in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for about 15 minutes, until loose and pliable but not soft; drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, combine oyster sauce, fish sauce, and lime juice in a medium nonreactive bowl, mix well, and set aside.
Heat oil in a large (12-inch) frying pan over medium-high heat. Once heated, add shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes or until softened but not brown. Add ground chicken and break into small pieces. Cook until chicken is white and almost cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add bell peppers and stir-fry just until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
Push chicken mixture to one side of the pan and add eggs to the center. Scramble with a spatula until eggs are set and donât run, about 1 minute.
Push eggs to the side and add reserved sauce mixture. Once the sauce is boiling, add the drained noodles and toss to coat. Remove from heat, add jalapeños and basil, and toss to combine; serve immediately.
Thai Style Chicken and Coconut Soup
Ingredients:
1/2 tbsp oil
1/2 stalk lemongrass (remove outer sheath and finely mince the bottom 3 inches)
1 tbsp fresh ginger (peel and finely mince)
1 clove clove garlic (finely minced)
1/2 onion (sliced vertically to form thin strips)
1 tbsp red curry paste (thai red curry paste i use maesri brand)
1 tbsp tom yum paste (kha)
3 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 tbsps fish sauce
1 TB sugar
14 oz coconut milk (unsweetened)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 dash chili sauce (asian chili sauce, I use Sriracha brand)
3/4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (sliced into thin strips)
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms (sliced)
1/2 tomato (chopped)
4 ozs baby corn (fresh baby corn about i buy this at trader joe)
1 1/2 tbsps fresh lime juice
leaf cilantro leaf (garnish)
Instructions:
Heat oil in a large stock pot Add the lemon grass, ginger, garlic, and onion and stir fry for about one minute. Add the curry paste and Tom Kha soup mix paste and stir fry for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, fish sauce, and sugar and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Slice the baby corn vertically into four pieces so that the corn resembles small strips. Add the corn to the pot and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the coconut milk, chicken, mushrooms, tomato, lime juice, hot sauce, and pepper flakes. Simmer until the chicken is no longer pink, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Taste the soup and add more sugar, lime juice, or hot sauce, depending on your taste.
Serve the soup garnished with cilantro leaves.
Note: If you have leftovers, the coconut milk will separate from the chicken broth when chilled. Simply warm the soup back up and stir to blend.
Gkai Pad Gkaprow (a hot one!)
Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless chicken thighs, coarsely chopped, or cut into small bite-size pieces
4-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2-3 shallots, thinly sliced (or substitute with 1/2 cup sliced onion)
2-3 Tbs. peanut oil for stir-frying
2 tsp. black soy sauce (the semi-sweet kind)
1-2 Tbs. fish sauce (nam bplah), to taste
1 cup fresh Thai holy basil (bai gka-prow), or substitute with regular fresh basil
2 small keffir lime leaves (bai ma-gkrood), very finely slivered (optional, I buy these frozen)
2-3 fresh jalapeno or fresno peppers, cut into large slivers; or 5-10 Thai chilies (prik kee noo), chopped and pounded with a mortar and pestle
Dash of ground white pepper
Instructions:
Prepare the ingredients as indicated. Leave the fresh basil leaves whole; the flowers may also be used. Pull off and discard the hard stems.
Heat a 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 chilies and slivered keffir lime leaves.
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 rice.
Hope these get you started!
