Time for Thai

Chicken with Basil

Visiting our friend in Los Angeles a couple weeks ago, Rachel & I had the privilege of learning a traditional Thai recipe from our friend's father.  Originally from Thailand, her father, Charlie, loves his country's cuisine, which was apparent throughout his exciting cooking lesson.  The dish was chicken with basil, one of our favorite dishes from one of our favorite cuisines.



My teacher, Charlie, and me

Charlie started the lesson by explaining the importance of high-quality, fresh ingredients.  He showed me the proper fish sauce, soy sauce, and the basil that he bought earlier that day at their local Asian market outside of LA.  The recipe, he explained, was like many Thai dishes...very simple, based only on a few key ingredients, and easy to make.  Of course, like any fast-cooking stir-fry dish, it's important to prep everything before you begin.  Cooking steps are so brief that you won't have time to clean, cut, or prep anything mid-way through.

In this particular recipe, the flavor comes from the garlic, peppers, fish sauce, soy sauce, and basil.  Lots and lots of fresh, delicious, aromatic basil.  Another interesting tip from Charlie was the use of ground chicken rather than chunks of breast or thigh.  This texture allowed for more of the sauce, garlic, and peppers to coat the chicken.



Garlic and peppers in the mortar & pestle


Charlie stressed the importance of the chef actually tasting the dish as it cooked.  A recipe is only a guide, and the chef needs to taste the food to decide if extra fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, or even peppers should be added.  His/her tastes, or the tastes of the guests, may dictate slightly different levels of these ingredients.  So remember this lesson when making your Asian dishes (or for that matter, any cuisine).

Thailand, for those not familiar with this beautiful country, is located in Southeast Asia, not too far north of the equator.  Burma (or Myanmar) to the west, Laos and Cambodia to the east & north, and Malaysia to the south, Thailand is one of many countries in this region with delicious food.  But for one reason or another, many Thai dishes offer more pronounced flavor than its regional counterparts.  Perhaps this is the reason that its cuisine can now be found in cities throughout the world.  Or maybe the Thai government did a good job marketing it.









Enjoy!  I recommend serving with beer, or a sweet white wine (Riesling, Gewurtztraminer).  While white rice seems to be more traditional, you can also serve with brown rice for a healthier option.  Another nice addition would be a serving of papaya salad or a delicious, spicy Thai soup.




Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken, ground (or finely minced with a knife)
8 cloves garlic, finely diced
3 to 5 bird/Thai chilies, minced
1 cup long bean (or green beans), diced*
1 T. fish sauce, or more to taste
1 T. soy sauce, or more to taste
1/2 tsp. sugar, or more to taste
1 cup packed Thai basil
3 T. vegetable oil

*May substitute Thai eggplant


Directions:
1. Using a mortar & pestle, grind the garlic and peppers into a rough paste (you can also use a food processor, but the mortar & pestle is preferred)
2. Heat a wok to high heat, add the vegetable oil
3. Once hot, toss in the garlic-pepper paste, stirring quickly to coat it in the oil
4. Saute for 30 seconds
5. Add the chicken, stirring well
6. Saute for 3-4 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through
7. Add the fish sauce and soy sauce, stir
8. Saute for another 2-3 minutes; taste to see if additional soy or fish sauce is needed
9. Add sugar, stir
10. Add beans (or eggplant), stir
11. Saute for 1-2 minutes
12. Add basil, stir
13. Taste again for soy sauce, fish sauce, and sugar.  Also see if you want it spicier, and add more peppers if necessary.
14. Turn off heat, serve with steamed rice

Cashew Chicken

One of my favorite American-style Chinese dishes is Cashew Chicken.  A quick sauté of fresh veggies, chunks of meaty chicken, salty cashews, and piercing chili spice makes this meal ideal for impressing your guests.

The best thing about Asian stir-fry recipes is that you can choose any vegetables you have in the kitchen.  Leftover onion?  Throw it in!  Toss in your half-used peppers, mushrooms, or even things such as carrots and celery to the wok.  It's perfect for cleaning out the fridge.

Looking at the origins of my recipe, it's most closely related to the Sichuan dish, Kung Pao chicken.  Based on my research, cashews and peanuts are commonly used in the more authentic recipes (I use cashews because they're a little more indulgent).  The only thing missing from mine is the Sichuan peppercorns (gōng bǎo jī dīng).  These citrus-tasting, mouth-numbing "peppercorns" are a unique fruit of a plant that is neither a chili nor a peppercorn.  Allegedly, these little red spices prepare your palate to better experience the heat of chili peppers.  True or not, you'll definitely notice them in the dish.  If you decide to use them, make sure to toast them slightly (1 to 2 minutes) and grind to a powder.  And only use a small amount.  They easily overpower a dish.

When cooking tantalizing Asian stir-fry dishes, the critical tools are a heavy, well-crafted wok and a gas stove.  Electric stoves will get the job done, but their inability to maintain their heat source (electric stoves typically have heating cycles, heating the surface to the desired temperature and then turning off, repeating as needed) can ruin the efficacy of your wok-style cooking.  The stir-fry is all about flash-frying ingredients for only a minute or two.  If you add your cold chicken to a wok that just went into an "off" cycle on your electric stove, you'll notice the sizzle of your wok stops and only continues once the heating cycle returns the wok to the original hot temperature.

Unfortunately, if you have an electric stove, there's not much you can do about it in the short-term.  While it's not ideal, these stoves are still plenty capable of cooking up a wonderful stir-fry.  I cooked on an electric stove for years.  So don't be too discouraged.  Just something to remember when buying your next stove or signing the lease of a future apartment.  Gas is always better!

Back to the cashew chicken dish.  After gathering your wok and ingredients, the next critical step is prepping EVERYTHING before you start cooking.  A stir-fry, as mentioned, is an incredibly fast recipe.  You won't have time to mince the garlic or chop your onion partway into it.  I like to place all the prepped ingredients in little bowls and dishes, which allows you to toss in what you need at each step of the process.  But you could also leave your diced veggies on a cutting board or place them on a plate.  Another tip is to combine ingredients into each step of the process.  So if you're adding the celery and onion to the wok at the same time, you can mix these two ingredients in the same bowl.

Okay...so you have everything ready to go.  Next, heat your wok to very hot.  When you add the peanut oil, it should be almost smoking.  A very hot wok is critical to a successful stir-fry.  Next, just follow the recipe below and serve with Jasmine rice.  White rice is traditional, but I have been using brown for a couple years now due to its health benefits.


Enjoy!


Cashew Chicken Recipe (serves 4 people)

Ingredients:

¼ cup Peanut Oil

1 ½ lbs chicken breast, cut into 1” pieces

12 dried red chilies

5 slices of fresh ginger, peeled

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, sliced

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 can sliced water chestnuts

¼ cup cashews, roasted

3 scallions, cut into 1” pieces (green parts) and diced (white parts)

   Marinade: 1 T. corn starch, 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 T. sherry, 1 tsp peanut oil

   Sauce: 3 T. light soy sauce, 2 tsp black vinegar, 1 T. dark soy sauce, ½ cup water,

                           2 tsp sugar, 2 tsp corn starch

Prepared white or brown Jasmine rice

Directions:

1. Marinate chicken for 30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator

2. Heat work, add 1 T. of vegetable oil until very hot

3. Add chicken, stir well, cook about 2/3 of the way through; remove from wok

4. Clean out wok, add 2 T. of vegetable oil, heat again until very hot

5. Add chilies, garlic, and ginger; sauté for 30 seconds

6. Add onion and celery; sauté for 3-5 minutes, until onions begin to soften

7. Return the chicken to the wok, stir.  Sauté for 1-2 minutes

8. Add cashews and chestnuts, stir

9. Add scallions and sauce, stir

10. Serve over steamed rice