One of my new year’s resolutions was to learn how to cook Thai food. Tonight I finally got around to making a meal – chicken with Thai basil and cashews.
It turned out well: very aromatic, light and incredibly fresh. Here’s a shot (tastes much better than it looks); recipe follows:
Ingredients:
- 1.5 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, finely chopped
- 3 small fresh red chiles, seeded and finely chopped. Note: we used green chiles as that’s all they had at the store and it still tasted great
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
- 2 fresh cilantro roots, finely chopped. Note: it’s almost impossible to get cilantro root as it’s cut off the cilantro in most stores. Just chop up the stalk and it’ll work fine
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Note: we used olive oil and it still tasted great
- 2/3 cup cashews
- 1.5 tablespoons lime juice. Note: that’s about 2 limes, squeezed
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1.5 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 cups lightly packed fresh Thai basil. Note: if you can’t get Thai basil, normal basil will work
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
Directions:
- Place the chicken in a large bowl with the lemongrass, chilies, garlic, ginger and cilantro root. Mix together well
- Heat a wok over medium heat, add 1 teaspoon of the oil, and swirl to coat the surface of the wok. Add the cashews and cook for 1 minute or until lightly brown (note: you better stir ’em as they burn quickly). Remove and drain on paper towels
- Heat the remaining oil in the wok, add the chicken in batches, and stir-fry over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until browned. Return the chicken to the wok
- Stir in the lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar, and basil, and cook for 30-60 seconds or until the basil just begins to wilt. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir fry until the mixture thickens slightly. Stir in the cashews and serve with steamed rice
Serves 4