Then again, some sequels are worth making. I mixed it up a bit on this recipe but with good results.
For a start, I used both Brown Basmati rice and some China Black rice. Four cups of the former (cooked), to two of the latter.
China Black is a short grain rice, a favorite of mine. As with Purple Sticky, it has a lot of color and tons of flavor.
I also added some asparagus to the stir fry this time, and I didn't have any bell peppers on hand. Added the bean sprouts I had left from the monster bag the Asian market sold me for the Pad Thai I made last night.
I think it's easy to get stuck on a recipe when it comes to things like what veggies to include in a stir fry. Guaranteed, go to the source, say some village in Thailand and 'why are you using that' is answered with 'because it's what I had on hand.'
I've been asked about these posts, Isn't it expensive to cook this stuff from scratch?
Nope, and here's why: I only needed two ingredients to bring this off today. $1.54 for some Thai Basil, and then I needed some chicken. I already had the rice, fish sauce, oyster sauce, palm sugar, etc. from previous trips to the Asian market. The asparagus, I guess you should count that, it was the latter half of a bundle I started eating yesterday with the Pad Thai.
Call it ten bucks, all in. I ate my fill this evening and had Gladwares representing four lunches for that. Two bucks a meal expensive? Not hardly. I wish I'd learned to cook this stuff sooner, because I adore Thai food and typically eat it on something like an annual basis when I can afford to go eat at Bangkok Pavilion.
See also my Indian food trip. I can make Goan curry to feed a dinner party for what it costs to eat lunch at Taj Mahal or Masala's.
Which reminds me, I keep meaning to host a little soirée to feed my friends some of this stuff...
Thai Basil Chicken Stir Fry / Khao Pad Kra Prao Gai
1/4 cup canola oil
1 red onion, chopped finely
8 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped*
4 Thai chili peppers chopped finely
1 chicken breast, diced
1/3 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup oyster sauce
1 tablespoon palm sugar
4 cups cooked Brown Basmati rice
2 cups China Black rice
1/2 cup preserved sweetened Thai radish bits
3 eggs
About 1 cup asparagus (1-1/2" pieces)
1 lb. bean sprouts
2 cups fresh Thai basil leaves
1 cup green onion tops, chopped
cucumber, lime, cilantro broccoli, and alfalfa sprouts to garnish
Heat the oil and add the onion, stirring continuously until it is browned and translucent. Add smashed/chopped garlic & peppers, then the chicken. Keep things moving, until the chicken is mostly cooked, about three minutes (this is in my electric wok on 400ºF, so very high heat). Add fish sauce, oyster sauce and palm sugar, incorporate, then add the rice mixture and stir until the rice has broken up and absorbed the sauce. Add radish bits and stir until incorporated, add three eggs. Stir until eggs are no longer identifiable as individual ingredients, adding a splash of fish sauce if necessary to keep a trace of moisture at the bottom of the wok. Incorporate asparagus, bean sprouts, and basil leaves, turn off heat. Serve topped with cilantro and alfalfa sprouts with cucumber, broccoli and a half lemon or lime on the side.
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