Thai chilis, or another spicy chili such as serrano. This is your source of heat, and for a truly authentic pad kra pao, you want to add as many as you can handle! The leaves are usually smaller than Thai basil, however; they have a vibrant and bright flavor that will add an interesting aura to recipes. fresh Red Chilies (Thai Bird’s Eye or any other small hot red chilies), to taste– de-stemmed, roughly chopped Feel free to tone down the heat level to suit your preference. It’ll still be incredibly flavorful and fabulous! Why This Recipe Works

But if you simply cannot find holy basil (you could grow some yourself) and can only find Thai sweet basil, you can still make this recipe, and though it won’t have that peppery flavor, it will still probably taste good. Plunkett-Hogge messages me from her home in northern Thailand, where she now runs a cookery school, to suggest a couple of variations: “Next time, replace fresh chillies with some dried red ones… it’s also excellent with some fresh green peppercorns thrown in.” Truly, this is a dish one could never tire of. The vegetables Can I make this with pork, beef, or seafood? Thinly sliced pork scotch fillet, tenderloin, skinless pork belly, beef sirloin, or flank steak will all work well. You could also use shrimp or other seafood. Skip marinating the pork, beef, or seafood though, and add 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce to the Pad Kee Mao Sauce. You’ll need 250 grams (8-9 ounces) of whichever protein you choose. Answer: For the bold, Thai basil can be fried with bacon and other seasonings to make a pesto-like sauce. When making salad dressings, add Thai basil leaves to pretty much any recipe that calls for Italian or classic green sweet basil. Answer: One would certainly get something different, but you might not be happy with the taste given their different flavor!Our Thai stir-fried minced pork with holy basil recipe makes pad kra pao, a staple of street food stalls in Thailand. A garlic and chilli paste is mixed with pork mince and a rich sauce before being served with fragrant and refreshing Thai holy basil and a fried egg. To top it off, a classic Thai condiment, prik nam pla, further enhances the flavour of this popular Thai street food dish when served with steamed jasmine rice.

Add more/different veggies: I kept it simple and used onion, baby corn, and green beans only. But if you like, you can use different or add more stir-fry friendly and/or leafy green veggies. Some ideas are snap peas, mushrooms, bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, baby spinach, bok choy, choy sum, etc. Toss through holy basil: Add the holy basil leaves and toss for 20 seconds until just wilted, then switch off the heat. Make it gluten-free: Use a gluten-free soy sauce, Tamari, or coconut aminos for the light soy sauce. Also use a gluten-free sweet soy sauce such as a gluten-free kecap manis, gluten-free oyster sauce (or gluten-free vegetarian oyster sauce if making this veg), and gluten-free pasta. Serve the stir-fry over rice and top it with the fried egg. Drizzle a little of the prik nam pla over the egg and enjoy!Rosemary is another member of the mint family that has a lot in common with holy basil. Not only is it highly aromatic, it can pair well with most of the other flavors that go into dishes requiring holy basil. Note that the pungency of rosemary means that you need less of it to provide the same level of flavor. Start with about a quarter of your recipe’s requirement for holy basil and increase if necessary. Oil: I use canola oil, but any oil with a neutral flavor and high smoke point (i.e.: vegetable oil, rice bran oil, etc.) is great. When substituting for Thai basil in recipes, use about one-third to one-half lesser amount than what the recipe calls for – because its flavor is milder, you’ll need less to get the same great flavor as Thai basil. 3 – Holy Basil Note: Depending on the size of your mortar and pestle, you may need to make the garlic chili paste in two batches. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you can finely mince the garlic and bird’s eye chilies. Alternatively, you could also use a mini blender and pulse until a coarse paste-like texture is achieved.) Answer: Thai basil has an intense, aromatic flavor that is perfect for the dishes of Thailand. It’s high in essential oils, which give it a light licorice taste and fragrance that most people find more flavorful than regular Basil. It also helps to balance the flavors of savory Southeast Asian dishes like Pad Thai or Tom Yum Soup. How does Thai Basil affect you when working out and after exercising?