Dish of Chicken with Holy Basil & Chilis
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Chicken with Holy Basil & Chilis


Thailand   -   Gkai Pad Gkaprow
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 2 main
**
35 min
Part		 This dish is very popular in Thailand where it may also be made with Pork, Beef, Squid or Shrimp (and of course the name will change with the ingredient). See the notes section for hints.

14
2
5
6
2
1/2
-----
1
1
3
1/2
-----
2
oz
oz
cl


c
---
T
T
T
t
---
T
Chicken (1)
Shallots
Garlic
Thai Chili (2)
Kaffir Lime leaf (3)  
Holy Basil (4)
-- Sauce
Soy Sauce (5)
Fish Sauce (6)
Stock
Salt
-----------
Oil
Prep   -   (20 min)
  1. Cut CHICKEN into 1/8 inch thick slices about 1-1/2 inch long.
  2. Slice SHALLOTS very thin. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Mix.
  3. Slice CHILIS into very thin rings. Roll up LIME LEAF and slice into fine threads and chop them small. Mix.
  4. Separate HOLY BASIL leaves from the stems and put in a small bowl of cold water to freshen.
  5. Mix all Sauce items
Run   -   (15 min)
  1. In a wok or spacious sauté pan heat Oil quite hot, stir in Shallot mix and fry stirring until shallots are translucent, about 1 minute.
  2. Stir in Chicken and fry stirring until it has completely lost its raw color and any exueded liquid has evaporated.
  3. Stir in the Chili mix, then stir in the Sauce mix and cook stirring another 30 seconds.
  4. Drain Holy Basil, stir in and cook stirring until leaves are wilted.
  5. Serve hot with plenty of steamed Jasmine rice.
NOTES:

  1. Chicken:

      Weight is for skinless and boneless. I favor thigh and leg meat for flavor and texture.

  2. Thai Chili:

      This is where you control the heat. 6 chilis makes it pretty mild by Thai standards but pretty spicy even for Southern California - adjust to your taste and latitude. If you don't have thai chilis green Arbols are good, or two to three Serranos. for details see our Thai Chilis page.

  3. Kaffir Lime Leaves:

      These come 2 leaves to a stem, so this recipe needs 1 stem. For details See our Kaffir Lime page. If you don't have them, grate the zest of the limes before you squeeze them for lime juice.

  4. Holy Basil:

    This basil is hard to find even in Los Angeles, and is extremely perishable. If you don't have it use a mix of 2/3 Thai Basil and 1/3 fresh Mint. For details see our Holy Basil page.

  5. Soy Sauce:

      The pattern recipe called for dark soy sauce, but I prefer the color and taste of regular soy sauce. Use dark if you prefer.

  6. Fish Sauce:

      This clear liquid is as essential to Southeast Asian cuisine as it was to Imperial Rome. If you are unfamiliar with it, see our Fish Sauce - Introduction page.
  7. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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