By Perry WashburnBasil is one of my favorites. Kathie grows tons of it, in her brief summer. I grow it in pots on my deck. David T undoubtedly has better access to fresh basil than those of us snowbound. But we here in snowy Iowa just had a wonderful, tasty week, thanks to some fresh basil.
I get annoyed at basil prices. $3.99 for a few nasty looking leaves? Well, I HAVE done it.
But this week was our friend Vickie's birthday. I decided, late in the day, on Thai. And happened to be near my fav Asian grocery. THAT is where to look for basil. I ask the woman in the back for some. She goes into the cooler, bags me up a gallon bag full for a buck or 2, and I am in business.
Fried rice. It stopped the meal, lots of ooohhs and aaahhs. Just chop up a bunch (as little as, say, 3-4 tablespoons for a batch made from a 4 cups of cooked rice. More won't hurt!). Put it in just before serving. As Aida says: this tastes so FRESH!
The fried rice I made last week was simple. Rice, sesame oil, fish sauce, soy, Asian broccoli, and basil. This "deluxe" version is one I use for cooking classes. Both are GREAT.
Fried Rice with Chicken and Basil
4 cups cooked white rice, refrigerated several hours or overnight
3 Tbs sesame oil
1 egg, beaten with 2 Tbs water
1 lb diced chicken thighs
3 green onions, chopped (including the green)
3 Tbs chopped garlic
2 Tbs chopped ginger
¼ cup red bell pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbs fish sauce
2 Tbs soy sauce
1/2 cup basil, coarsely chopped (Thai basil if you can get it)
1/2 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped (omit if you worry about tastebud overload)
In a wok or non-stick skillet, fry the egg in a bit of the oil. Cut into pieces, or chop, and set aside. Add remaining oil to skillet. Add the garlic, ginger, pepper flakes and chicken, and fry until the chicken is just tender. Add the rice, breaking up any lumps, then the green onions, egg, fish and soy sauces. Stir, and heat through. Add the basil and cilantro, stir well and serve.
End note:
Friday night, our traditional pizza night, brought the basil out again. A simple sweet tomato sauce, some diced leftover chicken, a healthy covering of loosely chopped basil leaves and a thin coating of mozzarella. WOW!
Head to your local Asian grocery, if you have one. They know basil. What a winter treat!
