Je Mange



“I eat therefore I am”– Culinary Genius

Thursday, February 05, 2009

basil chicken a la lazy

My sister kuna and tony made their basil chicken from a thai cookbook. I've made it a few times because shayo really likes it, and i like it too.
so i bought everything for it but im sick and tired and i didnt want to follow a recipe. i had to wash dishes and cook and eat. it was already 7pm.
so I just improvised.

3 chicken breasts, broad thin slices
3 bell peppers, med dice
1 largish onion, med dice
4 clove garlic, sliced thing
basil, small handfull

marinade:
<1 T tomato paste
3 T terriyaki sauce (something I found in my fridge and i want to use up) or sub soy and sugar
1 T sriracha sauce
1 T salt (that terriyaki wasnt salty!)
1 T dark soy
1 t sesame oil
1 T cornstarch
1 T oyster sauce (they really arent made equally. we like the red panda bottle)

sauce:
1/2 - 1 C water or stock
1.5t cornstarch dissolved in 2 T cold liquid: just guestimate
tomato paste: as needed
terriyaki sauce: as needed
sriracha: as needed
salt: as needed

garnish:
very thin chiffonade
~1 T sesame oil

1. marinate meat for about 30 min left out
2. stir fry over very high heat the bell and onion, after they have charred a bit and softened up add the garlic and turn heat down a bit. cook for another couple min. remove
3. stir fry the meat in batches if need be, let the meat first sit in a single layer and develop some browning, then stir and fold until there's no more raw meat visible. add the veg and
4. add the liquid for the sauce, stir and cook it, adjust seasonings, thicken with as much of the cornstarch mixture as needed. imagine tangy bite of the sriracha, a hint of sweetness balanced by the tomato with undertones of earthy mushroom soy.
5. stir in some basil. adjust seasoning again.
6. garnish each dish with some basil and sesame oil on top and serve immediately.

other thoughts: red and yellow bells work nicely with the green basil. this dish should be very aromatic with the basil and sesame oil.