We adore Thai food. We adore Thai restaurants. But sometimes, you just want to enjoy those flavors at home in your jammies (and I’ve found few Thai restaurants that deliver). A couple of years ago, my husband gave me some cooking lessons at a local Thai restaurant as a Christmas present (present for him you are probably thinking). Initially, I was intimidated because Thai cooking tastes complicated. What I found surprising was that a couple of my favorite dishes really were easy to make at home if (1) You did all your prep work before ever turning on the stove and (2) You knew the right condiments! Don’t laugh, but I asked staff to bring out the condiment bottles from the kitchen so that I could photograph the exact brand and product for my subsequent shopping adventure at the international market (H-Mart or Great Wall).
Are these truly authentic? Probably not — I’ve adjusted them for my family’s American palate. For example, I’ve cut back a bit on the fish sauce and soy sauce because I found it a bit too salty. I also increased the oyster sauce because we like a little more sauce than is traditional. I make a version without the chile peppers if I have kids at the table. But that’s what I learned in the cooking class — these condiments are to be used “to taste” — and the goal of Thai cooking is the balance of sweet-to-salty-to-sour-to-bitter.
Garlic Basil Chicken
Serves 3 to 4
Typically when I make this, I make about 1/3 as a kid-approved version and 2/3 as a spicy adult version, which you will see in the pictures. So I will try to explain that as I go.
3 – 4 garlic cloves, minced
3 – 5 Thai chile peppers, minced fine
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced thin
2 – 3 tablespoons canola oil
3 teaspoons granulated sugar, divided
2 1/2 teaspoons seasoning soy sauce, divided
2 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce, divided
3 tablespoons oyster sauce, divided
1 medium-sized white or yellow onion, sliced thin (root to stem)
A bunch of Thai basil leaves
Your garlic, chiles, chicken, and onion should be prepared before you ever turn on the stove. Have your condiments setting to the side with lids off.
Heat both a small saute pan (I use an 8″ omelet pan) and a medium saute pan (I use a 10″ fry pan) over medium to medium-high heat. Swirl about a tablespoon of canola oil in the small pan and a tablespoon or two of canola oil in the large pan.
Turn on your exhaust fan (trust me). Add 1/3 of the garlic to the small pan. Add the remaining garlic and the chiles to the large pan. Adjust the heat if needed — you are going to cook these just until fragrant. Add 1/3 of the chicken to the small pan and 2/3 of the chicken to the large pan — stir them around to coat the chicken in the garlic and the oil. Cook the chicken, stirring occasionally, until it’s about 3/4 done (a little pink is okay).
Sprinkle 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon seasoning soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce, and 1 tablespoon oyster sauce over the chicken in the small pan and stir.
Sprinkle 1 – 2 teaspoons of sugar, 2 teaspoons seasoning soy sauce, 2 teaspoons fish sauce, and 2 tablespoons oyster sauce over the chicken in the large pan and stir.
Put a few slices of onion in the small pan (the kids will pick it out probably) and the remainder of the onion in the large pan.
Turn the heat down a bit and cook a few minutes until the onion softens but is still tender-crisp. Sometimes I will put a lid on the pan to reduce evaporation while the onion cooks a bit.
Toss in the basil leaves and stir until they wilt a bit. Serve over jasmine rice.
