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Posts Tagged ‘Thai basil’

Thai Chicken with Basil

Posted in Asian, Chicken, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 3 June 2025| Leave a Comment »

A tasty and colourful dish which we have also successfully cooked with pork fillet so feel free to try that either. The Thai basil makes this dish so we only every make it when we can get that.

Wine Suggestion: Thai basil brings an herbaceousness that we think goes with red Northern Rhone or Burgundy, especially if there’s a little whole bunch fermentation. So for this dish we opened an bottle of Domaine Jamet’s Cotes du Rhone rouge which is made from Syrah grown on the upper slopes around Cote Rotie and with some whole bunch. A wine that benefits from 6 to 12 months in the bottle this had a smoothness, earthiness and well integrated tannins as well as remaining fresh and weightless so not to overwhelm the food.

Thai Chicken with Basil – serves 3

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
  • 1 Thai green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, julienned
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 medium red pepper, deseeded and diced into 1cm pieces
  • 3 scallions, cut into 5cm pieces
  • 1 tsp freshly roasted and ground coriander
  • 1 tbsp palm sugar or soft brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cornflour
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 7g fresh Thai basil, shredded
  • plain rice and fresh coriander, to serve

Heat a tbsp of the vegetable oil in a wok over a high heat, then add half the chicken strips. Add the green chilli and garlic and stir-fry for about 5 minutes or until the chicken has changed colour. Sprinkle with a little of the sesame oil, then remove to a plate.

Add the remaining tbsp of vegetable oil to the wok, then add the red pepper, scallions, ground coriander and sugar. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add the chicken.

Mix the cornflour with the fish sauce and soy until smooth, then pour into the pan, stirring constantly for a minute or until the juices thicken slightly. Sprinkle with the remaining sesame oil. Toss in the basil, season to taste and serve with plain rice and lots of chopped coriander.

(Original recipe from Grow, Cook, Nourish by Darina Allen, Kyle Books, 2017.)

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Thai Spiced Mussels

Posted in Food, Shellfish, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 27 April 2025| Leave a Comment »

Mussels are a regular Friday night treat for us and this sauce with Thai spices and coconut milk is really delicious. As ever, you will need lots of crusty bread.

Wine Suggestion: We really like matching Thai curries with Riesling, especially if there’s a touch of residual sugar. Unusually for the Clare Valley (which is typically bone dry) Pikes Hills & Valleys Riesling has about 9 grams of residual sugar which makes this fruity, rather than sweet. We had a bottle a few years old which accentuated the lime and lifted aromas and made a wonderful match.

Thai spiced mussels – serves 2

  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
  • 20g ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tbsp red Thai curry paste
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 400ml tin coconut milk
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1 kg mussels, cleaned and debearded (chuck any that don’t close after a sharp tap)
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • a handful of Thai basil leaves
  • crusty bread, to serve

Heat the coconut oil in a large casserole or heavy saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onions and ginger and cook gently for 10 minutes. Add the turmeric and coriander and cook for another minute, then add the curry paste and tomato puree and cook for a minute more.

Add the coconut milk and brown sugar, bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to simmer and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the cleaned mussels, then turn up the heat, cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes or until all the mussels have opened (chuck any that don’t open).

Stir the mussels through the sauce, then add the lime juice and tear in the Thai basil leaves. Serve with lots of crusty bread.

(Original recipe by Georgina Hayden in The Guardian, 11 Feb 2025)

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Stir-fry Duck with Coconut Milk, Thai Basil & Noodles

Posted in Asian, Duck, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 14 September 2021| Leave a Comment »

Thai basil can be hard to come by for us but they sometimes have it in our local farm shop which inspired us to cook this delicious duck dish by Neil Perry.

Wine Suggestion: A dry, but fruit forward Pinot Gris was our first thought, but tried the Domaine Bott-Geyl’s Pinot d’Aslace Points Cardinaux, which was to hand, and were delighted with it’s playful nature and depth to match the dish. A blend of all the Pinot grapes, including Pinot Noir this has a vibrant freshness and focus as well as roundness and layers of texture; altogether a good food wine.

Stir-fry duck with coconut milk, Thai basil & noodles – serves 4

  • 600g boneless duck breasts, with skin on
  • 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 stem of lemongrass, pale part only, thinly sliced
  • 1 long red chilli, thinly sliced on the diagonal
  • 80ml vegetable oil
  • 1 large white onion, halved and thickly sliced
  • 320ml coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp tamarind paste
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar
  • 20g crispy fried shallots (shop bought)
  • a large handful of Thai basil leaves
  • 200g dried rice vermicelli or other rice noodles, cooked and drained (to serve)

Put the duck onto a board, skin side down, and cut into 5mm slices. Put the duck slices into a bowl and add the garlic, lemongrass and chilli. Mix well with your hands.

Heat 60ml of vegetable oil in a wok until smoking. Stir-fry the duck in batches for 1-2 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Add more oil if needed, then add the onion and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes or until light golden. Return the duck to the wok, then pour in the coconut milk and bring to thte boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the fish sauce, oyster sauce, tamarind paste, sugar and sea salt. Simmer for another few minutes, then check the seasoning.

Garnish with fried shallots and Thai basil and serve over noodles.

(Original recipe from Neil Perry’s Good Cooking, Murdoch Books, 2016.)

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Brussels Sprouts with Thai Flavours

Posted in Asian, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 20 January 2021| Leave a Comment »

We don’t think you can covert sprout haters, but if you do like sprouts, you will love this! Serve with steamed rice.

Wine Suggestion: Albariño is not just great for seafood, its has versatility stamped into its very core and can be used for a good deal of food matching, like this dish here. Tonight’s wine was made by Pazo de Señorans, a distinct favourite in our house. Bone dry but with a lovely creamy core from the 5-6 months on lees.

Brussels Sprouts with Thai Flavours – serves 2-3

  • 400ml coconut milk
  • 1 tbsp Thai green curry paste, we use the Thai Gold brand
  • 1 green chilli, roughly chopped, then pounded in a pestle and mortar
  • 175ml chicken stock
  • 450g Brussels sprouts, cut in half, blanch in boiling salty water for 2 minutes, then drain in a colander and refresh under cold running water
  • 2 kaffir lime leaves, if you use dried ones you need to soak them in some warm water before using
  • ½ tbsp palm sugar
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)
  • 20 Thai basil leaves, regular basil will do if you can’t get Thai
  • 1 large red chilli, roughly chopped, then pounded in a pestle and mortar

Heat a wok over a gentle heat. Pour in 110ml of the coconut milk, then add the green curry paste and the green chilli and mix well.

Next, add the stock, the rest of the coconut milk, Brussels sprouts, kaffir lime leaves, palm sugar, fish sauce, half the basil leaves and the red chilli. Stir constantly over a medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the sauce boils and foams up. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring all the time to avoid splitting, for about 10 minutes. The sprouts should be tender and the sauce slightly thickened.

Add the rest of the basil, season to taste and serve with steamed rice.

(Original recipe from Cook, Grow, Nourish by Darina Allen, Kyle Books, 2017.)

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