We tried this to use up some Thai basil leftover from the weekend. Leftover ingredients are so often our inspiration for trying new things and sometimes the results are great, as was the case with this. Prep all the ingredients before you start cooking and it will be ready to eat in a flash.
Wine Suggestion: The Kilikanoon Mort’s Block Riesling from the Clare Valley in Australia was both suitably dry but full of fruit and freshly aromatic to sit alongside the strong and aromatic flavours here. We suggest something similar when you make this.
Thai pork with basil & chillies – serves 3
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 700g pork fillet, cut into strips (you can use chicken breasts instead)
- 1 Thai green chilli, finely chopped (deseed if you wish)
- 2 cloves of garlic, shredded
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 medium red pepper, diced into 8mm pieces
- 3 scallions, cut into 5cm pieces
- 1 tsp freshly roasted and ground coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp palm sugar or soft brown sugar
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 2 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 7g Thai basil, shredded (you can use regular basil if you can’t find the Thai version)
- rice or noodles, to serve
- a handful of chopped coriander, to serve
Heat 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan over a high heat, and toss in the pork. Add the chilli and garlic and stir-fry until coloured, about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with some sesame oil, then remove and set aside. Put another tbsp of vegetable oil into the wok, then add the red pepper, scallions, ground coriander and sugar. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, then return the meat to the wok and mix through.
Mix the cornflour with the fish sauce and soy sauce until smooth, pour this into the pan and stir continuously for a minutes or so, until the juice thickens slightly. Sprinkle with the remaining sesame oil, add the shredded basil, season to taste, then remove from the heat.
Serve straight away over sticky rice or cooked noodles. Sprinkle the chopped coriander over the top.
(Original recipe from Grow Cook Nourish by Darina Allen, Kyle Books, 2017.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 