Thai one on

Last night's dinner was good...except for one mistake...I over salted the dish. But minus that mistake, it was really good! Restaurant quality!



Thai Basil Chicken
-a new version, slightly altered and based on this previous version of the recipe.

Ingredients:
For the sauce
? 1/4 cup fish sauce (nam pla)
? 1/2 cup chicken broth
? 2 TB soy sauce
? 1 1/2 TB brown sugar
? 2 tsp Thai chili sauce, or more to taste
? 1 tsp finely minced garlic
? 1 tsp finely minced ginger root

For the chicken
? 1 large egg white
? 2 TB cornstarch
? vegetable oil for cooking
? Fresh black pepper
? 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, thinly sliced
? 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
? 1 cup packed basil leaves, torn or sliced into smaller pieces-if leafs are large
? 1 medium-large jalapeno pepper stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced

Directions:
For the sauce: Combine the ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

For the chicken: In a medium bowl, combine the egg white, cornstarch, and the white pepper. Add the chicken and mix well; set aside.

Heat a skillet over high heat. Add 1-2 TB of oil and add the chicken pieces, one at a time, don't crowd the pan; fry for 4 to 5 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Work in batches, as necessary, remove cooked chicken to a plate while finishing the remainder of the chicken. When all done, add the chicken back to the pan. Add the onion and stir-fry for a few minutes; the onion will not soften thoroughly. Add the jalapeno pepper and saute for one minute.

Add the sauce, cook for 1-3 minutes, the sauce will reduce and thicken slightly. Turn off the heat. Add the basil, stirring to combine.

Transfer to a platter and serve immediately.


Notice there is no salt in the recipe? Yep, that's where I made a mistake. I add a bit too much salt to the rice, which for most recipes, isn't life or death. Then I added salt to the egg white/cornstarch mixture, again good if you are not making this dish. Why? Because we then add these salty components of the sauce...soy sauce and fish sauce. Both have enough sodium to flavor the dish, the excess salt just presents its self as a nuisance.