Thai Style Chicken with Basil

This week I was reintroduced to Thai food with great results. I found a great Thai market with very helpful staff. I also reflected on some of the challenges and opportunities this adventure has presented.

One thing I love about this issue of CI is the diversity of the types of cuisines. This week my challenge is a Thai recipe for basil chicken. In an effort to get the most authentic ingredients possible, I researched and found a Thai grocery store in Chinatown (thanks for the reference, Cheryl). A great excuse to go down to Chinatown, I found the place with no problem. Bangkok Center Grocery is towards the southern end of Chinatown and off the beaten path on Mosco street. The guy behind the counter was great, while I was checking out he noticed what I had and asked if I was making Basil chicken (good guess) He started to give me instruction on how to make it while he bagged my groceries (his instructions were actually pretty close to the CI recipe).

This recipe was fun to make. I like working with new ingredients that I have never used before, ingredients about which I have no preconceive notions. I liked grounding the chicken in the food processor. I’ve never done this before and it was a neat, simple trick I’m sure I’ll use again (one advantage is that doesn’t matter if frozen meat has defrosted completely or not, it can be used right away). The best part of this recipe is the result. The combination of hot Thai chilies with a bit of sugar and sweet oyster sauce is wonderful. I thought it would be too spicy based on how my fingers burned after cutting the chilies but the sweetness balanced it out nicely. I hate to say this because I think it sounds pretentious but the flavor was… complex. I haven’t had Thai food in a long time and I forgot how much I like it and how wonderfully distinctive and just plain tasty it is. I was worried when I bought the big bottle of oyster sauce that it would just end up taking up room in my fridge and ultimately getting tossed after a few years, but now I’m confident I’ll use it.

Sometimes I wonder if I was going to specialize in one type of cuisine, Like Julia (and Julie) what it would be. It would have to be somewhat healthy and have a good amount of variety. After tonight’s success, Thai would definitely be on the list of potentials.

So far this cooking experiment has made me realize a few things. First, cooking well is not easy. After a couple of failed recipes (the German Chocolate Cake Frosting and the clumpy Cacio y Pepe sauce), my level of respect for really good cooks has increased significantly. In the past, I have generally chosen pretty easy recipes for myself. Cook’s Illustrated recipes are not the easiest. They tend to select recipes that pose some sort of challenge. They are not fool-proof by any means. Second, Manhattan is a great place to live for someone who likes to cook. Though in past weeks hunting down ingredients has been a bit of a challenge, I’m now pretty comfortable with the market options and other resources of which there are many. Chowhound’s Manhattan board has been a great resource, as have my friends and readers (thanks guys!). I’m lucky to have the food option I do here, and glad now to be taking advantage of it. 

Take away lessons

• Sweet and hot are an excellent combination that balance each other well.

• Forgot to defrost those chicken breasts for dinner? Cube and throw it in the food processor then stir fry.

• Bangkok Center Grocery – all you need for any Thai dish, including instructions on how to make it from the cashier.

For further inquiry

• Could Thai food become my specialty? Or am I just high from a resounding success? I’m going to have to try out some more Thai dishes to find out.