Stir-fries are one of my favorite ways to cook. Choices in vegetables and or meat or fish are unlimited based on your likes and dislikes. Thai rice noodles are especially tender and delicious with any stir-fry and very easy to cook – just pour hot water over them and let sit for 25 minutes. They continue to cook in the stir-fry…
One of the essential ingredients in Thai cooking is Thai basil. Plants are difficult to find and so I have always grown my own. I highly recommend using fresh basil but none was available. I recently started my own seeds for 3 types; Thai, Piccolino and Genovese. The seeds are a couple years old so I shall see what germinates. You can find the popular “pesto” basil but Thai basil is another matter – that’s why I always grow it myself.
Lime and fish sauce are two more ingredients typically found in Thai recipes and those are also included in the sauce for this delightful stir-fry. Not into fish sauce? You can substitute equal amounts of soy sauce and rice vinegar or soy sauce and lime juice.
Recently planted my basil seeds – they are a little old – hopefully some of the seeds germinate!
Yay! all three seeds are sprouting – I will have fresh basil this year!
A few days later and the Thai and Piccolino basil looks great. The Genovese did not germinate as well so I will have to give it tender loving care to guarantee that I will have pesto basil this year.
2019 Thai basil on the left and Genovese on the right that I grew from seeds! Note the small leaves and red stems of the Thai basil…
There were lots of choices and I decided to go with a recipe from thespruceeats.com. I highlighted (like I usually do) the areas where I made changes; some of the directions are different too.
Pad Thai Gai: Stir-Fried Noodles with Chicken
- 8 oz. Thai rice noodles (see Note 1 – I love these noodles in a stir fry)
- 2 tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 lb. chicken breast (or thigh) cut into bite-size pieces
- 1/4 cup carrot or cabbage slivers
- 1 egg (I did not add)
- 1/3 cup peanuts or cashews, roughly chopped
- 2 cups bean sprouts ( See Note 2)
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- water chestnut slices, cut in half
- red pepper slivers
- carrot shreds
- snow peas, trimmed and cut into thirds
- handful of fresh basil (I used dried as fresh was not available)
- 1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts or cashews, unsalted
- garnish with chopped nuts, scallions and fresh basil
- serve with lime wedges
Stir Fry Sauce:
- 1/3 cup (low sodium) chicken broth
- 1 tbsp. (low sodium) soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. fish sauce (I use BLiS – or substitute 1 tbsp. soy sauce and 1 tbsp. rice vinegar)
- 2 tbsp. lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 3 tsp. brown sugar
- chili flakes to taste (optional)
Soak the rice noodles in hot water for no more than 25 minutes; set aside (see Note 1 below).
Combine the sauce ingredients and drizzle 2 tbsp. of sauce over the chopped chicken.
Heat a wok or large skillet and add the 1 tbsp. oil. Add the minced garlic and stir fry for 1 minute. Add the chicken pieces and stir fry 2 minutes. Add the rest of the veggies and drizzle more stir-fry sauce over the mixture.
If using an egg, push the ingredients aside and crack the egg into the middle. Scramble quickly and mix into the other vegetables.
Add the noodles and 1/4 of the stir-fry sauce. Toss and stir-fry until all of the sauce has been used for 2-3 minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve with chopped nuts, scallions and fresh basil. Garnish with fresh lime wedges.
Note 1: For use in a stir-fry: pour noodles into a bowl; cover with very hot tap water and stir to separate. Soak the noodles for 25-30 minutes; do not over soak and drain. Add to the stir-fry and cook for a few minutes or until noodles are tender. See picture below for the variety I use.
Interesting – when I last went to the grocery store (I now order my groceries, park in front of the store and they are loaded into my car) most of the rice and noodles were gone except for these rice noodles. I guess many people don’t know how easy they are to cook especially in a stir-fry.
Note 2: Instead of using just 2 cups of bean sprouts I added other veggies to make up the 2 cups; water chestnuts, red pepper slivers, carrot shreds and snow peas cut into thirds.
Recipe by cookingwithauntjuju.com
Delicious! Stir-fry dishes are indeed so versatile. I sometimes find Thai basil in Chinatown, but with the lockdown, I’d be lucky to get even the common one…
Thanks Ronit – I usually buy most of my herb plants but I have seeds for some of them, especially like Thai basil that is hard to find. Yes, this lockdown will hurt the nurseries and all those gardeners!!!
You’re such a gifted grander. I’m jealous! 🙂
funny how it’s just about impossible to buy any rice or noodles or pasta these days! love the sound of this dish. cheers sherry
Thanks Sherry – I’m starting to see rice/noodles appear on Amazon – price is a little expensive. I have not been inside a store in almost 1 month so I will have to check. Pasta sauce and tomatoes are another hard item to find.