Thai Basil Chicken

While I was living down in Maryland for school, my friends and I would sometimes pop over to D.C. to shop, eat, drink and roam around. There is a great Thai restaurant in Chinatown where I would get the same delicious dish every time - chicken with basil and fresh chilies.

It's been a couple of years since I've visited the area, but I remembered it recently - and the thought was enough to make me crave it. After thumbing through a few recipes, I put together one that I think really hit the spot. Typically this dish includes fish sauce, but the last experience I had with it was terrible so I decided to cook without it and increased other ingredients - it came out just fine!

I have already made this dish twice for my brother and I, and it's starting to become a bit of an obsession. Hope you enjoy it :) Let me know what you think below in the comments.

THAI BASIL CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. ground chicken

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

2 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. hoisin sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 tbsp. water

2 tbsp. cooking oil

3-4 cloves garlic, minced/finely chopped
3 dried Singapore red chilies (you can use any other kind or just use chili powder to taste, but I like the flavor they leave behind)

Red chili powder, to taste (try 1/8-1/4 tsp. at a time)
Salt & pepper

1 1/2 cups Thai basil, chopped (if you don't find Thai basil, sweet basil is fine - that's what I used!)

1. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, soy sauce, sugar, water, hoisin sauce & 1/8 tsp. red chili powder. Let marinate for 30 minutes-2 hours in fridge. In a small bowl, combine red peppers and rice vinegar. Let marinate for an 1 hour.

2. Heat oil on a large pan. Add 1/4 tsp. black pepper. Remove the peppers from the rice vinegar, saving the rice vinegar to add for flavor later. Then, on medium heat, add red chilies, onions and peppers. Saute until onions and peppers have softened slightly, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and stir to distribute, sauteing for less than a minute.

3. Then, increasing heat to medium, add chicken to pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, and check to see if the bottom has cooked a bit. Flip over and break up into separate pieces with a spatula, letting cook for another 2 minutes. Stir and cook until all pieces have cooked through - sample a piece if you are unsure. [Add red chili powder to increase spice in dish if needed, along with salt, more sugar and other sauces/vinegar to taste.] Once chicken is done, remove from heat and add about half of basil and stir. Top with the rest of the basil once the chicken is in the serving dish.

4. Enjoy over steaming hot white or brown rice, a glass of wine and good company. :)

i'm thankful for...mac & cheese

I volunteer to make baked macaroni & cheese for Thanksgiving with my family every year.  For the past couple of years I've tried different ways, from simple to fancy gourmet recipes. I think this is the best so far, and I'll be sticking to it for Thanksgivings to come. I took direction from this recipe, but I made several changes and made it less fattening.

My family typically eats Indian food around Christmas time. But for all those who eat more traditional American foods during Christmas, be sure to add this to the line up for your holiday feast!

And by the way - I'm sharing this recipe with a caveat: it's rich and delicious and you can't stop at one bite. Enjoy :)

BAKED MACARONI & CHEESE

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp. unsalted butter for breadcrumbs

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

1 lb. macaroni
6 tbsp. unsalted butter for macaroni & cheese

3 cups 2% milk

2 cups half & half

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. red chili powder or red pepper flakes

1 tsp. garlic powder
bay leaf

1/2 tsp. nutmeg (1/4 tsp. if fresh)

2 cups white cheddar cheese, shredded

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 1/2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded

1 1/4 cups Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 340. Keep half & half and butter at room temperature.

Set a large pot to boil for macaroni. [Later, once water has boiled, salt the water then add macaroni and cook al dente. Add some butter to the pasta so it doesn't get sticky. Set aside till cheese sauce is done.]

While waiting for water to boil:

Melt butter (6 tbsp) in a large saucepan (enough to hold 10 cups) over medium heat. When butter melts, add flour. Cook, whisking, for 1 minute. While whisking, slowly pour in milk and half & half. Add salt, black pepper, red pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, nutmeg and bay leaf. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick. Discard bay leaf. Remove pan from heat and stir in 2 cups of white cheddar cheese, 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese, 1 cup of Swiss cheese, and 1 cup of parmesan. Add the macaroni to the cheese sauce and stir well.

Combine breadcrumbs, 3 tbsp. of melted butter and 1/2 tsp. garlic powder. Set aside.

Pour mixture into the casserole dish. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese and the bread crumbs on top. Bake for about 25-30 minutes. I turned on the broiler for a little just so the top would get a little golden brown touch (it made all the difference!).  Let it cool for 5 minutes, and serve.