As I mentioned last week, I'm on a Thai cooking kick.  I just received the easy, but insightful Everyday Thai Cooking cookbook and my juices have been flowing ever since.  After my trip to the Thai grocery store, I also found my kitchen overflowing with wonderful fresh Thai spices, so I thought I'd make one more recipe before throwing some of the ingredients into the freezer, which is a great way to preserve some of the unique items.  For galangal (or its cousin ginger), you can mince, throw in a freezer bag and then just break off as much as you need for a recipe. 

Katie Chin, the chef and author of Everyday Thai Cooking, gave us a good tip to ensure moist and flavorful meat.  She recommends tossing your protein with a little cornstarch and salt, and just letting it sit for 10 minutes before cooking. The meat stays really moist and takes on the flavors of the dish better. I found it made a great difference.

I loved Katie's Chicken with Mint and Thai Basil. I omitted sugar from the original recipe as I thought there was such great flavor without it that it didn't need it, and why not save it for some cookies. I also sliced up some fresh sugar snap peas for a one dish meal, and added the juice of half of a lime to keep it bright and fresh, and that it was. This dish is so clean and fresh tasting.  I hope you like it as much as I do.

You can buy Katie's new book at amazon here, and check out her website, The Sweet and Sour Chronicles for more great recipes.  

Chicken with Mint and Thai Basil

Adapted from Everyday Thai Cooking
Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as part of a multi course meal

Ingredients

• 10 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast or thigh, sliced crosswise thinly into 1/2" wide strips

• 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose cornstarch

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons high-heat cooking oil

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 1 small shallot, thinly sliced

• 1 fresh hot red or green Thai chili, seeds removed for less heat, thinly sliced

• 12 sugar snap peas, thinly sliced

• 2 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced

• 2 teaspoons soy sauce

• 2 teaspoons fish sauce (nam pla)

• 3/4 cup fresh Thai or Italian basil leaves

• 3/4 cup fresh mint leaves

Instructions

1. Toss the chicken with the all-purpose cornstarch and salt in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

2. Heat 1/2 of the oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and stir-fry until the chicken turns white. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

3. Heat the remaining oil in the wok over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, shallots and chilies to the pan and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the reserved chicken, kaffir lime leaves, snap peas, soy sauce, and fish sauce; stir fry for 2 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Add the basil and mint leaves and stir-fry for about 30 seconds or until the basil is wilted. Dish out and serve immediately over jasmine rice.