pretty by the bay

As someone with a food blog, I’d love to share that I learned to cook from my mom, my grandmother, or some equally wise culinary genius. I’d love to tell you that I spent hours in someone else’s kitchen, watching and learning and taking copious notes about how to be an awesome home chef. But in reality, I had no interest in cooking for most of my childhood, adolescence and adult life. In fact, I was a pretty horrendous cook until age 25, when I went back to graduate school and found myself with days free to study watch cooking shows and learn some basic techniques. So who really taught me to cook?

Rachael Ray.

I know. Most of you probably hate her, or at the very least find her unbelievably annoying. I kind of hate her too now that she’s completely oversaturated the entertainment world. But back in 2003, she was sort of unknown, and I stumbled upon her semi-new show on Food Network. Her recipes were decent, and what really helped me learn to cook were her easy to learn, easy to remember techniques for everything from chopping onions to pan-grilling meat. It was approachable and easy for someone who, before that point, relied heavily on prepackaged and frozen foods.

Many of Rachael’s recent recipes have jumped the culinary shark (after seeing something called Fish Stick Parmesan, I had to say goodbye to 30 Minute Meals), but I still use a lot of her concepts and techniques. In particular, she inspired me to make at-home versions of my favorite take-out meals – everything ranging from channa masala to pad thai. I love take out just as much as the next gal, but it always disturbs me to open those pretty white boxes and find food swimming in visible grease. I want authentic flavor, but I know I can make most of my favorite foods at home with less added fat and more quality ingredients. Today’s Thai Chicken with Basil is not a Rachael Ray recipe, but I’m making it in Rachael’s honor. Our relationship may have fallen by the wayside, but we’ll always have those magical moments from 2003.

Thai Chicken with Basil

adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

serves 4

2 c fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
3 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1 to 2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, depending on your spice tolerance (I used 1 tsp)*
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp white or rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 medium shallots, peeled and thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Put 1 c basil leaves, garlic cloves and crushed red pepper flakes in food processor and pulse until finely chopped, scraping sides of bowl if needed to ensure even processing. Spoon out 1 tbsp of this mixture and place in a small bowl, then stir in 1 tbsp fish sauce, the oyster sauce, the vinegar and the sugar. Set aside. Take the remaining basil mixture and place it in a large nonstick skillet; set aside. Do not wash your food processor bowl.

Add the chicken and remaining 1 tbsp fish sauce to the food processor. Pulse until meat is chopped into 1/4″ pieces, roughly 8 to 10 quick pulses. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl and chill for 15 minutes.

As chicken marinates, add shallots and vegetable oil to the skillet that contains the basil mixture. Heat over medium low and stir frequently. Cook until garlic and shallots are golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the chicken and cook, increasing the heat to medium. Use a potato masher or spatula to break the chicken into smaller chunks as it cooks. Cook the chicken for about 4 minutes or until most of the pink is gone, then add the reserved basil/fish sauce/oyster sauce mixture. Stir to combine and cook until chicken is no longer pink, roughly 1 to 2 minutes more. Stir in the remaining 1 c basil leaves and stir until basil is wilted. Add extra fish sauce, sugar, red pepper flake and/or vinegar to taste, if desired. Serve with cooked rice.

*Original recipe calls for 6 red or green Thai chiles or 1 medium jalapeno. I didn’t have either on hand, so I subbed red pepper flake. Use fresh peppers if desired!