Thai Basil Chicken (Gai Pad Krapow)

Update 9/2024: after reading through Andy Ricker's Pok Pok Noodles book, it is very clear that I have made a huge error in describing this dish. Krapao doesn't translate as "basil", it translates as "holy basil", which is very different from the thai basil with licorice flavor and purple stems. Reading this and confirming it all over the internet, I realize that I have no idea what this dish is really supposed to taste like, so I'll have to update this page again once I find or grow the correct basil, and get a better feel for the correct flavors. The version with thai basil is certainly fine, but it's not authentic, and I've been spreading misinformation with what's below. Holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum), also known as tulsi, has notes of mint and clove in addition to licorice. I might try some of my wild basil to see if that's similar.

Original post:

It's always nice when you eat a dish in a restaurant and think "I could make this at home", and then you go home and try to make it and it's a dismal failure. Sometimes a homemade meal is a shell of its former glory, when you previously paid for a professional to make it for you. But every once in a while, you make something at home that could pass for restaurant food, if only you had shoved it into a plastic take-out container before serving yourself. And this was one of those moments.

I can't tell you how many times I've ordered pad krapow.  I believe the dish literally translates as stir-fried (pad) basil (krapow - see 9/24 correction, this is actually holy basil) with chicken (gai), which leaves very little mystery.  It is typically served in a large bowl, and consists of ground chicken, a ton of basil, and sometimes a couple of vegetables. I poked around online until I found one that sounded good, then modified it slightly to include a couple of produce items I wanted to use. The result was pretty much identical to the restaurant, although significantly cheaper, and hopefully more healthy. Apparently, the secret to this dish is a ton of fish sauce, although I'm learning more and more that this is the secret to pretty much all Thai cooking.

I've made a few dishes using Thai basil before, but have perhaps skipped over its importance. Thai Basil Chicken is not "Basil Chicken" with Thai flavoring; it is chicken that has been blessed by the infusion of Thai basil. Here's what this looks like:

Thai basil plant, from my garden.  Money well spent - I put this stuff in everything!

Notice that the leaves are not as large as those of regular basil.  I'm no botanist, but this is clearly not the same plant, and shouldn't be confused as such.  You can also probably get away with holy basil, which has more of a purple-colored leaf, and which probably tastes more like licorice than the Thai varietal.

Other than that, there are no mysteries to the ingredients.  I ground my own chicken, which is totally unnecessary unless you happen to only have whole chicken breasts and a grinder.  But other than that, this dish should come together very quickly and easily.

Tomatillo Salsa and Homemade Tostadas

Do you ever wake up and think, wow, I need some tomatillo salsa!  Well, I did recently, and decided that rather than traveling to Mexico, I might make some of my own.  Recently some friends of mine made a batch, and it made me realize that I need to stop eating the jarred version.  I put this stuff on everything - burritos, nachos, tacos... well, basically anything that's a tortilla covered in meat, cheese, and/or vegetables.  What I have since learned is that made well, it's tangy, a little sweet, spicy, and incredibly fresh, more like pico de gallo than jarred salsa.  Made poorly, and it's often tart and no better than what you can buy from a jar.

Last time I tried to make this, I ended up with option b above.  I tried to oven-roast the tomatillos, and in the process just cooked the heck out of them, losing their fresh taste.  This time I switched recipes and went for the broiler, mostly because it was threatening to rain outside and I didn't want to turn on the grill.  If you have a gas oven, I recommend the broiling option, which seemed to work pretty well.

Tomatillos.  A nightshade like tomatoes, but they grow in a husk, are much more tart, and remain green.

For once, I didn't want to build a menu around meat, so this meal was all about everything else.  I opted to make tortillas from scratch, use some pickled onions from my recent poblano burger recipe, and whip up a quick beef filling to serve as the protein.  But trust me, you could use anything here - roasted vegetables, tofu, refried beans, whatever.  I will present the recipes for the tomatillo salsa (courtesy Rick Bayless), the tortillas (courtesy of my friend German from Mexico), and the beef tacos (from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook).

Tomatillo Salsa

unmodified from Rick Bayless recipe

• 1 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 4 to 5 serrano chiles, stemmed
• 1 small (4 oz) white onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, loosely packed
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp salt (approximate)
• 1 tsp sugar (optional)

Heat the broiler. Lay the whole tomatillos and serranos on a broiler pan or baking sheet lined with foil. Set the pan 4 inches below the broiler and let roast until the tomatillos are softened and splotchy black in places (the skins will split), about 5 minutes; your goal is to cook the tomatillos through while they roast, which means they'll have begun their transition from light bright green to olive color on the top side. With a pair of tongs, flip over the tomatillos and chiles and roast the other side for another 4 or 5 minutes or so. Set aside to cool.

Broiled tomatillos and peppers.  Notice the hints of bright green still seen in some parts - this means I didn't overcook them.  Try to get the char on as quickly as possible!

Turn the oven down to 425 degrees. Separate the onion into rings and, on a similar pan or baking sheet, combine them with the garlic. Set in the oven. Stir carefully every couple of minutes, until the onions are beautifully roasted (they're going to look rather wilted and translucent, even have a touch of char on some of the edges); the garlic should feel soft and look browned in spots. Total roasting time will be about 15 minutes. (If you like smoky flavors in your salsa, try roasting the onion and garlic on a perforated grilling pan over a moderately low charcoal fire.) Cool to room temperature.

In a food processor, pulse the serranos (no need to peel or seed them) with the onion-garlic mixture until moderately finely chopped, scraping everything down with a spatula as needed to keep it all moving. Scoop into a big bowl, then, without washing the processor, coarsely puree the tomatillos and their juice. Stir them into the bowl. (If you're making the largest quantity, you'll have to do the tomatillos in two batches.) Stir in the lime juice and enough water to give the salsa an easily spoonable consistency-in Mexico they like this salsa spicy and pretty runny, the kind of salsa you dribble on rather than scoop up with chips. Stir in the cilantro.

Taste and season highly with salt.  Taste again and, if you wish, add just enough sugar to take the edge off the tomatillos' very bright tanginess. If you're planning to use your salsa right away, simply pour it into a bowl and it's ready, or refrigerate it and use within 5 days.

Tomatillo salsa, coarsely pureed and seasoned to my liking.  Best recipe I've found so far.

Homemade Tortillas (enough for 4 small)

• 1/2 cup Maseca tortilla mix
• 1/3 cup water
• pinch (1/4 tsp) salt

In a bowl, combine all three ingredients.  Stir with a clean hand to combine (there is a reason for this).  You want to make sure the mix is the right consistency.  What is this consistency, you ask?  Ah, now THAT is hard to describe.  Perhaps a picture will help:

Tortilla dough, mixed to the right consistency

This is why I say mix with your hands.  You want to make sure the dough is coming together, and not too wet.  Odds are, you will need to add more water than the recipe.  But don't go crazy - add 1 teaspoon at a time until everything just comes together, and forms a relatively dry ball with no small grains that can't be incorporated.  But if it's too wet, it won't cook right, so be patient and be one with your dough.  For the record, this type of guesswork is the same process for making crepes and, to a certain extent, pancakes as well.

Now just whip out your tortilla press.  What, you don't have one?  Well why are you following this recipe!  You need a press to make tortillas, they can't just be rolled out with a rolling pin.  I suppose you could put two plates of metal down and then drive over them with your car, but that's fairly inefficient.  No, what you want is one of these:

My tortilla press, safely wrapped in plastic bags to make getting the tortillas out of them a lot easier.

My Mexican friend gave me one that he bought south of the border for like $5, although Amazon will charge you $12 for one.  Homemade tortillas taste pretty great, and you can make them very easily from basically one ingredient, so I think it's a worthwhile tool to keep in the kitchen.  Anyway, separate the dough into 4 equally sized pieces, and form them into balls.  Place one ball in the press, closer to the hinge side than the center, and work your magic:

Pressing out a tortilla.  It's a fun way to take out some frustrations, up there with tenderizing meat and shelling walnuts

Once you've got your tortillas pressed, cook them in a dry skillet set over high heat, about 2 minutes per side.  You're looking for a little char, but not full-on bursting into flames.  I tried an electric skillet this time, which is great for the surface area, but a large skillet set over a gas flame would be better.  You may need to do just one or two at a time.  As they finish, place them in a towel, basket, or some other storage vessel to keep them warm.

Homemade tortillas, warming in my tortilla basket.

Beef Taco Filling

America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

I put this recipe here to convince you that the packet of taco seasoning from the store is not the only way to make tacos.  It's mostly salt and MSG in that stuff, anyway, and this recipe had a nice balance of flavors that I look forward to nursing for the next few days.  It also didn't take much time to make.  However, it does assume that you keep chile powder on hand.  Note well - chile is not the same as chili!  Chili powder is an uncreative mixture of spices that you buy pre-mixed.  Chile powder is exactly that - powdered chiles.  I make my own by grinding a mixture of ancho and guajillo chiles.

Chile powder, not chili powder.  Note the dark color and lack of spices like salt, pepper, etc.  That's because it's just chiles!

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons chile (not chili) powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt
• 1 lb lean ground beef (or chicken, or tofu, or vegetables, or anything you like)
• 1/2 cup canned tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup low sodium broth (beef, chicken, vegetable)
• 2 tsp cider vinegar
• 1 tsp light brown sugar

To begin, grind up any spices you might need to prepare, and set everything at the ready.  Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. 

Sauteing onions for taco filling.  Don't cook them much more than this

Stir in the garlic, spices, and 1 teaspoon salt.  Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in the ground beef.  Cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the tomato sauce, broth, vinegar, and sugar.  Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Final skillet of beef taco filling

The Final Product - Homemade Tomatillo Salsa over Homemade Beef Tostadas

So now let's put it all together.  To serve, I like to let everyone assemble their own dish, but the general idea is to layer everything on the tostada so you can get a hint of all the flavors in every bite.

Here's what I like to bring to the table.  Nice serving size, right?  Left to right, you've got the tomatillo salsa, cilantro, sour cream, pickled onions, grated cheese, and hot sauce.  Up top are the homemade tortillas and beef taco filling.

And here's what a couple of finished tostadas looked like.  This is definitely knife and fork food.

Here's what a vegetarian version looks like, from my last round.  Sub the meat out for zucchini, peppers, and black beans.

Granola Bars

Ah, granola.  The rallying cry of the crunchy hippie; the perfect backpacking food; that which is somewhere between breakfast and dessert.  Yes, granola, you are truly an amazing thing.  And I have figured out your secrets.

It turns out granola bars are surprisingly easy to make, and also fun to customize.  In a nutshell, granola is typically a mixture of oats, nuts, dried fruit, and a binding agent, either shoved into bar form or allowed to form clusters, like peanut brittle.  I prefer bars, which seem easier to hold while moving.

My 'recipe' for granola bars is stolen from Alton Brown, but it has been modified more times than I care to count.  Like a good chili, granola is an olio of whatever grains and fruits I have on hand; tonight's version brings you a walnut strawberry granola, although I have also done a coconut, chocolate, berry granola.  I will keep the recipe generic enough that you can adapt, but specific enough that it still makes sense.

You will notice in my process that I use parchment paper to line my baking sheet.  What is parchment paper, you ask?  Well, I'll tell you.  Parchment paper is paper that has been infused with silicone, which is exactly what they make oven-safe, nonstick utensils and some bakeware out of.  So it's paper that can go in the oven, is nonstick, and cleans up like aluminum foil but with none of the Alzheimer's threat.  Hooray!

This recipe can be done using measuring spoons and cups, but it is greatly simplified if you have a digital scale.  That way, you can keep adding ingredients to your grain sheet and your liquid pot very quickly, without fiddling with implements.  I'd say you cut about 10 out of 15 minutes of hands-on labor out by using a scale.

This is my strawberry chocolate walnut granola bar.  There are many like it, but this one is mine.

Granola Bars

• 8 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats, appx 2 cups
• 1.5 ounces raw sunflower seeds, appx 1/2 cup
• 3 ounces sliced almonds, appx 1 cup
• 1.5 ounces wheat germ (do not toast), appx 1/2 cup
• 6 ounces honey, appx 1/2 cup
• 1.75 ounces dark brown sugar, appx 1/4 cup packed
• 1 ounce unsalted butter (2 tbsp)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract - the real stuff, avoid imitation if you can
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 6.5 ounces total chopped fruit and chocolate (preferably more fruit than chocolate)
• Parchment paper

Line a 9 by 13 inch glass baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.  Preheat over to 350 degrees F.

Parchment paper in a baking sheet.  I cut the edges so I can get a good square shape

Combine roughly 12 ounces of oats, seeds, and nuts on a half-sheet pan and spread out evenly.  Try to use roughly 8 ounces of oats, 4 ounces max of nuts, and 2-4 ounces of seeds, such as pumpkin or sunflower.  If using wheat germ, do not include these yet (they will burn).  Place sheet pan in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

The full pan of grains.  I used walnuts instead of sunflower seeds, just because

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat.  The salt actually helps temper the sweetness of the rest of this mixture, bringing up the perceived balance in the flavors.  Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved, and be careful not to burn yourself with the resulting napalm-like solution.

Mmm, sugary goodness

The toasted grains, nuts, and seeds

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F.  If using chocolate chips, allow the oat mixture to cool slightly.  If not, immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit and wheat germ, and stir to combine.

Stir the liquid with the grains, fruit, and possible chocolate chips.  If using chocolate, act quickly or you will have a melted mess on your hands, which is tasty but not as attractive

Use wax paper and press down as hard as you can to compress the mixture into a thin sheet

Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, scoring bars to make slicing easier but not cutting all the way through, and allow to cool completely.  Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

A full sheet of granola bars before slicing.  I find that a pizza slicer works well while the bars are mostly but not fully cooled

Spicy Poblano Burgers with Chipotle Cream and Pickled Red Onions

Well, after an overly long hiatus, I'm back.  Life is good, thanks for asking.  I mean, how bad could it be, considering that I was finally able to make a crazy hamburger recipe without my good friend and former housemate lamenting "why would you ever put something in a burger besides salt and pepper?!"  Because it's awesome, that's why.

Show me potato salad!

Tonight's post liberates and modifies a burger recipe from Cooking Light, wherein ground beef is augmented with spices and a roasted chile pepper.  To top it off, it calls for a chipotle cream, as well as pickled red onions.  For those of you who haven't had either of these things, a) I weep for you, and b) you need to try them.  Chipotle peppers, being jalapenos that have been smoked and either dried or preserved in a spicy sauce called adobo, are more than just the namesake of your favorite mission-style burrito.  They are also a small piece of heaven, and make for an incredible flavored mayonnaise that's very easy to whip up at home.  And pickled red onions are a garnish traditionally served in Latin cuisine, with a slight bit of tang and a crisp, refreshing bite.  The idea of throwing these things on a burger sounded too good to pass up, and I assure you, the combination is fairly impressive when you're done.

The chipotle - a smoked / dried jalapeno.  And you thought it was some kind of crazy mystery pepper!

Pickled red onions.  I use my own recipe, which is easy and fast, and requires about 4 things you have around the kitchen.

The recipe calls for roasted poblanos in the burger meat.  This is a simple process that can go horribly if you don't follow the directions.  Let's walk through the process quickly:

1. Take your peppers and char them over an open flame.  Do not bake them, don't put them in a pan and sear them.  Char them, over a gas burner, on a grill, or in a broiler.  Turn them regularly, to make sure they are well blackened.
2. Take the still hot peppers and put them in a bag.  You're trying to get the skin off, which you don't want to eat.  To do this, you want the steam coming from the peppers to work its way throughout the membrane keeping the skin attached, so that even the non-charred bits give up their fight and let go.  Translation: place in a sealed plastic zip-top bag, and let the peppers sit for 15 minutes.
3. Peel the skin off.  Try to get as much as possible removed, or the final product will both look and feel weird.

The mostly charred peppers.  I used cubanelle, because I'm lazy and couldn't find poblanos.  About the same heat level and flavor in a pinch.

The peppers, after steaming in a ziploc bag.

Look, the skin comes right off in sheets!

If you're lucky, you can get most of the skin off in one pull.

The finished product, peeled, seeds removed, and sliced open.

We all thought the burgers were great, although I would have cooked them slightly more rare on a better grill.  Regardless, the tart chipotle cream, the slightly sweet, slightly sour pickled onions, and the savory burger come together in what I thought was a well-rehearsed symphony of flavors.  Make sure you are sitting when you eat the hamburger, and please, remember to eat responsibly.

The recipe calls for making a few subassemblies, which need to be prepared in a certain order to get the flavors and consistency correct.  I will outline the recipe in the order in which you must complete everything for maximum awesomeness.  Besides changing the order of the recipe, I replaced white bread and milk with panko crumbs, which gives the burger just a bit more body and a less mushy meatloaf-y texture.

Spicy Poblano Burgers with Pickled Red Onions and Chipotle Cream

Adapted from Cooking Light, July 2010

• 2 poblano chiles
• 1 oz panko crumbs
• 3 tbsp minced fresh cilantro, divided
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1 pound ground sirloin (I used 90/10 chuck)

• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1 tbsp minced shallots
• 1 tsp fresh lime juice
• 1 (7-oz) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (you will just need 1 chile)
• 4 (1.5-oz) hamburger buns, toasted

• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp dried oregano

First, get the pickled onions pickling.  You can do this a day ahead, but a few hours is better than nothing. Most importantly, slice your onions thinly and uniformly.  For this, I use a mandoline, also referred to in my kitchen as 'the finger slicer'.  This medieval torture instrument is valuable not only for injuring yourself, but also for making precisely sliced foods.  Observe:

The mandoline - observe nature's cruelest mistake

I recommend using the finger guard, unless you have excellent medical insurance

These perfectly sliced onions were created in about 10 seconds total.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add vinegar, sugar, red pepper flakes and salt, heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add onions and dried oregano. When mixture is cool pour into a quart container. You may need to add a bit of water just to cover. (If you have time, keep at room temperature for about 6 hours, then place in the refrigerator).

Next, prepare the chipotle cream.  Combine the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons cilantro, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in sour cream, shallots, and juice. Remove 1 chipotle pepper and 2 teaspoons adobo sauce from can; reserve remaining chipotle peppers and adobo sauce for another use. Chop chile. Stir chopped chipotle and 2 teaspoons adobo sauce into sour cream mixture.  Set aside and allow flavors to combine.

Now you can get the poblano peppers roasted.   Preheat broiler, or use a gas / charcoal grill.  Either grill, turning frequently, or place poblano chiles on a foil-lined baking sheet, and broil for 8 minutes or until blackened, turning after 6 minutes. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel chiles, and discard the seeds and membranes. Finely chop.

Now, prepare your spices.  Naturally, you use whole spices, right?  What's that, you don't?  Well, throw out your spices, because they are undoubtedly bland and gross.  Instead, go to a latin market and pick up fresh coriander (the seeds of the cilantro plant) and cumin (the seeds of some other plant), and grind up fresh as needed.  I specifically purchased a coffee mill that I use just for latin spices, which would produce some of the worst coffee ever at this point, but which does an excellent job at making fresh ground spice.

Grind your spices fresh for the best flavor

Combine panko, poblano chile, 1 1/2 tablespoons cilantro, cumin, coriander, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and beef, tossing gently to combine. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions, gently shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty.  Make sure to shape the burgers thin and wide, so that they won't contract into a sphere when cooked.  A trick I learned on Food TV - press a small indentation in the center of each patty, which helps prevent this 'burger bulge' and results in a completely flat burger after cooking.  Cover and chill until ready to grill.   Also, if you're going to the trouble of making this recipe, shell out for decent buns.  A burger that takes this long to make deserves to be on bread without preservatives, that doesn't cost 25 cents, has some flavor, and won't turn to complete paste if looked at incorrectly.  Like a good CEO, burger buns should have some integrity.

Place patties on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes or until grill marks appear. Carefully flip patties; grill an additional 3 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.  Don't be that person that squishes the burger with your spatula - yes, it sounds great, but all you're doing is wringing the flavor and moisture out of the burger, along with potentially cross-contaminating your cooked burger implement with raw beef bits.

I try to make the burgers wide, so they don't shrivel up into small burger balls that are gross when you get them to a bun.

Place 1 patty on bottom half of each bun; top each serving with 3 tablespoons chipotle cream and 1 tablespoon Pickled Red Onions.  Serve with whatever sides you like, and enjoy your hard work - you earned it.

Chipotle pickled red onion roasted pepper burger