Sunday, August 10, 2014

Thai Style Chicken with Basil and my favorite food podcasts

Most every morning I go jogging  - I really don't enjoy running all that much, but I find it is the most efficient form of exercise there is....I can do it just about anywhere and I don't need any special equipment.   If I don't exercise first thing in the morning, it won't happen.   One thing I do to keep it more interesting is to listen to cooking podcasts.   Currently I am enjoying listening to:

NPR Food Podcast - Recipes, interviews and the story behind your favorite foods from Morning Edition, All Things Considered and other award-winning NPR programs.

Earth Eats - from Indiana Public Radio, it features lots of Midwest local food information and recipes

Edible Radio - I enjoy most everything on this feature of the local food magazine Edible, but I especially like "Blue Plate Special".

The Splendid Table - I've always liked Lynn Rosetto Kasper's radio show, but I am rarely not busy during it's broadcast time here on our radio station, so I can catch up listening to the podcasts

America's Test Kitchen Radio - Hosted by Christopher Kimball, it's like a radio version of his show on PBS.

It was while listening to ATK Radio one morning that I found this recipe to use up the abundance of basil I have in my garden this year.   One can eat only so much pesto.  The tomatoes might not like the cool summer we've been having, but the herbs have been loving it!  In addition to the basil, I've got oregano that is the size of a small shrub and thyme that is overflowing it's container. I've got to find some way to use all that up, but for the basil, I've made this recipe several times and it is just delicious.




Thai Style Chicken with Basil
(my take on America's Test Kitchen's recipe)

2 cups fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
3 medium garlic cloves, peeled
3 serrano chiles, stemmed
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 medium shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 t. (or more) red pepper flakes

Process 1 cup basil leaves, garlic, and chiles in food processor until finely chopped. Take a spoonfull of  the basil mixture to small bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon fish sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, and sugar; set aside. Transfer remaining basil mixture to large nonstick skillet, but don't bother rinsing the food processor bowl.  Pulse chicken and 1 tablespoon fish sauce in food processor until meat is chopped into -approximate 1/4-inch pieces. Don't go too far or it will turn into ground chicken!  Stir shallots and oil into basil mixture in skillet. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until garlic and shallots are golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Add chicken, increase heat to medium, and cook, stirring and breaking up chicken with a wooden spoon until chicken is cooked through. Add reserved basil-fish sauce mixture and remaining cup basil leaves and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, until basil is wilted.  Serve over hot rice.