Thai Chicken Basil with Fried Egg

Aulie Bunyarataphan, owner-chef of Bangkok Joe's, gives a recipe that's the perfect example of how speedily a Thai dish can be brought to the table. The bulk of the time involved likes in assembling the ingredients for a quick stir fry that preserves flavor and contrast of textures.

Serves five.

2 pounds minced chicken breast
1 1/2 cups green beans, chopped
1 1/2 cups sweet bell pepper, cut into small pieces
2 cups sliced white onion
1 1/2 cups scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup sweet basil leaves
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/2 cup minced Thai pepper (available from Asian supermarkets)
1 1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce (or to taste)
1 tablespoon fried garlic (or to taste, available in jars at Asian supermarkets)
1 cup chicken stock
5 large eggs
5 cups cooked jasmine rice

Pour 1/4 cup canola oil into a large wok over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and minced Thai pepper. Stir-fry briefly. Add ground chicken and stir-fry until halfway cooked. Add chicken stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar and fish sauce and stir. Add all vegetables and basil. Continue to cook through. For the fried egg, heat 1 cup canola oil in a small pan and fry eggs one at a time. Sprinkle stir-fry mixture with fried garlic and place a serving on each plate with jasmine rice. Place fried egg on top of stir-fry mixture.

Recommendation: To give it flavor, the chef often puts a mixture of Thai chilies and fish sauce on the fried egg.

This recipe first appeared in the NorthWest Current. Photo courtesy Aulie Bunyarataphan. 

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