RECIPE 2: Thai Pad Kra Pow

Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 cups cooked white rice
1/4 cup vegetable oil

5 fresh Thai chilies, sliced
4 shallots, thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1.5 lbs chicken breasts, thinly sliced

Sauce:
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp lime juice (about the juice of 1/2 lime)
1 tsp brown sugar

1/2 c chicken broth
2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp cold water

1 large bunch fresh Thai Basil leaves
Lime wedges, for garnish

Directions:

1. Prepare the rice per the packaged instructions. Or follow our go-to rice recipe. Rinse rice 3-4 times with water, and then combine 1-1/2 cups rice with 2-1/4 cup water in a saucepan. For extra flavor, add 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 tsp of raw diced onion or shallot and a pinch of salt. Bring the rice and water to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, turn to low, and cover. Simmer on low for 20 minutes (leave the lid firmly on without peaking!) Keeping lid on, turn heat off and let rice sit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, fluff with a fork.

2. Cut the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces. 

3. In a small bowl, whisk sauce ingredients together until combined.

4. Dissolve corn starch in cold water, then whisk into chicken broth and set aside in a small bowl.

5. Prepare all of the vegetables. Get everything “mise en place” translated to “put in place” before you heat your wok. Cooking this dish happens quickly, so place all ingredients (cut chicken, prepared vegetables, sauce and broth mixture) in small bowls so that they are ready to quickly be added to your wok.

6. Heat the vegetable oil in the wok over high heat and add chilies, shallots, red pepper, and garlic. Stir-fry until the vegetables are just-tender and fragrant.

7. Add chicken and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

8. Add the sauce to the wok and stir until chicken is evenly coated. Add the broth mixture to the wok and the basil leaves, and cook until basil is wilted and sauce thickens slightly.

9. Serve hot over rice with additional basil leaves and lime wedges.

Green Beans

1 lb trimmed, washed, dried
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic
2 large shallots, sliced

2 cups vegetable oil
3 tbsp peanut oil

Fry on low heat for 3-4 minutes. Remove oil from wok, then add