Thai Inspired Spicy Chicken Stir Fry

    

Wow! Did this dish ever have flavour! That first bite I took of the completed recipe made my taste buds soar with delight.

And why did I make it? What urged me to create this electric dish? It was one ingredient and one video.

First, I was gifted some chili peppers grown in a friends garden. And I thought to myself, “I want to do something unique with this ingredient. Something I haven’t done before.” I love Thai food and I love the flavours that compliment dishes with chili peppers in them. So I looked around for inspiration through different videos on the internet and later found the perfect dish to try with these beautiful, red, fiery peppers.

The dish is inspired by a video created by my favorite food vlogger, Mark Wiens. The video takes place in his home in Thailand. His mother-in-law is preparing a dish that he calls “Thai Stir Fry Chili Duck.” What inspired me the most from this recipe is all of the love and work that is put into its contents. I loved the idea of the garden-fresh herbs and other ingredients that were collected from the market. I loved how the mother pounded the duck, the chili, the garlic, the herbs, the spices etc., etc. and etc. Watching this video alone was making my mouth water and I knew this was the dish I wanted to recreate.

Now unfortunately, I don’t have access to some of the ingredients Mark’s mother-in-law was using. For example, tree basil, kaffir lime leaves and galangal. Also, I do not have ready access to duck either nor do I have a mortar and pestle…yet (one day…one day). So I came up with some ideas for improvising.

My ingredient list:

• ·         2 chicken breasts
• ·         4 chilies
• ·         ½ clove of garlic
• ·         ¾ cup of ginger
• ·         3 tbsp Thai red curry paste
• ·         1 tbsp ground cumin
• ·         1 tbsp ground coriander
• ·         1 tbsp ground black pepper
• ·         ½ can of coconut milk
• ·         Small handful of spinach
• ·         Small handful of fresh basil

I chose boneless, skinless chicken breast instead of duck but I did copy the technique of pounding the chicken with my large knife until it was fully minced.

    Since I don’t have a mortar and pestle I finely chopped the garlic and chilies into small delicate pieces.

Instead of galangal, I used ginger and roughly chopped this powerful ingredient. I wanted to be able to really taste the ginger. That sharp yet subtly sweet kick it gives to any dish is so mesmerizing and incredible. Ginger takes any dish to a whole other level.

Next, I used garden fresh regular basil instead of tree basil. And I could not think of what would resemble kaffir lime leaves so I roughly chopped a small handful of spinach to add that extra green colour to the dish.

For the curry paste, I just used an average grocery store red Thai curry paste. Furthermore, instead of pan frying whole seeds of coriander and cumin I used pre-ground versions of those spices.

Lastly for ingredients, I did add one other delicious substance that was not called for in the video’s recipe. This ingredient was coconut milk. The reason why I added it was because my wonderful, loving husband, though he tries, cannot handle very spicy food. So I decided what better way to tone down the spicy flavour than by adding coconut milk. This creamy liquid will mild the heat and acidity of spicy dishes and yet will also enhance the dish with a stunning approach.

Cooking Method:

Once all these ingredients were chopped and ready to go it was time to start frying the chicken. I got my frying pan heating with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and once the oil was starting to bubble I threw in the minced chicken. I fully cooked the chicken, that beautiful sizzling sound echoing in the background, and then put it into a separate dish off to the side. Next, with the remaining hot oil in the pan, I added my finely chopped garlic and chilies. Once you place garlic and chilies into hot oil it creates amazing aromas that awakens your senses in new ways. It is fresh, it is sharp, it is spicy, it is…enchanting…..

Okay, focusing again. Once you return from cloud 9, you only need to quickly stir the chilies and garlic for roughly 30 seconds. Then you add your curry paste. Ensure that you thoroughly mix these ingredients together.

One thing I forgot to mention was that I did have my basil soaking in a bowl of water while prepping all the other ingredients. The purpose of this was to try to soak in some of that herbal flavour into the water. When I was mixing the garlic, chilies and curry paste I added some of this water to prevent it from drying out.

Next, I added back in the cooked chicken and evenly coated it with the spicy mixture. After the chicken was stirred in I threw in my ginger. I let that sit for a couple minutes stirring it occasionally. By letting the ginger cook into the chicken, curry and spices it created a beautiful marriage of flavours. These are ingredients that compliment each other and are so perfect together.

After this was sizzling for a few minutes I added in the coconut milk, the cracked black pepper and the dried spices, then stirred them rigorously till they were evenly combined.

Lastly, I tossed in the spinach and basil leaves and quickly mixed that into the dish. You need to make sure not to let it cook the leaves too long otherwise they will wilt. You want them to be almost lightly blanched. Basically, I find the best way to do so is by turning off the heat from the stove and letting the residual heat in the pan and other ingredients lightly cook the green leaves. Again, I wish I had the actual ingredients that were presented in the video (tree basil, galangal and kaffir lime leaves). However, this makes me all the more excited to one day hunt down where I may be able to access these herbs and cook with them in this same dish.

The taste test:

Like I said earlier, WOW! This dish has so many different flavours that all work as one. You can taste the freshness from the basil, you can taste the heat from the chilies and the curry, the complexity of the coriander and the smokiness from the cumin. The creaminess from the coconut milk that makes the spice a touch milder yet not taking away from the robust, fiery taste. The ginger creates a subtle sweetness partnered by a zesty spice that only it can achieve. NOTE: I partially cooked the ginger in order for it to maintain its unique fieriness and slight crunch to its texture. If you fully cook ginger, it draws out the natural sugars, giving it a sweeter taste rather than its warm, piquant flavour. The chicken was able to absorb every flavour. And when you pair this dish with a soft bed of white rice, it is magnificent.

How would I describe the flavour of this dish with one word? I would say “harmony.” For every ingredient plays a special part in the recipe yet when mixed together they create the harmony of flavours that sing a song as one. They all have their own solo, making sure none of them shy away from the spotlight, but do not neglect to act as a symphony that is uniquely united into one incredible dish.