Thai Basil Noodles Recipes

SPICY SESAME NOODLES WITH CHOPPED PEANUTS AND THAI BASIL

Steps:

• Heat peanut oil in small skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Transfer to large bowl. Add next 6 ingredients; whisk to blend.
• Place noodles in sieve over sink. Separate noodles with fingers and shake to remove excess starch. Cook in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, stirring occasionally. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool. Drain thoroughly and transfer to bowl with sauce. Add sliced green onions and toss to coat noodles. Let stand at room temperature until noodles have absorbed dressing, tossing occasionally, about 1 hour. Stir in peanuts and Thai basil; toss again. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.

THAI BASIL NOODLES

Steps:

• Heat 1 TB oil in a large pan and add the tofu. Cook for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside. (see tofu notes)
• In the same pan, heat 1 TB oil and add onions and garlic. Cook for 3-5 minutes until onion is translucent.
• Add mushrooms and bok choy (as well as another TB of oil if needed) and cook until tender.
• Meanwhile, heat a large pot of water for rice noodles. When water is boiling, turn off heat and add rice noodles for about 4 minutes or until al dente. You don't want them too soft because they will cook more later on. When noodles are al dente, drain and add to the pan with the vegetables.
• Whisk together the sauce ingredients, add to pan and cook everything for another 3-5 minutes.
• Turn off heat and add basil and mix through.
• Fold in tofu and top with sesame seeds.

THAI BASIL SHRIMP

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Cut the stem portion from the lime leaves to remove and discard.
• Place the lime leaves along with all other sauce ingredients in a food processor or chopper. Process well to form an aromatic paste. Taste-test for sweetness/sour balance, adding more sugar to taste (you will adjust the other flavors later). Set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell peppers and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons white wine as you go.
• Add the shrimp , stir-fry sauce and extra tablespoon of oil, if needed. Stir-fry 3 minutes, until shrimp are pink and plump.
• Turn down heat to low and fold in 1/3 cup chopped basil. Add the coconut milk a little at a time, taste-testing as you go (some people like this dish with coconut milk, and others prefer the more potent version without).
• Taste-test for salt and spice, adding more fish sauce if not flavorful or salty enough, or more lime juice if too salty. Add more coconut milk if too spicy.
• To serve it the way they do in Thailand, simply fry an egg in a little vegetable oil and lightly salt it.
• Tilt shrimp onto the plate. Add a generous topping of chopped fresh basil , and serve with Thai jasmine rice , topped with the fried eggs, if using. Often this dish is also accompanied with cucumber slices.

EASY THAI BASIL-SESAME NOODLES

Steps:

• If using dried noodles, set them to boil while you prepare the Thai-style pesto. If using fresh noodles, boil them afterward, as they only take a couple of minutes to cook. To make the pesto (sauce), place all ingredients (except garnishes) in a food processor. Process well. Taste the pesto for salt and spice. Add more [vegetarian] fish sauce if not salty enough, and more chilli (if using) if not spicy enough. If too salty, add another squeeze of lime juice. Do not warm up this mixture, or it will lose its wonderful flavor and nutrients. When noodles are cooked, drain and immediately toss with the basil-sesame pesto sauce. To serve, garnish with a few leaves of basil and some toasted sesame seeds. Note: to toast your own sesame seeds: Place seeds on a small cookie sheet or pie plate and broil/grill in the oven. Watch the seeds carefully, as they will burn very quickly (seeds are toasted when they turn golden-brown).