Spicy Thai Basil has such a wonderful flavor with abundance of freshness packed in it. This Thai dish has been our favorite at our local Thai Restaurant and it was one of the dishes that inspired us to do the whole Thai series as well. The color, the crunch and the flavor of in this dish is absolutely stunning.
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
Oil – 2 tbsp
Extra Firm Tofu – 14oz, cubed
Sweet Onions – 1/2 med, sliced
Green Bell Pepper – 1 large, sliced
Red Bell Pepper – 1/2 large, sliced
Snow Peas – handful
Carrot – 1/2, thinly sliced
Bamboo Shoots – 1 cup
Baby Corn – 1, 14 oz can
Straw Mushrooms – 1/2 can
Fresh Basil Leaves – a few
Crushed Red Chili Flakes – as needed
Seasoning Sauce – 3/4 cup (Golden Mountain or Maggi Seasoning Sauce)
Water – 1/2 cup
Palm Sugar – 1/2 cup or to taste
Thai Basil – 8-10 sprigs
Method:
1. In a wok, heat Oil (1 tbsp).
2. Once hot, add the cubed Tofu and stir fry till lightly golden on all sides.
3. After it is done, take it out and keep aside.
4. Start working on the sauce and heat up the Seasoning Sauce in a pan.
5. Add in Water, Palm Sugar, Thai Basil and allow them to cook for about 5-7 min.
6. In the same wok, add in an additional 1 tbsp of Oil and increase the heat to a high.
7. Add in the Onions and allow them to caramelize just a bit.
8. Once done, add in other vegetables – Green Bell Pepper, Red Bell Pepper, Snow Peas, Bamboo Shoots and Baby Corn.
9. Keep stirring the vegetables and cook for about 3-4 min.
10. Add in the Straw Mushrooms and the fried Tofu.
11. Mix and add in the Sauce.
12. Mix well and allow everything to cook for about 1-2 minutes.
13. Remove the basil from the wok and replace with some fresh Basil.
14. Add in the crushed Red Chili Flakes as needed.
15. Cook for another 2-3 minutes and serve with some hot Jasmine Rice.
Tip:
1. Add in some Chicken, Turkey, shrimp, beef or pork (bite-size) right after the onions and cook for a bit. carry on the procedure from there and enjoy a non-veg dish.
I did some calculating on the amount of sodium presented in this recipe. On the back of the Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce bottle ONE tablespoon has 1260 mg of sodium, 53 % of what’s recommended daily.
The recipe recommends 3/4 of a cup of the seasoning sauce. Lets do some calculating. There are about 12 tablespoons of liquid in 3/4 of a cup. Therefore, 12 times 1260 equals a whopping 15,120 mg of sodium recommended in this recipe. Additionally, 12 times 53%(recommended daily limit) equals an astronomical 636%. Am I missing something here? I made the recipe exactly as presented and it was inedible. Did I make a mistake?
Hi Eunice,
Yes, there is a lot of sodium in the seasoning sauce. We made a huge batch as we were making it for two families. Maybe you did not have enough of the other ingredients to allow for the sauce?
I did some calculating on the amount of sodium presented in this recipe. On the back of the Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce bottle ONE tablespoon has 1260 mg of sodium, 53 % of what’s recommended daily.
The recipe recommends 3/4 of a cup of the seasoning sauce. Lets do some calculating. There are about 12 tablespoons of liquid in 3/4 of a cup. Therefore, 12 times 1260 equals a whopping 15,120 mg of sodium recommended in this recipe. Additionally, 12 times 53%(recommended daily limit) equals an astronomical 636%. Am I missing something here? I made the recipe exactly as presented and it was inedible. Did I make a mistake?
I did some calculating on the amount of sodium presented in this recipe. On the back of the Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce bottle ONE tablespoon has 1260 mg of sodium, 53 % of what’s recommended daily.
The recipe recommends 3/4 of a cup of the seasoning sauce. Lets do some calculating. There are about 12 tablespoons of liquid in 3/4 of a cup. Therefore, 12 times 1260 equals a whopping 15,120 mg of sodium recommended in this recipe. Additionally, 12 times 53%(recommended daily limit) equals an astronomical 636%. Am I missing something here? I made the recipe exactly as presented and it was inedible. Did I make a mistake?
The ratio of 3/4 of seasoning sauce to 1/2 cup of water in this recipe is toooo salty, wayyy too salty.
Hello Hetal and Anuja,
On the onset let me tell you that you girls are just amazing and make it so fun in the kitchen. Had a quick question I am based out here in Atlanta and I did check couple of stores and no one carries the Golden Mountain seasoning sauce is there an alternate to that cause I wanted to cook this for my 11 yr old son who so loves Thai cuisine.
thanks thanu
Hi Thanu,
Thank you for your sweet words and compliments 🙂
The other great option is “Maggi Seasoning Sauce”, we know that is available even at local grocery stores.
Happy Cooking!
Hi Hetal,
I love Thai chilli basil noodles.
How do you make it with noodles?
Pls reply.
Thanks.
Hi Prit,
You can make this same preparation and keep it to the side. In a wok, add oil and quickly stir fry prepared noodles with oil until a little caramelized. Then, add this mixture on top and toss.
Thank you Hetal.. appreciate for your response
Hi H & A,
I hv tried thai food 2-3 .. now I want 2 try it at home..but I cnt figure out the perfect combo of the thai cuisine(veg.) for guests 2 treat, can u please help me to decide the menu for the gathering of 3 families..
Hi Avani,
You can try the Spicy Thai Basil and Red Curry. One has a lot of gravy and the other has less. Both are very different in flavor. Pair it with Jasmine rice.
Can you post recipes for Pad Thai/Pad Kee Mow. I have found many recipes in the website, but I’m waiting for your recipe.Reason is that you make all the recipes so simple and healthy, while maintaining excellent taste! 🙂
Could you post a recipe for Thai peanut butter sauce…you know the type I have eaten had peanut butter sauce with sugar snaps and shrimp over pasta.
Hi Nisha,
Here it is: https://34.233.61.50/appetizers/summer-rolls-with-peanut-dipping-sauce.html
Hello,
I was introduced to your website this week. Everything looks great and I can’t wait to try the recipes!
This recipe says two cans of coconut milk but the video shows one can. Which one shall I use? Is one enough?
thanks,
Viji
sorry – wrong recipe
can i use jaggery instaed of palm sugar?
Where do you get baby corn cans,thai basil, seasoning and palm sugar ? Is it available in HEB or Central Market or Whole foods.Please reply soon i want to make this dish this week.
Thank you
tks for replying but i rather skip this one!
i tried it but didnt turn out good.had a lot of soya sauce (from the same seasoning sauce of the same brand mentioned here)flavour and saltiness,so addded lot more sugar n lots of lime juice n water.taht compensated for the strong seasoning sauce flavour but nothing great.Also my thai basil leaves didnt add much flavour the way u guys were describing “oh my house if full of basil flavour”etc.maybe the ones we get in New Zealand arent so good?!!
there is surely seomthing missing in this recipe.
I checked many asian stores for thsi brand of seasoning sauce but it turns out there is not much difference in soya n seasoning sauce,Care to elaborate the difernce please??
Please check again and update and also if possible,please post pad thai noodles recipe as well.
thanks
Hetal & Anuja, how could this dish be spicy by adding few flakes of crushed peppers ? Have you guys missed any ingredient for spicyness ? Moreover this recipe is watery and sounds like consuming the bottles of sauce.
Pls answer the questions posted under this recipe. You guys haven’t answer any of them. Clear our doubts. Thanx in advance.
Hi Mruds and Sha,
Quite a a lot of basil goes into the sauce to make it “basil” flavored. Keep in mind that we made a rather large batch so we had quite a bit of sauce. You can use the same proportions but make less sauce.
The seasoning sauce does have a soya sauce base, but the taste is quite different. When you add the sugar to it, it has more levels of flavor than plain soy sauce. Adding the lime probably did not help…we’ve tried lime juice but something funny happens to the taste so we leave it out.
The spice does come from the chili flakes (of course it depends on how much you add). Most Thai restaurants will use Thai or Bird Chilies – a little goes a long way. Depending on the level of spiciness you choose (1,2,3 or 4), the amount of the flakes will increase. If you want, you can also add green chilies along with your veggies for more of a kick.
Finally, since salt is a personal taste, if the sauce is too salty for you, you can always substitute a little more water and less seasoning sauce or just make less sauce for the amount of veggies you used.
Thanx Hetal for your reply….Will try this recipe for a long WE.
You Gals are the greatest! Thanks for giving me the encouragement to try thai food.
did you forget to add the red curry paste?
Hi Preeti,
This dish is not meant to be like the creamy coconut curry. There is more focus on the veggies and less on the heaviness of the sauce.
Hi ! First… I love your site… both of you are doing a wonderful job. 🙂
I tried this recipe today…followed it exactly, however, it came out TOO salty! How do I fix that? The ‘thai’ flavor was there but was hidden due to the sodium. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Hi Ruby,
Since salt is a personal taste, you can change the ratio of seasoning sauce to water (substitute more water).
Hi
is thai basil similar to tulsi.
Tulsi is holy basil…same family but slightly different taste.
You Gals are the greatest! Thanks for giving me the encouragement to try thai food.
Looks good, but I agree it needs more spice. Some minced chilies with the onions would be a good start. Would also be more authentic to use shallots instead of onions, and skip the seasoning sauce, but add rice vinegar (equal to the amount of sugar you use).
Many Congratulations on being selected as finalists! Sure, will do vote for you everyday. You guys deserve the best 🙂
mmmm, THANK YOU!!!!
I love pad thai can you post a recipe of that.
Hi, I love Thai food and my husband loves soups. Can you please post some Thai soup recipes soon?
Can we substitute fresh mushrooms. Does it alter the cooking time.
You can use fresh mushrooms but straw mushrooms have a different texture and flavor. Cooking time will not be affected much but fresh mushrooms do release a lot of liquid so it will add to your sauce.
Love Thai food !! Will try it soon !!
I am sorry but I did not see any “heat” in this recipe. And there were hardly any “Spices”. Why is it called “Spicy Thai Basil”? Anuja also mentioned it’s on the “sweeter side” With half a cup of palm sugar and a pinch of chilly flakes it’s definitely not Spicy. Since there is a lot of basil and sugar used in this maybe a different name is in order- Like “Sweet and savory Thai basil curry”?? Recipe looks great nonetheless:)
Exactly my thoughts! Hetal and Anuja, did you perhaps miss adding your thai red curry paste to this? I see no heat in this at all for the Indian tongue..LOL!
Hi Angel,
The spice does come from the chili flakes (of course it depends on how much you add). Most Thai restaurants will use Thai or Bird Chilies – a little goes a long way. Depending on the level of spiciness you choose (1,2,3 or 4), the amount of the flakes will increase. If you want, you can also add green chilies along with your veggies for more of a kick.
Hetal & Anuja, this recipe is really awesome. Thanx for sharing.