Wild Curry with Holy Basil (กะเพรา)

It seems like yesterday when I could walk around the backyard, surrounded by mango trees. During a drizzle I could smell the warm earth rise up along with the scent of holy basil.  

It's the first week of December in the Triangle and the temperature is in the high 60s outside with a drizzle of rain. I discovered a Thai market, Total Oriental in Raleigh, and found “Kraprao” (กะเพรา) AKA Thai holy basil (as well as kaffir lime leaves, young pepper, and rhizome (Krachai)). I have many memories with this pungent herb. Cooking it will surely be a comfort.

One memorable moment was about the first time I brought my husband to visit my hometown Lopburi. Lopburi is about 200 kilometers north of Bangkok. It is a military town, full of testosterone. He was immediately put to a palate test, being a "Farang" (westerner). My family took us to a country style restaurant in the Ayutthaya countryside, about halfway between Bangkok and Lopburi.  

Thai country style food means cooking with wild animal such as wild boar, frog, bird, snake, and whatever one can find in the rice fields and woods nearby. The herbs and spices are the most crucial in this type of cooking since it balances out the gaminess of the meat. The tolerance on spiciness measures how “manly” a person could be, according to a Thai standard. Thai perception of a Farang is that he or she has no heat tolerance. My husband took in the chili and the spice like a real man. (The secret was that he had a good trainer...me). Though he didn't like eating the bird curry…too many bones he said. My family was in awe. My husband passed the test with flying colors.

Though, be mindful when using basil in Thai cooking. There are different types of basil for different types of food. Holy basil is typically the basil to use for country style cooking since it has the strongest fragrance. Wild curry and basil stir fry are two of the dishes.

Here is a recipe for a “Wild Curry” to soothe your crazy side.

Ingredients and how to get there:

Pan fry on medium heat for about 5 min.

2 tbsp of red curry paste

2 tbsp of canola oil

Add and cook for another 5 min.

½ lb of ground beef or

4 quail, chopped to bite size or

½ lb of bite size wild boar

Turn up the heat to high and add:

3 julienned Krachai (rhizome)

4 Kaffir lime leaves

3 stems of young pepper

1 cup quartered Thai eggplant

1 cup young bamboo shoot
2 cups of water

Adjust to your taste with:

3 tbsp of Fish sauce

½ tbsp of Sugar

Right before turning the heat off, add 3 cups of Kraprao (Holy basil) leaves.

Serve with Jasmine rice.

Cheers!

Teera