Thai spicy stir-fried mushrooms with basil

I love mushrooms and definitely do not cook them enough. This is a dish that highlights the essential flavours of Thai cuisine: spicy, loaded with basil and absolutely delicious.

This very simple stir-fry is packed with spice, loads of spicy Thai bird's eye chillies, and scented beautifully with Thai basil. The dish is bold and perfect as a side for any Asian meal.

I have started going to this massive volume on Thai cooking more frequently. It is packed full of recipes from the land and culture that prides itself on its cuisine. This book definitely steps out of the ordinary, a must for any cook who wants everything Thai in their kitchen and on their table. Occasionally, in this book, I come across a recipe where an ingredient is hard to find, but with over 500 recipes, there is much more to cook.

For more wonderful recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

10 cloves of garlic

3-8 fresh Thai red bird's eye chillies, or to taste

2 tablespoons oil

2 packs, about 8 oz each, mushrooms, well cleaned, and sliced

1 tablespoon oyster sauce, avoid for the vegan version

1 teaspoon soy sauce, double for vegan version

Salt, to taste

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup Thai basil leaves, sliced + a sprig for garnish

Pound the garlic and chillies in a small mortar till a very smooth paste is formed. I do not like putting this into a small blender, as you will need to add water, and this does not work for the recipe.

Heat the oil in a wide frying pan and set the heat on low. Add the chilli-garlic paste and sauté for 1 minute till the oil is red and the paste is aromatic. Add the mushrooms, turn the heat up to high, and add a pinch of salt. Toss the mixture well to coat the mushrooms with the fried paste. The mushrooms will release water and cook in the liquid.

As the liquids begin to dry out, add the oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Toss well to mix. Cook the mushrooms on high heat until the liquid has completely evaporated and the mushrooms begin to turn golden. Toss so all the sides are evenly browned lightly. Remove the mixture from the stove and add the basil, tossing the mixture well to distribute the basil leaves evenly. They will cook in the residual heat and infuse the mushrooms with scent.

Serve hot, garnished with the basil sprig.