Basil

There are many types of basil available here in the U.S. There only 3 kinds that are used in Thai cooking, Thai basil, holy basil and lemon basil.

Please scroll down to see more pictures and descriptions.

Thai basil or 'ho-ra-pa' is different than the sweet basil or Italian basil in supermarket. It has smaller leaves with purple stems.  It is available at oriental grocery stores and farmers markets. If you can get some seeds, it is very easy to grow. Choose a sunny spot, you will have you Thai basil all summer along. Pick often to encourage growth.

I often get hora-pa mixed with gra-pow, holy basil. My mom taught me how to remember which is which by noticing the hair on the leaves and branches. The one without the hair is hora- pa and the one with hair is 'gra-pow'.

Recipes made with Thai basil

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  Basil Eggplant

  Pud Makua Yow

  Stir fried eggplant with basil and chili pepper.

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  Chicken Curry

  Gang Gai

  Chicken and Thai eggplant in red curry

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  Spicy Clams with Basil

  Hoy Pad Prig

  Manila clams in spicy basil sauce.

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  Steamed Curried Fish

  Haw Moak

  Steamed, marinated fish in curry paste and coconut milk on vegetables.

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  Green Curry with Chicken

  Gang Kiew Wan Gai

  Green curry made with chicken and pea eggplant.

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  Pumpkin Curry

  Gang Ped Fug Tong

  Creamy and mild pumpkin curry.

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  Vegetarian Pumpkin Curry

  Gang Ped Fug Tong Mungsavirat

  Vegetarian creamy, mild pumpkin curry

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  Sour Bamboo Curry

  Gang Gai Naw Mai Dong

  Sour pickled bamboo shoot cooked in red curry paste and coconut milk

Lemon basil or bai mang lug looks similar to Italian basil but has tiny hair on its stems. The leaves are smaller. It definitely smell "lemony". Seeds are soaked and eaten as dessert. When soaked, the seed forms a tiny cloud and looks like frog's egg. The dessert is served with coconut milk and syrup.

Recipes made with lemon basil

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  Noodles with Fish Curry Sauce

  Kanom Jeen Nam Ya

  Curry fish sauce over rice noodles with fresh and boiled vegetables

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  Spicy Vegetable Soup

  Gang Liang

  Clear, spicy vegetable soup

Holy basil is also known as tulsi in India.  I have heard a story that Thai people moving to India are warned not to pluck the leaves from the plant without seeking permission as they are holy plants.  

Holy basil is gapow in Thai.  There are several varieties in Thailand.  Some are grown wildly.  If you trek in Thailand, check out for the reddish, purplish variety.  It can be grown from seeds in the US in the summer.

You are probably familiar with 'gai pad gapow'. Frequently here in the US, when you order 'pad gapow' in a restaurant, you do not get the real gra pow, but instead sweet basil. They are not the same. However, if push comes to shove, sweet basil is better than nothing.

Gapow has a different smell and flavor than basil. Its branches and leaves are covered with tiny hair. It has a hot spicy smell. If you are making 'pad gra pow', don't sacrifice the taste, use all that you've got. It is worth it.

Recipes made with holy basil

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  Chicken Basil

  Gai Pad Gaprow

  Ground chicken stir fried with holy basil

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  Tom Yum Gai

  Hot and sour, lean chicken soup with lemongrass and galangal.

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  Pork Basil

  Pad Gaproa Moosub Kaidow

  Spicy ground pork stir-fried with fragrant holy basil. Served over jasmine rice, a fried egg and garlic chili fish sauce.

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  Drunken Noodles

  Sen Yai Pad Kee Mao

  Spicy hot rice noodles stir-fried with pork and holy basil

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  Pad Kee Mao

  Pork stir-fried with spicy sauce, also known as drunken pork

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