This 16 minute Thai Basil Stir Fry is a weeknight delight. 

The lack of music and just general chill format is just so relaxing, scratching an itch I didn't know I had.

Dude, no B roll, funky music, and overthinking the cinematography; just a no frills cooking channel. This is what it should be about.

A Thai fan here from your other channel. I’m glad you did mention the 2 varieties of basils. This dish traditionally used the other basil :the holy basil , which we call krapao and if you use beef as a protein of choice people can choose to use Krapao or they can switch to Bai Yeera instead which would be better but it can be quite difficult to find.I believe in English it is called shrubby basil?🤷🏻 Although it’s not wrong to used the regular Thai basil, it’s more popular if you’re protein is sea food. As for not washing the rice. 😂 I would be a minority Asian who agree with you that it’s really doesn’t matter much. I still wash mine out of old habits. I did try not washing it if I am sure that the rice is clean from the production process. However i know a few persons who would completely deny eating the rice that hasn’t been washed. To me the texture feel a bit more sticky than the usual that’s all. Krapao is definitely different from Horapa. It’s has kind of spicy note to it. Although we do not do the same process for the sauce, You sauce is more or less forgivable. Traditionally we would pound garlic and chilli (red and yellow we used Prick Chifaa variety for brighter colors and a few bird eye chili for spiciness and aroma. If you can’t stand the heat just opt the bird eye chilli). You can make a lot of this prior by fired it with oil and kept in the fridge as a sauce base. It can be used to variety of Thai menu. Once you stirred fried this with high heat until the aroma came out add minced meat add fish sauce. At this point you can add other sauce too if you want. It’s not right or wrong. Although traditionally Thais would just add fish sauce. The sweet black say sauce is added mainly for dark color. And we add only a tiny bit. If you do it right the color would come through naturally without adding the black sweet soy sauce at all. However you need to add a little bit of sugar though in the sauce. Taste the meat and adjust the flavor to your liking then finish with basil or Krapao or Bai Yeera if you can find in your local Asian market. Turn off the heat served with rice and super crispy fried duck egg with the yoke still runny.

1:40 Ok, I think we have a new testing Video for the main Channel: Rice Pick a few similar enough rice varieties (e.g. all long grain, e.g. Basmati, Jasmin; maybe at different price points) Compare with and without washing, maybe pot vs rice cooker etc. Would be a fun video in my opinon as I made the experience that washing/not washing your rice will make a very noticable difference.

This is an excellent concept for a cooking channel. Full, healthy recipes beginning to end, within a reasonable time frame. This is going to be great for a lot of really busy people.

This has huge old-school cooking show vibes. Real-time footage, minimal "production", abundance of good knowledge being transferred. Really good stuff.

Love that you showed the whole process from start to finish!

I cook this all the time. Pork, beef, and chicken all work. My personal favorite is to throw some boneless skinless chicken thighs in the food processor, quick mince, and then repeat that with some onion and whatever pepper you prefer. I prefer thai/birdseye peppers because they don't mess with the overall flavor like sirracha does. I use normal basil just because that's what I have growing in the garden, and it tastes amazing. I don't use siracha, I use oyster or hoisin sauce. Throw a little corn stach slurry in at the end and the sauce binds to everything really well and just brings the whole thing together. As far as left overs, just fry an egg and throw it on the top with some rice on the bottom, perfection.

Much like myself, Ethan cuts 1 slit into the beef package, attempts to strong-arm it open, realizes the plastic is too strong, cuts another slit, still gets annoyed. Take away: Always cut 3 sides. It's just easier.

I really appreciate you showing dishes, and talking about what you'd be doing while things cook. it feels more true to how cooking at home is to most people. really different vibe than what's out there, I love it.

I love the vibe of this side channel! I feel like I’m sitting in your kitchen with a glass of wine watching you cook dinner for me. Love your work!❤

Very into this format, Ethan! Really like the lack of music and straightforward approach, the timer is great. Looking forward to putting this recipe together ❤

The substitution popup at 6:05 seems to have the spicy and sweet ingredients flipped

Yes, a basil difference video would be great.

As a native Thai, this is pretty darn close, the only thing missing is a fried egg (runny yolk, crispy edges).

Just like the clean cut nature of the cook - pop ups are really valid and timely - that s why I subscribed.

It never occurred to me to use a non-contact thermometer to know when the pan was hot enough - Thanks for the hot tip!

I love the presentation of this video. It makes it much easier to follow at home!

Adding something like a little asparagus might also be very good and make it more of a complete meal.

Congratulations on the new channel. You just inspired me to make a quick lunch instead of going somewhere

Fried rice and using "overnight" rice... I'd love to see you tackle this pervasive myth with a blind taste test. A few years ago, while picking up takeout Chinese food, I happened to see the chef/cook reach into their large rice cooker and scoop it directly into the wok. When I asked about fresh vs. old rice, they said no restaurant has time to do it that way. I've actually seen it done this way in two other very popular restaurants. How about doing a test with a few variations. Refrigerated overnight rice kept in a takeout box, overnight rice left on a plate. Fresh rice spread on a plate to cool and dry out a bit. Fresh rice right out of the cooker. All made the "dry" method, using less water? Love the new channel and format by the way!

making this channel and making it separate from your main channel not only shows a desire to inform people about cooking in an easy comfortable way but also to seperate this from the main channel means you still care about producing quality content and have the integrety to maintain it by keeping it seperate. very good stuff.

I’ve been obsessed with basmati rice this year. 1 part rice, 2 parts stock, bay leaf, and varying amounts of butter. Comes out perfect every time. Add turmeric and or paprika if you want to color the rice for presentation purposes

I’ve come to realize I spend an unusual amount of time watching you chew food 😂

Pretty sure Italian basil is actually a closer sub than Thai basil for the holy basil in the recipe - at least according to Hot Thai Kitchen. All are delicious and I appreciate that speed and using what you have on hand rather than authenticity is the aim here

❤ this new channel! I love the “cook with me” feel! 🎉

My local Vietnamese restaurant makes a dish very similar to this with ground chicken, green onions, and Thai basil. Deliciously simple.

I make something similar to this, but I substitute sambal oelek for the sriracha. I find it elevates the flavour and makes it easy spicier, which i like. Actually one other thing i do is cook the rice in coconut milk to give it a really nice sweet flavour and a creamy mouthfeel

I grow various basils in my garden and then pick one to let flower ( usually the purple basil) because the pollinators love basil flowers. Basil is super easy to grow. I love dishes like this.

I'm growing a ton of Thai basil this year, so I'll be keeping this recipe in mind.

I love both of your channels. I appreciate the web page breaking down the recipe with the tags for what it's adding (crunch, fat, etc) for when I come back to look at the components again!

Hey brother, I just made this and it was delicious. I have a lot of Thai basil in my garden, so I wanted to put it to good use. I added some baby 🥦 broccoli for some greens. Thanks again for a terrific recipe.

Why do I feel like a soft boiled egg would make this perfection

If you find that washing the rice doesn’t make a difference, I suspect you’re using American-grown Jasmine rice, which I suspect from similar results I’ve gotten is washed at some point in the production, or else you’re not washing it enough. With Thai Jasmine rice, I find that not washing vs. washing is the difference between a gluey, clumpy mess and something with just enough stickiness to hold together - which makes sense, since what you’re washing off is surface starch. I do find that while certain rice cookers or cooking methods can exacerbate or mitigate that somewhat, it generally follows the same pattern. In particular, I find washing extra important for fried rice, where I wash it more aggressively.

I would love to see a video where you compare the different types of basil.

Just made this Ethan! I added bell peppers, used Italian basil, no Thai Basil by me, garnished with green onion. Turned out great!

Sriracha is not usually used, but it's a good weeknight hack because it brings the garlic, which i think is essential for this dish. I did laugh at drying hands on back of pants, followed several second later by all the steam rising from behind (from the rice cooker, presumably).

Washing rice for the starch is one thing but definitely to clean it off

I wash rice and when it clicks, it usually needs 10mins to sit on the “warm” setting, sometimes more, or else you’ll get bullets for rice. But an easy meal. Nice work.

Went to Thialand during January of 2020 did a cooking Class of with this recipe. Sold on the menues as : Phad Kraphgo Kai. I'm sure one of those words means chicken The sauce was: 1 Tbsp oyster sauce 1tsp fish sauce 1tsp sugar, white 1/2 tsp soy sauce Extra fish, soy, and oyster sauce to taste. Additionally it always had long beans and bell peppers served with it. For spice thai chili's were used (During the sautée when you add the garlic) and/or Chili garlic sauce. Sriracha is too "processed" for the dish. Otherwise indodn everything the same but multiplied my sauce x4 so there was always exta sauce. To make it even better fry a runny egg and pilot that over the dish. Any ground meat works.

Thai Basil should be a little more sweet like Genovese Italian basil while Holy basil should be a bit spicy. I make a more traditional version of this dish where there sauce is Fish sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy, and then I add in diced thai chilis. Also, if using a wok, make sure to add the sauce to the side of the wok rather than on top of the food.

7:41 Thai and Holy basil are very different in taste. Thai basil has more licorice notes, and holy basil (depending on the variety as there are a few) can have a more pungent, almost gasoline-like smell and taste with more bitter aromatics and more grassy or herbaceous notes reminiscent of tea leaves. Thai basil is great for cooking, and holy basil is better for teas and infusions.

i love you Ethan, love your videos from both channels, please continue doing these. I wish many people will think like me and you can build a big community. I also like the cookwell website, at fist I thought it might be a subscription to access all the recipes and content, but it isn’t, it’s all free, thank you for all the content you are doing and the information you are sharing. Greetings from Colombia 🇨🇴

I really like the real time format. Thanks, Love your work.

I made this tonight, added in some ginger to the sauce and had to use "regular" basil, but it came out fantastic. I will definitely make this again, but will probably reduce the amount of fish sauce not that I know how it all comes together. Thanks for the inspiration!

Bingo! I make this stir fry a couple times a month! I vary the sauce a bit and have used regular basil, not quite as good, and have added in some carrots for color. And when I can't get shallots, I use green spring onions. Very tasty!

thanks so much for adding easing to the «string-finger» popups ... now for the transforms at 2:59, 6:05 etc. you may want to make it the same as «string-finger» for consistency - or make it begin easing out/bouncing out earlier (not duration, it's a bit hard to explain without the chart)

This came out at the perfect time. I pinched off the Thai basil in my garden a few days ago, and I was trying to figure out what to make with the leaves that I had. Thank you.

My hands twitched when you grabbed the lid of the rice cooker before it was done.

Yes made this for lunch and it was quick and delicious as promised. All I had to buy at the store were shallots, basil, and dark soy since everything else was already at home.

We make this dish in a regular rotation. I've used a mix of white and brown sugar if I don't have a sweet/dark soy sauce on hand. Excellent with a crispy fried egg on top and I've been known to throw some slice Fresno chiles in there and garlic. I've eaten it as a leftover in a tortilla and I really would like to try it inside an empanada or Jamaican patty. Use it as a filling in an egg roll would be amazing too. Wonderful recipe. Thanks for featuring it. Now I'm gonna seek out a mini-potato masher!

A Thai here, I would recommend using garlic instead of shallot and add it before you add the meat. But every family has a slightly different kind of recipe. The sriracha is kinda interesting too. 😊

A crispy fried egg would go great on top of this

Usually when I want something to be spicy, sugar is my go to

Love this complete walkthrough. So good. Love this type of cooking video. Thank you!

I remember watching Brian Lagerstrom use shallots in a tunafish sandwich recipe and since then ive loved them and try to use em more. IMO theyre the best topping onion, they go really nice in salads and sandwiches

Similar dish from Vietnam: pork mince, tofu, green beans, chillies, soy sauce, over rice. This is what my BIL's parents taught me, straight Vietnamese people

Doing this. Only no ground beef, so ribeye that's been in the freezer way to long. Chopped up. No Thai basil, so plain old basil. No shallot, so yellow onion and some garlic. Came out good. I'll put it in rotation.

Love this new format! Can you include sodium in the Marcos? I’m on a low sodium diet for health reasons and want to watch it thank you!

I love this - feel like I’m in the kitchen with you - style ❤

I hope this channel wont become a "faster" recipes channel. I hope it become the more Kenji Lopez's type of vibe where it is the actual recipe but more intimate with sprinkle personality into it.

As others have noted this format is just wonderful - The only small criticism i would add is the cut @ 6:52, i understand why it was made, but i would like to say that part of this video is to take us on the entire journey of cooking a simple meal, even just putting items away is a part of that, so i personally found that cut disjointing for the flow of the video - otherwise massive thumbs up!

Raguesea covered this. Rice contains trace amounts of arsenic from runoff pesticides. Washing rice gets rid of most of it. Besides, my momma washed our rice so I do too!

Hi Ethan, looks like a great, easy, delicious dish! I also really like the unedited format. It truly shows how long it takes an experienced home cook to make his own recipes. I was wondering if I make this dish myself, whether it has enough vegetables to be nutritionally sufficient for the day. Do you have any thoughts?

This is the goat meal when on your Thailand travels. Can usually get it for 60-150 baht

Where's the fried egg, the garlic and the small red thai chili peppers? That's like super important! :D

Love this video format/style!

I don't understand the use of rice cookers, my parents used one when we were kids for a few months then gave it away because it was so inconsistent and you'd always get burnt rice. The easiest and most reliable way I've been taught to cook long grain rice is the reabsorption method: 1 part long grain rice (Jasmine, Basmati) 2 parts water Quick wash or not whatever. Put the rice and water into a saucepan, bring to a hard simmer. Tie a cloth kitchen towel to the saucepan lid so it does not let any steam out and absorbs excess water. Let it simmer for 12 minutes. Turn off the heat, let it rest for 12 minutes, rice will reabsorb some steam Done. If you're using brown rice just go to 15 minutes simmering / 15 minutes reabsorbing instead of 12.

Made it today and fried an egg on top, solid video!

Hey Ethan, I think you flipped two of your substitutions at 6:22 in the video. I've never seen someone describe Hoisin as spicy or Sambal as sweet.

Nice man, super simple and delicious!

You should make that sauce while the beef is cooking.

This is my favourite too. Beats pad thai anyday

Pailin from Hot Thai Kitchen said that Italian basil is closer to holy basil than Thai.

Yummy! 😛🤤

We eat at a local Vietnamese restaurant and they have a stir-fry (beef, chicken, shrimp) dish that we really love (they just call it a rice place and the same stir-fry in the vermicelli dish) . I'm not sure what the common spices are for their stir-fry. Any chance you'd do a video on that? Its kind of vague description on my part.

This is Pad Ka Praow. The actual dish of Thailand locals.

bro this is a good channel

One of my favorite dishes is this recipe plus stir fried chinese eggplant.

Grand Mountain Thai Sriracha sauce, available on Amazon, would be perfect with this dish.

MMM, stirfry. I probably do some variety of stirfry once a week. . .longest part is the prep time (cause I'm slow) and I like a lot of veggies thrown in.

I'm just glad I'm not the only one that has ground meat fly outta my wok or pan onto my stove lol

Did anyone else notice that at 6:06 the spicy was labeled as sugar and hoisin while sweet was labeled under sambal and chili crisp. Someone goofed.

awesome

Hey Ethan! Great vid! Regarding making rice ahead of time, are you aware that making rice ahead and reheating it when needed makes white rice lower on the glysemic index? Have you ever looked into or discussed this?

It's cool to know, if I want to substitute spicy ingredients I can add Sugar or hoisin, lol, the graphic showing spicy/sweet substitutions was mixed up.

I never wash rice. Waste of time. I do toast it in a skillet. I find it improves the taste and texture quite a bit. Throw some aromatics in there. 👌👌👌

You ever think about mounting a tiny fan to redirect the steam hitting the top down camera lens?

If the rice is enriched (most rice sold in U.S. is), you _shouldn't_ wash your rice. Washing it removes the added nutrients. You might as well eat popcorn or something at that point.

I would love to know why the lens over the stove doesn't fog more!

18:38 i don’t know how rice cookers exactly work but don’t you have to fluff up the rice

How many pants do you go through in a day? I learned my lesson when I spent hours to get the sauce stains out ;) The hand towel is right there too!

why you make all the ancestors cry? that sauce was a culinary crime *edit* I take it back; this is a pretty good adaptation, the sriracha covers the garlic chili paste and adds some acid, and the black soy sauce covers the palm sugar. and Ethan did use some good fish sauce. not everyone has access to all the Thai ingredients...

Stove cam with a proper camera instead of the GoPro was a great choice, thank you.

Favor please if you going to compare basils, please compare thai holy, sweet and also Italian basil.

Do you think I could use ketjap manis instead of the Thai black soy sauce?

have you considered a vinegar deep dive?

At 6:06 I think you got the Spicy and Sweet substitutions backwards lol

What was the third sauce that you put in???

Enjoy your work and the dish. A shorter version might be more effective. Everyone knows how to cook rice 😉