Thursday, August 21, 2008

Thai Basil

Here's a picture of our Thai Basil plant. This year has been our first attempt at growing this variety. We've learned that it grows really well here and makes a very attractive plant. The problem is that neither of us care for its ultra strong, licorice-like taste. Have any of you grown this before and, if so, how did it taste?

6 comments:

DP Nguyen said...

I love Thai Basil. I eat it in soup. It's so yummy. However, if you don't like to eat it, then you'll have a problem because there are lots of leaves on that plant. LoL. It sure is pretty though. Doesn't it also keep away certain bugs?

Anonymous said...

I read somewhere that a lot of people grow Thai basil as a decorative plant because the taste is too strong for them.

Robj98168 said...

I am growing thai basil for the first time this year. I love the smell of basil, not too crasy for pesto- go figure

Anonymous said...

Thai basil is really great for use in soups and curries. Because it's not as delicate as sweet basil it keeps it's flavor when you drop it into hot broth. I'm not sure if you like Thai or Vietnamese food but it's used extensively in both cuisines. You can try adding some leaves to a stir fry as well, it will make it amazingly fragrant and delicious.

Jenna said...

I make a great Thai pesto with my Thai basil. I use equal amounts of thai basil, mint, and cilantro, blended with a mix of sesame and canola or olive oil. Salt and white pepper with a spritz of lime juice is good.

Toss with rice noodles or glass noodles. Serve over fish or chicken. Put a spoonful in soup. garnish eggs with it.

The mint and cilantro really complement (and tone down!) the thai basil flavor!

Anonymous said...

Oh mine! Your thai basil grows so fantastically well! I am almost jealous! :)

I am growing a few...bought sprigs to use the leaves for cooking and left the nearly bare stems in water to root. Now they are in pots of soil. However, they are not looking so great - new leaves are really tiny and a little crinkly. Not sure why. Do you have any advice?

Where are you on earth? I am not sure if our Melbourne weather is really suitable for growing thai basil but I would love to grow some successfully. They are wonderful with chix and pork and curries!