Sichuan Sausage and Thai Basil Stir-Fry
This recipe for Sichuan pepper sausage and Thai basil stir-fry is a vibrant and flavourful dish inspired by pad kra pow. It’s perfect for busy weeknights and offers a twist on traditional flavours.
This Sichuan sausage and Thai basil stir-fry offers a delightful balance of spicy, savoury, and aromatic flavours that make it a standout dish for any meal.
What Is Pad Krapow?
Pad krapow is a classic Thai dish, typically made with minced meat (chicken or pork), stir-fried with garlic, chilies, and holy basil, and served over rice, often topped with a crispy fried egg. The name comes from the key ingredient, krapow (Thai holy basil), which gives the dish its distinctive aromatic and slightly peppery flavour.
While this Sichuan sausage and Thai basil stir-fry isn’t an authentic pad krapow, it draws inspiration from the dish by using similar flavours such as garlic, chilies, and basil.
The Benefits of Using Sausage Meat
Using sausage meat in stir-fries can be a game-changer. Sausage meat is typically pre-seasoned, which adds a depth of flavour to the dish without much effort. Whether it’s chicken or pork sausage, the meat tends to be juicier than regular minced meat due to its fat content. This helps prevent the stir-fry from drying out and gives the dish a rich, meaty flavour. Additionally, the casings of the sausage are removed, allowing the meat to break up into bite-sized crumbles, making it easier to cook and creating a wonderful texture contrast with the crisp green beans and soft rice.
Resistant Starches and Starch Retrogradation
Starch retrogradation occurs when certain foods, particularly those high in starch (like rice, potatoes, and pasta), are cooked, cooled, and then either reheated or eaten cold. This cooling process causes some of the starch to crystallise, turning it into resistant starch. Resistant starch is beneficial for gut health as it resists digestion in the small intestine and reaches the large intestine, where it acts as a prebiotic that feeds beneficial bacteria.
In this recipe, cooling the jasmine rice before serving increases the resistant starch content, making the meal slightly healthier while maintaining a delicious flavour and texture. This technique is often used in dishes that call for leftover rice, such as fried rice, where the cooled grains absorb the sauce better and maintain their shape.
Foods that commonly undergo starch retrogradation include:
- Rice (particularly when used in stir-fry dishes)
- Potatoes (when cooled for salads or reheating)
- Pasta (commonly found in cold pasta salads)
Types of Basil: What Sets Thai Basil Apart
Basil is a common herb in many cuisines, but not all basil is created equal. Here are a few common types:
- Sweet Basil: Most common in Mediterranean cooking, sweet basil has soft, large leaves with a slightly sweet and peppery taste.
- Holy Basil (Krapow): Found in authentic Thai pad krapow dishes, holy basil has a spicy, peppery, and slightly bitter flavour.
- Thai Basil: The star of this recipe, Thai basil has smaller, more pointed leaves with a distinctive liquorice or anise flavour. It holds up better under high heat, making it perfect for stir-fries. In the UK I find this is more widely available than Holy Basil, and use it in this recipe.
Thai basil’s sturdy leaves and unique flavour make it stand out in dishes like this stir-fry. The herbal, almost spicy aroma complements the Sichuan flavour perfectly, elevating the dish with an unmistakable fragrance.
Getting the Best Ingredients for your Sichuan Sausage and Thai Basil Stir-Fry
To achieve the best flavour in your Sichuan sausage and Thai basil stir-fry, choose fresh, high-quality ingredients:
- Sichuan Pepper: Freshly toasted Sichuan pepper gives the dish its signature numbing heat. For maximum flavour, be sure to use whole peppercorns and toast them yourself.
- Thai Basil: Look for fresh Thai basil in your local Asian market. It should have vibrant green leaves and a strong liquorice scent.
- Bird’s Eye Chilies: Fresh chillies add heat and complexity. Adjust the amount to suit your spice tolerance.
- Sausage Meat: Use good-quality chicken or pork sausage, ideally from a butcher. Removing the casings ensures the meat breaks apart nicely while stir-frying.
- Green Beans: Fresh, crisp green beans add colour and crunch to the dish. Ensure they’re bite-sized for even cooking.
Ingredient Replacements
- Sichuan Pepper: If you don’t have Sichuan pepper, a mixture of black pepper and ground fennel seeds can provide a somewhat similar flavour, though the numbing effect will be missing.
- Thai Basil: If you can’t find Thai basil, you can use regular sweet basil. The flavour won’t be quite the same, but it will still add freshness. If you want a more authentic flavour, adding a small amount of liquorice root to the dish may mimic the anise flavour of Thai basil.
- Sausage Meat: Ground pork or chicken can replace sausage meat. To replicate the flavour of sausage, you’ll need to add extra seasonings, such as garlic, fennel, and a touch of chilli.
- Jasmine Rice: If jasmine rice isn’t available, basmati rice or any long-grain rice can be used.
- Green Beans: Kale (add stems early, leaves at the end), sugar snap peas (add at the same time as beans), or baby spinach (add at the end with Thai basil)
Sichuan Sausage and Thai Basil Stir-Fry Tips and Tricks
- Toast Spices for Depth: Always toast your Sichuan pepper and coriander seeds before grinding to release their full flavour potential.
- Crispy Eggs: For the crispiest eggs, ensure the oil is hot before adding the eggs. Spoon the hot oil over the yolk for an even cook.
- Basil Last: Stir in the Thai basil at the very end of cooking to preserve its fresh, aromatic flavour.
- Resistant Starch: To increase the resistant starch in the rice, cook it ahead of time and allow it to cool before reheating or serving.
- Balance the Heat: Adjust the number of bird’s eye chillies to control the heat level. Remove the seeds from the chillies for less spice.
- Healthier Version: Double the green beans or use half sausage and half tofu.
Loved the Flavour of this Sichuan Sausage and Thai Basil Stir-Fry?
If you made this Sichuan sausage and Thai basil stir-fry, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag your photo #theculinarycartel on Instagram so I can see what you come up with.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the key flavour in Sichuan sausage and Thai basil stir-fry?
The key flavours come from the numbing heat of Sichuan pepper, the aromatic Thai basil, and the savoury combination of soy sauces, oyster sauce, and fish sauce.
Can I make this dish vegetarian?
Yes! You can replace the sausage meat with crumbled tofu or a plant-based ground meat substitute. For an authentic flavour, you can also use vegetarian fish sauce.
How do I make this dish less spicy?
If you prefer, reduce or omit the bird’s eye chillies and use a milder chilli variety. You can also deseed the chillies for less heat.
Can I prepare this dish in advance?
The stir-fry can be made ahead and reheated, but it’s best to fry the eggs just before serving to maintain their crispy edges.
What can I serve with this stir-fry?
Serve it over jasmine rice for a complete meal. You can also add a simple cucumber salad on the side to cool down the spice.
Sichuan Sausage and Thai Basil Stir-Fry
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 portions
Description
This recipe for Sichuan pepper sausage and Thai basil stir-fry is a vibrant and flavourful dish inspired by pad kra pow. It’s perfect for busy weeknights and offers a twist on traditional flavours.
Ingredients
For The Spice Paste
- 1 teaspoon Sichuan pepper
- 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 bird’s eye chillies
For The Stir Fry
- 2 shallots, finely sliced into rounds
- 700g sausage meat (chicken or pork, skins removed)
- 1 cups jasmine rice (uncooked)
- 200g green beans, topped, tailed, and cut into bite-sized chunks
- 25g Thai basil, leaves picked
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 3 teaspoons light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 4 eggs (1 per person)
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Toast the Sichuan pepper and coriander seeds in a dry pan until fragrant. Transfer to a pestle and mortar.
- Add the peeled garlic cloves and chillies to the pestle and mortar. Grind everything into a paste and set aside.
- Slice the shallots into rounds, top and tail the green beans, and cut the green beans into bite-sized pieces.
- Pick the Thai basil leaves from the stems.
- Rinse the jasmin rice gently until the water runs clear. For 1 cup of uncooked rice, use approximately 1 1/4 cups of water, salted generously until the water tastes like the ocean. Check the cook times on your bag of rice and cook as directed (I usually check the rice a little early and allow it to steam off the heat until perfectly cooked.
- Heat a wok over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of oil.
- Add the sausage meat (skins removed) to the wok and stir-fry until browned and cooked through.
- Add the garlic-chilli paste and sliced shallots, and stir-fry until fragrant.
- Add the oyster sauce, fish sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar. Stir-fry to combine.
- Add the green beans in the last minute of stir-frying and cook until tender-crisp.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the Thai basil leaves. Set the stir-fry aside and keep warm in a serving bowl.
- Wipe down the wok and add enough oil to coat the bottom (about 2 mm deep).
- Crack each egg into the hot oil, frying until the edges are crispy and the yolk is cooked to your liking. Spoon hot oil over the yolk to cook it evenly.
- Transfer the fried eggs to a tray lined with kitchen paper to drain excess oil.
- Portion the cooked rice onto 4 plates, spoon over the sausage and green bean stir-fry, and top each plate with a crispy fried egg and more sliced chilli if desired.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Category: Mains
- Method: Wok
- Cuisine: Thai
Nutrition
- Serving Size: One portion
- Calories: 650 kcal
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 1800mg
- Fat: 35g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 60g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 27g
- Cholesterol: 280mg
