This is a recipe that was a last-minute throw-in that uses basil as one of the ingredients. I love basil, and I promise to add more basil recipes in the future. To be quite honest, this isn’t my favorite basil recipe. It was completely improvised, and more of an experiment. But I wanted an archive of most of my attempts, this being one of them. You can’t really see much of the basil from the photo. They really do shrivel up when cooked in high heat. So don’t worry, there’s a whole bunch in there :)

I think most of my readers will find a theme for all of my recipes (the stir-fry ones at least). I usually start out with garlic, cook the meat, take it out, cook the vegetables, add the condiments/flavoring, put the meat back in, add corn starch mixture, and then finish off with sesame oil. Sounds simple, but the execution and finding the right amounts to add is crucial!

This recipe did not take very long at all, 10 minutes to prepare, and about 10 minutes to cook. I’m honestly a bit shocked that the list of ingredients is as big as it is. I’m always intimidated by long lists of ingredients when I look at recipes, so I hope I did not scare any of you off!

By the way, I apologize again for the long time in-between postings. A lot of busy days have kept me away from the site for a while, especially decisions on a new house! I have recipes queued up, it’s a matter of posting them. Hang in there everyone :)

• handful of fresh basil
• 1 zucchini (I used two, I had a huge craving!)
• 1 small onion sliced
• 250 g of chicken, cut into small bite-sized pieces (white, dark, choice is yours)
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-2 teaspoons of sesame oil
• 1-2 teaspoons of soy sauce (light if possible)
• 1-2 teaspoons of oyster sauce
• 1-2 teaspoons of sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon of the chicken broth powder
• 3 teaspoon of cooking (rice) wine (aka rice vinegar)
• 3 teaspoons of corn starch
• pinch of salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons of cooking oil

• Marinade the chicken with the soy sauce, chicken broth powder, 1 teaspoon of the cooking (rice) wine, and 1 teaspoon of the corn starch
• Place the remaining corn starch (2 teaspoons) in a small sauce bowl, and mix with 2 teaspoons of water. Set aside for later use, as we will be adding this mixture near the end to thicken the sauce.

1. In a preheated wok (or pan), heat the cooking oil, then add the garlic. Once the garlic starts to turn a little brown, add the chicken and saute.
2. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the wok (or pan) and set aside.
3. Re-heat, put more cooking oil, and then add the zucchini and onions. Saute for a few seconds, and then add 1/4 cup of water, the rest of the rice vinegar (2 teaspoons), soy sauce, and oyster sauce.
4. Once the vegetables are almost cooked, return the chicken into the wok (or pan), and also add the basil leaves. Do a quick stir, and finish off with the corn starch mixture (prepared from the Preparation section) and sesame oil.