What Can I Do With Thai Basil
What Can I Do With Thai Basil?
Thai basil is wonderful eaten raw, slivered, and added to salads, both your plain old cucumber-tomato salad or something meaty like northern Thai larb. But its hardy leaves stand up especially well to cooking—their flavor infuses readily into food and the leaves don’t wilt quite as much as Italian sweet basil’s would.
How do you preserve Thai basil?
Storage Tips: In general, fresh herbs should be stored in the refrigerator. Wrap Basil in a damp paper towel or place it in a tall glass with about 1 inch of water in the bottom. Rinse and thoroughly dry basil leaves before using. Basil can also be preserved in oil or frozen to maximize its shelf life.
How is Thai basil different from regular basil?
Appearance: Thai basil has purple stems, while sweet basil has green stems. The leaves of Thai basil are narrower than sweet basil leaves and have a slightly serrated edge. Sweet basil leaves also tend to be more delicate than sturdy Thai basil leaves.
Can you cook with Thai basil?
How is Thai basil used? Unlike sweet basil, Thai basil’s sturdy leaves retain structure and flavor even when cooked. That means that it can be added fresh as a garnish, to provide an herbaceous kick, but it can also be added during the cooking process, to infuse the whole dish with its aroma.
Can you use Thai basil like regular basil?
Can I substitute basil for Thai basil? You can substitute basil for Thai basil in dishes if that’s all you have. It won’t have that same punch of flavor that Thai basil brings, so it could be worth adding other fresh herbs to help brighten the dish like mint or cilantro.
Can you freeze or dry Thai basil?
Yes, you can freeze Thai basil. Thai basil can be frozen for around 6 months. People freeze Thai basil, as well as other herbs, in a variety of ways. Blanching isn’t essential but can help it to retain some of its colour and flavour.
What do you do with an abundance of basil?
Here are some other everyday ways to use it:
- Top whole leaves onto pizza.
- Finish pasta with whole or thinly sliced leaves.
- Blend it into sauces.
- Puree it into soups.
- Chop it up to add to a salad.
- Use it to garnish avocado toast.
- Turn it into an ice cream topping!
Should I let Thai basil flower?
Are Thai basil flowers edible? The flowers are edible in the sense that they can be used in dishes safely. However, we wouldn’t advise eating them on their own as the texture isn’t the most appealing. Instead, use the flower heads as a garnish.
Does Thai basil taste like basil?
But setting looks aside, Thai basil is spicy with an anise, or licorice-like flavor, while sweet basil has a more mild peppery and sweet taste (for reference, sweet basil is commonly used as a main ingredient in Genovese-style pesto).
What does Thai basil taste like?
Thai basil is a type of basil with an anise or black licorice flavor that’s native to Southeast Asia. It has a purple stem, purple flowers, and thin, dark green leaves.
What can I do with too much basil?
Too Much Basil?
- Dipping Oil – Chop finely and mix with other herbs such as thyme, oregano, minced garlic, and extra virgin olive oil. …
- Pizza Topping – Try adding torn basil leaves as a pizza topping.
- Caprese Salad – Nothing says summer like a Caprese salad.
How do you harvest and store Thai basil?
Thai Basil Uses Yum! Thai basil is usually used fresh, preferably soon after harvesting, but you can also chop it up or run it through a food processor and freeze it in ice cube trays. Once frozen, remove from the tray and store in resealable bags in the freezer for up to two months.
What can I do with too much basil leaves?
Too Much Basil?
- Dipping Oil – Chop finely and mix with other herbs such as thyme, oregano, minced garlic, and extra virgin olive oil. …
- Pizza Topping – Try adding torn basil leaves as a pizza topping.
- Caprese Salad – Nothing says summer like a Caprese salad.
What is the best way to preserve fresh basil?
Clean, dry, and chop fresh basil into small pieces or add to a food processor. Add one part salt to the basil, pulsing in the food processor for about 30 seconds. Store your mix in the refrigerator and remove as needed.
Does Thai basil come back every year?
Is Thai Basil Perennial? According to seedaholic.com, Thai basil is a perennial but is usually grown as an annual. You can also continue growing Thai basil indoors all throughout the year successfully.
What part of Thai basil do you eat?
Are Thai basil flowers edible? The flowers are edible in the sense that they can be used in dishes safely. However, we wouldn’t advise eating them on their own as the texture isn’t the most appealing. Instead, use the flower heads as a garnish.
Is Thai basil good on pizza?
Yes, you can use Thai Basil on pizza. It is not the most common choice as some people find Thai Basil’s licorice and anise edges unsuitable for pizza.
What is another name for Thai basil?
It is also known as Thai holy basil or by its Indian name, tulasi or tulsi; it is widely used in India for culinary, medicinal, and religious purposes.
Can you freeze fresh basil for later use?
ANSWER: Yes, you can freeze fresh basil leaves, but they just need a little help. Basil is a particularly delicate herb because it hates the cold and darkens when cut. Keep in mind any fresh herbs that you freeze will not be entirely the same as fresh. Freezing will change the texture and it won’t be as stable.
Can I freeze basil leaves whole?
Freeze leaves whole. You don’t want to cook them. Blanching helps retain basil’s nice green color. Use a strainer or slotted spoon to remove them and place in the cold water for several seconds to cool down and stop the cooking. Remove the leaves from the cold water bath and dry well on paper towel.
What can I do with an abundance of fresh basil?
Here are some other everyday ways to use it:
- Top whole leaves onto pizza.
- Finish pasta with whole or thinly sliced leaves.
- Blend it into sauces.
- Puree it into soups.
- Chop it up to add to a salad.
- Use it to garnish avocado toast.
- Turn it into an ice cream topping!
