I LOVE all kinds of basil, but I don't love how quickly it goes bad and that it doesn't freeze well. So I came up with this recipe as a way to use up any amount of basil you have on hand. It's an easy and versatile sauce that only uses pantry staples, and can be stored in the fridge for at least a week. Reheat it and pour onto any cooked protein, or use it as a stir fry sauce - or heck, you can even use it as gravy for your mashed potatoes. It can also be made vegan. The possibilities are endless!
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What is Thai Basil Sauce?
If you go to any Thai restaurant in N. America, you might find something on the menu that is a stir fry in a brown sauce with Thai basil. It might be called pad kra pao, pad gaprao, or pad kra pow or something else. It's super popular, and I've seen renditions of this dish made with just about every protein: meat, seafood, tofu - and it all works well. The versatility of this dish is what gave me the idea for the sauce.
This basil sauce will make whatever you put it on taste just like what you get from your Thai restaurant, but better, because you made it 😉
Ingredients You'll Need
Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make Thai basil sauce. Use whatever kind of basil you have + some simple pantry staples, which is the whole idea - and the peppers are optional!
- Unsalted pork stock, chicken stock or vegetable stock
- Red bell pepper or other sturdy vegetable such as mushrooms, carrots or celery (optional)
- Garlic
- Onion
- Thai chilies (optional) or ground black or white pepper
- Oyster sauce (or vegetarian oyster sauce)
- Soy sauce
- Fish sauce (or sub with more soy sauce)
- Sugar
- Thai basil or any other kind of basil - however much you have to use up!
Step-By-Step:
Here's a bird's eye view of the process, but be sure to check out the full video tutorial in the recipe card below for extra tips to ensure success!
- Sauté onions until translucent. Then add garlic and Thai chilies and saute until garlic is golden.
- Add the stock.
- Add all the sauces and seasonings.
- Add black/dark soy sauce to darken colour, if desired.
- Add bell peppers and cook for a minute, then add basil.
- Off heat, stir just until wilted.
- When ready to use, reheat and pour over cooked protein, or...
- Use as a stir fry sauce!
Cooking As a Preservation Method
The basic idea behind this recipe is the fact that cooking is a preservation method. A short-term preservation mind you, it's not like canning, but it can still buy you enough time so you don't have to waste anything.
I do this often with vegetables. Ever got excited by a sale at the grocery store and bought too many vegetables? Now they're sitting in your fridge, about to die, and you still don't have any plans for them? If they don't freeze well, or you don't want to freeze them, you can just cook them! Cooking will stop the spoilage, and now it'll last in the fridge for at least another week, ready to be incorporated into your next meal when you're ready.
With vegetables, you can simply steam, blanch, or saute them with a little salt. Cool them down quickly and pack it away. All ready-to-eat foods should last in the fridge for at least a week (given that your fridge is at the proper temperature). Steamed veggies can be tossed into a stir-fry, added to soups or stews, or simply mixed with a dressing such as this awesome Japanese deep roasted sesame dressing that is good on literally every possible vegetable.
And if for some reason the week is over and it's still there? You can still freeze the cooked veggies, and they'll still be good for adding into soups or anything where a firm texture isn't important.
How to Use the Basil Sauce
There are 2 main ways to use this sauce: as a pour-over, or as a stir-fry sauce. The flavour works well in many dishes, but here are some things I have tried and love:
- Pour-over sauce for fish (mackerel and halibut)
- Pour-over sauce for fried tofu
- Stir-fry sauce for chicken and veggies
You can also get creative. I think the sauce would make a great gravy for mashed potatoes! What else do you think you could try?
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe will work with any kind of basil. I used Thai basil, but Italian or holy basil will work just as well.
You can substitute the oyster sauce with vegetarian versions of oyster sauce; see this post for more on that. You can also use vegetarian fish sauce or substitute equal amount of soy sauce, Golden Mountain Sauce, or Maggi Seasoning.
The sauce will last at least one week in the fridge.
In theory, yes, but the basil will not look as good and the basil flavour will not be as strong. If you want to freeze, I recommend leaving out the bell pepper and adding them in when you cook so that it will remain crisp, as vegetables turn soft after freezing.
Before you start, be sure to watch the video tutorial to ensure success! I always include little tips and tricks not mentioned in the blog post. The video is in the recipe card below, but you can also watch it on YouTube!
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All-Purpose Thai Basil Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon oyster sauce, see note 1
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon neutral oil
- ½ an onion , julienned
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1-2 Thai chilies, chopped, optional
- 1 cup chicken, pork, or vegetable stock, unsalted
- ground white or black pepper, to taste
- ½ teaspoon black or dark soy sauce, optional
- ½ cup julienned red bell pepper
- 1 ½ cup basil leaves of any kind, see note 2
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Notes
- To make this vegetarian, use vegetarian oyster sauce and substitute more soy sauce for the fish sauce.
- The amount given is a suggestion, but this recipe is designed to use up whatever you have. If you use less, it'll be a milder basil flavour. If you have more, you can pack it all in, or scale up the recipe accordingly.
FULL VIDEO TUTORIAL
All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video to ensure success. If you enjoy them, consider subscribing to the YouTube Channel to not miss an episode. Thank you!
Subscribe to my YouTube ChannelInstructions
- Combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar together in a bowl.2 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoon fish sauce, 2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- In a wok or a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. To help the onions cook faster you can add a splash of water and close the lid to allow it to steam for a minute. Then uncover and cook until all the water has evaporated.2 tablespoon neutral oil, ½ an onion
- Once the onions are soft and translucent, add the garlic and Thai chilies and stir until the garlic starts to brown.6 cloves garlic, 1-2 Thai chilies
- Add about ¾ cup (180 ml) of the stock, the sauce mixture, and ground black or white pepper then stir to mix. If you want to darken the colour, add a dash of black/dark soy sauce.1 cup chicken, pork, or vegetable stock, ground white or black pepper, ½ teaspoon black or dark soy sauce
- Add the bell pepper and cook for about a minute, then turn off the heat and stir in the basil just until wilted. Taste the sauce, and if it is too salty, add the remaining stock or water to dilute; however, it should taste slightly too salty at this point because you will be adding protein to it.½ cup julienned red bell pepper, 1 ½ cup basil leaves of any kind
- Use right away, or allow to cool and keep in the fridge for at least a week. When ready to use, reheat the sauce and pour over pan seared protein such as fish, thinly sliced steak or pork chops - or use it as a stir fry sauce! Watch the video for a demo of how to use the sauce!
Jen says
I swear Hot Thai Kitchen is the most reliably excellent recipe blog out there. This was yet another winner. I veganized the recipe with vegan oyster sauce and Best of Thailand Vegetarian Fish Sauce, and served it on fried eggplant and mock duck. It was not just restaurant-quality but very-good-restaurant quality! Tip: if you like gravy-ish texture of this kind of dish at restaurant, add a tablespoon of cornstarch in a slurry.
Greg says
Pailin! You are my HERO for sharing this recipe. I get take out from this Vietnamese restaurant that serves a fried fish dish with this sauce (Com ca chien sot la que). I save the leftover sauce because it goes well with so many things...esp vegetables like steamed broccoli and stir fried bok choy. I've tried many different internet recipes for this but never found one that came close until now. Many thanks!
Brett J Valjalo says
I'm curious why you say Thai Basil doesn't freeze well? I trim the stems and lay the basil in a single layer on a screen and put it in the freezer for 1 hour or so, this way when I toss it into a bag all the leaves stay nicely separated (since each leaf was frozen separately) as long as I do the process of screen to bag back to freezer quickly. I then plop the leaves into my Thai food dishes all the time, been doing it for many years. Is it 'as good' as when it's market-fresh? Admittedly not. But it's not so different I ever think 'dang, this frozen basil is so disappointing' or anything. I pretty much always have frozen basil, galangal, lemongrass, birdseye chili, and keffir lime leaves on hand.
S. Bergmann says
I think your recipes are wonderful and like others I appreciate the format, but I can't hardly read your writing with all the popups. I know you need the ads to make this worth your while, but they are all over the page, including right on top of your recipe. If there is any way to limit them to the side or bottom, it would make this more user friendly. thanks.
Mary says
The fact that you post the ingredients under each step is amazing! So so helpful
Jen N says
So good! I love basil and grow both Thai and sweet. I followed the recipe, but added a 3rd “oriental” dehydrated pepper after soaking it in warm water while I did my prep chopping (I like spice). I also added steamed green beans and served with chicken and cauliflower rice instead of white rice. Great, easy recipe. Will definitely make again!
Jo Mercer says
OMG this is so good. I have finally found a reliable supply of Thai basil, but it comes in huge bunches. Now I can preserve it with this recipe and freeze in 1/4 c portions for future use.
Jesse says
Can this be canned in batches to preserve?
Pailin Chongchitnant says
I don't think the basil and onion would do well with canning, but you can try canning the sauce without them though! Also take a look at my Universal Stir Fry Sauce recipe which can def be canned.
Julie says
Does the sauce thaw well after freezing ?