For some time, I have been trying to find some truly spicy food in the Bay Area, and utterly failing. In Korea, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, and even Australia, I’ve had foods that made me think my tongue was going to fall out of my mouth, my face was going to fall off, and my eyes would never stop watering, but in America, I’m convinced that the peppers just don’t have the same level of spice. I’ve participated in ghost pepper Buffalo wing challenges in Western New York, ordered the spiciest thing on the menu at countless American Hunanese and Sichuanese restaurants, and even asked some Indian coworkers to make me the spiciest foods they could think of from growing up in India - Nothing has even made me break a sweat. Maybe it’s something about the soil here? I have no idea. But I crave that sweet burn I get in Sichuanese spicy Hot Pot, that grueling torment from authentic Thai papaya salad, the mouth mind-numbing smoky pain of a real vindaloo, or even anything close. To be fair, I must have an unusually high tolerance for spice; I have participated in spicy food challenges with friends, and while I sat their quietly munching away, they were sweating and clutching their huge glasses of milk and uncontrollably drooling like panicky children.
Anyway, it’s clear that my quest for spice has lead me down some pretty deep rabbit holes, culminating finally in this beautiful Thai masterpiece of a dish, which is simultaneously fresh and sweet and tangy as well as an ultimate embodiment of the screaming, scorching hellfire that can only be expected from a dish that literally drips with the oils of 15 Thai chilis. In the end, the solution was simple: Just add three times the recommended amount of chilis! I also topped the whole thing with chopped fresh Thai chilis and serrano peppers, for just a little extra kick of that sweet sweet punch-you-in-the-face good burn.
If the fresh chilis are omitted, I think this dish should be manageable for most people. I tested it on my mom, who has a pretty low tolerance for spice, and she said that the spice was definitely present, but she didn’t feel smacked over the head with it. It’s tempered by lime and sugar, complexified by savory notes of garlic and soy sauce, and accompanied by added freshness from Thai basil. It’s also served with rice, which helps to spread the spice out over multiple, less concentrated mouthfuls. Finally a fried egg is plopped right on top, the rich fat from which really cuts through the spice well. It’s really a complex dish in the sense that every ingredients helps to balance it, but it’s also a super simple dish that only took me about 15 minutes to make (after dicing chicken thighs by hand for a full hour).
Butter Count: It’s Thai, No Dairy Allowed!
INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/8 tsp dark sesame oil
1 tsp white sugar
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tbsp canola oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, diced
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, minced
12 Thai chilis, minced (or just as many as you think you’ll be able to handle - the original recipe I used called for 3)
1 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced (I used a mixture of Genovese, Thai, and Opal basils)
4 eggs
3 Thai Chilis, thinly sliced for serving (optional)
1 serrano pepper, thinly sliced lengthwise (optional)
Rice for serving
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a small bowl, whisk the broth, cornstarch, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugars together until well combined.
Heat a large wok over medium-high heat. Add the oil to the wok. Add the chicken and stir fry about 5 minutes so that it is basically cooked.
Add the shallots, garlic, and minced chilis. Continue cooking, stirring often, until some of the juices begin to turn brown on the bottom of the wok, about 4 more minutes.
Add the sauce and stir until nicely thickened, and is coating the meat like a glaze.
Remove the wok from the heat and set aside. Add the basil and stir until well combined.
In a separate small frying pan, over medium low heat, add a dash of oil and crack an egg onto it. Cook it until the edges brown and the white is fully set. Remove from heat and set aside. Repeat with three more eggs.
Cook ~2 cups rice according to the instructions on the package, or according to however you most prefer to cook rice.
Spoon the rice evenly into four bowls. Spoon the chicken mixture evenly into the same four bowls. Top each bowl with a fried egg.
If you really want to die from spice, sprinkle however much of the sliced Thai chilis and serrano peppers as you think you’ll be able to handle over the bowls.
Die of a spice attack.