Vegetarian Spring Rolls With Shredded Kohlrabi

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 ounces thin rice sticks
• 6 ounces marinated tofu, cut in dominoes 1/2 inch wide by 1/4 inch thick
• 1 medium carrot, shredded
• 1/2 pound kohlrabi, peeled and shredded (make sure to remove fibrous layer just under the skin before shredding)
• Salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon ginger, cut in julienne
• 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro, plus 14 sprigs
• 2 tablespoons slivered Thai basil or mint leaves, plus 7 to 14 leaves
• 7  8 1/2-inch rice flour spring roll wrappers

Instructions:

• Place the rice sticks in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for 20 minutes, or until the noodles are pliable, and drain. Transfer the noodles to another bowl. Using kitchen scissors, cut the noodles in half, into roughly 6-inch lengths. Leave the warm water in the bowl for softening the wrappers.
• Meanwhile, toss the shredded kohlrabi with salt to taste and let sit in a colander placed in the sink for 20 to 30 minutes. Squeeze out excess liquid and toss with the carrot, ginger, chopped cilantro and slivered Thai basil or mint.
• One at a time, place a rice flour wrapper in the bowl of warm water until just softened. Remove from the water and drain briefly on a kitchen towel. Place the softened wrapper on your work surface and put a line of tofu slices in the middle of the wrapper, slightly nearer the edge closest to you, leaving a 1 1/2-inch margin on the sides. Place a small handful of noodles over the tofu, then place a handful of the shredded vegetable mixture over the noodles. Lay a couple of sprigs of cilantro and a Thai basil leaf or a couple of mint leaves on top.  Fold the sides of the wrapper over the filling, then roll up tightly. Arrange on a plate and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Note: To make a quick dipping sauce, whisk together 1 to 2 tablespoons peanut butter with 1 tablespoon of the tofu marinade. Thin out as desired with more marinade or with water.

nytimes.com/2012/03/08/health/nutrition/

 

Basil Eggplant Stir Fry

2 chili peppers

2 eggplants

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 garlic cloved chopped

1 tbsp sugar

Fresh Thai Basil leaves

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions:

Slice the eggplants into irregular shapes for easy turning in the pan. When it is sliced into a small disk, it tends to stick to the bottom of the pan and makes it difficult to flip or turn.

Chop garlic and slice chili peppers. Pick the leaves from the stem of the Thai basil.

Heat a pan or wok over high or medium high. Add oil, chili peppers and garlic. Stir until the garlic turn golden brown. Add eggplant and stir. Add a cup of water and cover the pan or wok with a lid. Keep the lid close until the eggplant is cooked. It should take about 5-7 minutes before the eggplant is done. The eggplant turns from white to translucent when it is done. Almost all of the water should have been evaporated at this point. If the eggplant is still not cooked, add a little bit more water and keep lid closed until the eggplant is ready. Add fish sauce and sugar and stir. Add Thai basil and quickly stir to heat the basil, so that it retains it color. Turn off heat immediately.

Serve hot with rice.

Source: http://www.thaitable.com/thai/recipe/basil-eggplant

Thai Basil and Eggplant

Thai Basil and Eggplant
Ingredients:
• 1 medium eggplant
• nonstick cooking spray or olive oil spray
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup diced roasted red peppers
• 2 large tomatoes, seeded, peeled, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• dash pepper
Directions:
For a vegetarian dish, substitute soy sauce or salt for fish sauce.
Slice the eggplants into irregular shapes for easy turning in the pan. When it is sliced into a small disk, it tends to stick to the bottom of the pan and makes it difficult to flip or turn.
Chop garlic and slice chili peppers. Pick the leaves from the stem of the Thai basil.
Heat a pan or wok over high or medium high. Add oil, chili peppers and garlic. Stir until the garlic turn golden brown. Add eggplant and stir. Add a cup of water and cover the pan or wok with a lid. Keep the lid close until the eggplant is cooked. It should take about 5-7 minutes before the eggplant is done. The eggplant turns from white to translucent when it is done. Almost all of the water should have been evaporated at this point. If the eggplant is still not cooked, add a little bit more water and keep lid closed until the eggplant is ready. Add fish sauce and sugar and stir. Add Thai basil and quickly stir to heat the basil, so that it retains it color. Turn off heat immediately.
Serve hot with rice.
Source: http://www.thaitable.com/thairecipe/Basil-Eggplant

Thai Basil and Eggplant Stir Fry

• 2 T peanut oil
• 1/2 - 1 tsp sambal oelek (chili garlic paste)
• 1/2 onion, cut in slivers
• 4 - 6 cloves of garlic minced, 2 reserved
• 1 -3 chili peppers, finely chopped
• 2 Japanese eggplant, cut in irregular slices
• 1/4 C vegetable broth
• 3 T soy sauce, 2 reserved
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 T cornstarch
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 C basil leaves, torn
• First, assemble your ingredients for the stir fry. Chop the onion, hot pepper, 2 cloves of garlic, and eggplant; combine them in a bowl.
• Prepare your sauce. In a small dish, combine the 2 reserved tablespoons of soy sauce, the brown sugar, the sesame oil, and the reserved garlic.
• In a separate small dish, dissolve the cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water.
• Heat the peanut oil in a wok or large saute pan.
• When the oil is hot, add the chopped vegetables and the sambal oelek. Stir fry the vegetables for 5-6 minutes, adding the broth toward the end of the cooking time to keep the vegetables moist.
• Season the veggies with a tablespoon of soy sauce, and stir fry for another minute.
• Pour the sauce mixture over the stir fry, then the cornstarch mixture.
• Stir well, then add most of the basil. Let it wilt.
• Remove the pan from heat and serve.
• Garnish with the remaining basil and serve over steamed rice.

Source: http://www.grouprecipes.com/72851/thai-basil-and-eggplant-stir-

Featuring: Thai Basil and Purple Basil

Some of you may have noticed that we are growing some unusual types of basil. We decided to grow more Thai and purple basil this season because last season, our green basil incepted downy mildew, a destructive disease first seen in the United States in 2008. This disease has been prevalent in Europe since 2001, and has reoccurred commonly each year since then, sparking concerns that it will be similarly widespread in the United States.

Green basil, the most common and popular type of basil, is most susceptible to downy mildew. Thai basil has proven to be quite resistant to the disease in several tests, and purple basil has shown moderate resistance. We decided to hedge out bets and plant more of the resistant varieties so that we would still be able to provide basil even if we got the disease again.

Luckily, Thai and purple basil are delicious! Thai basil has a light anise flavor. Purple basil tastes similar to green basil. Both can be used to make pesto, a staple of basil-lovers, or can be used in place of green basil in any recipe. Here are some specific used for both:

Tofu Stir-fried with Thai Basil

Firm tofu or deep-fried tofu - about 3.5 oz
(Asian groceries will sell you deep-fried tofu if you can't make your own)
Garlic - 3 cloves
Hot green chillies (preferably Thai bird chillies) - 4-6 (adjust this to your taste please; I like mine hot)
Shallots - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Light soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Dark soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Stock or water - 1/4 cup (about 4 tbsp)
Sugar - 1 tsp
Peanut oil - about 1 tbsp (adjust as required)
White pepper - 2 pinches
Thai basil leaves - large handful

Mince the garlic cloves and chop the chilis finely. Cut the tofu into bite-sized chunks.
If you have the time, pound the garlic, chilis, shallots, and salt together into a paste. This makes the flavors blend better. If you're in a hurry, let it be.
Heat a wok until hot. Add the peanut oil.
When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the pounded paste. If you haven't pounded them together, add the chillies, garlic, shallots, and salt to the oil. Stir-fry on medium heat for about 10-15 seconds, taking care to make sure that the garlic doesn't burn.
Add the cut tofu and stir-fry again for another minute. Then add the light and dark soy sauces, the sugar, white pepper, and stock or water.
Stir-fry for one more minute to allow the sauce to thicken a bit and coat the tofu. Then tear the basil leaves with your hands and add them to the wok.
Stir it around till the basil wilts. Check quickly for any adjustments to seasoning. Take it off the heat.
Preparation time is about 3-5 minutes and cooking time is about 3 minutes. Serve this dish with white steamed rice or noodles or fried rice or anything else that's not too assertive.

http://www.shiokfood.com/notes/archives/000015.html

Purple Basil Lemonade
Yield: 4 servings

- 4 cups water
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
-1/2 cup loosely packed purple basil leaves (about 1/4 ounce)
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 4 cups ice
- 4 purple basil sprigs

Combine 4 cups water and juice in a large bowl. Place 1/2 cup basil and sugar in a mortar; pound with pestle until a paste forms. Add sugar mixture to juice mixture; stir until sugar dissolves. Strain mixture through a sieve over a bowl; discard solids. Place 1 cup ice in each of 4 glasses. Pour about 1 cup lemonade into each glass; garnish each serving with 1 basil sprig.
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1906345