Thai Basil Chicken with Jasmine Rice

• 600 gchicken mince
• 4eggs
• 300 gjasmine rice, rinsed
• 2 tbspgarlic-infused olive oil
• 2long red chillies, finely sliced
• 3spring onions, green tops only, sliced
• 1 tbspfish sauce
• 1 tspsugar
• 1 tbspvegetable oil
• 3 tbsptamari
• 30 gfresh Thai basil leaves
• 1 tbspsesame seeds
• 1lime, zested then cut into wedges
• Fine salt and black pepper

Method

1. 1Rinse the jasmine rice under cold water until it runs clear, then cook per packet instructions. Keep it covered and warm; the steam left in the pan finishes the grains while you cook the rest.
2. 2Stir the tamari, fish sauce and sugar together in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves. Taste it: salty, savoury, just-sweet. Most of the seasoning for the dish lives here.
3. 3Season the chicken mince with a pinch of salt and a good crack of pepper before it hits the pan; dry, seasoned mince browns; wet, unseasoned mince steams.
4. 4Heat the garlic-infused oil in a wok over very high heat until it shimmers and almost smokes. Add the sliced chillies and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
5. 5Add the chicken mince in two batches, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Don't crowd the wok; all at once and the meat releases water and boils instead of browning. Each batch wants 3–4 minutes, until you see proper golden edges catching on the metal.
6. 6Return all the mince to the wok, pour in the sauce, and toss for a minute until it turns glossy and clings to the meat. Check the chicken reaches 75°C for 30 seconds. Pull the wok off the heat and fold through the Thai basil and spring onion tops; the basil should wilt on contact and perfume the whole pan. Taste, and adjust: another splash of tamari if it needs salt, a pinch of sugar if the chillies have run hot.
7. 7Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a separate non-stick frying pan over high heat and fry the eggs until the whites are crisp and lacy at the edges and the yolks still wobble, about 2 minutes.
8. 8Spoon the rice into bowls, pile the basil chicken on top, crown each with a fried egg, scatter with toasted sesame seeds and lime zest, and tuck a lime wedge alongside for everyone to squeeze the lime over at the table.

Per serving

kcal

709

protein

42g

fibre

2.5g

carbs

66.2g

fat

29.5g