Spicy Thai Basil Chicken

1. Mix together marinade ingredients. Add coconut milk, 6 basil leaves (torn), red pepper flakes, soy sauce, fish sauce, chili sauce, sesame oil, and ginger paste, and divide it in half. (Add more red pepper to your desired spiciness.) Coat chicken lightly in white pepper. Marinate chicken in half of the marinade for 1-3 hours. Set the other half of the marinade aside.

2. In a large pot, sauté peppers and shallot in 1 Tablespoon of butter until translucent and tender. Remove vegetables and place off to the side. Add vegetable oil to pot and heat at Medium or Medium High until the wrong end of a wooden spoon placed in the oil produces rapid bubbles around the handle. (This tells you the oil is ready for frying-if you have another method, have at it!)

3. In a separate pot, bring to boil 1 cup rice and 2 cups of water with dash salt and pepper and 1 Tablespoon of butter. Once boiling, reduce to simmer, and simmer on low 20-25 minutes until rice is tender and water has evaporated. Then remove from heat and set aside.

4. Toss chicken in flour, and add a few pieces at a time to the hot oil, lightly frying the chicken 1-2 minutes on each side until cooked in the center.

5. Set chicken aside, and cook remaining marinade in a pot on medium heat for 4-5 minutes until thick and creamy. Stir in the cooked vegetables and cook 1-2 minutes more. Add chicken and remaining basil leaves, and coat with sauce.

Serve over rice.