I remember when I first saw tiny ears of corn in a dish served at a Chinese restaurant. I was a teenager, and the sight made me feel so happy. My family ate a lot of corn on the cob, big ears with fat rows of plump kernels. The baby corn was so cute, it became one of my favorite things to add to a stir-fried meal. Here I offer a delicious and very easy to assemble dish of Thai Chicken With Mushrooms, Basil and Green beans--and tiny ears of corn. It also contains quite a bit of fresh basil, which makes it perfect for Weekend Herb Blogging, which was created by the fabulous Kalyn at Kalyn's Kitchen. WHB has traveled to Missouri this week and is being hosted by the lovely Glenna at A Fridge Full Of Food...And Nothing To Eat. Stop by her blog next Monday to see a Roundup of all the herby dishes.
Besides the baby corn, my favorite ingredient in this dish was the cup of fresh basil leaves, torn and tossed into the wok at the last minute. Summer is right around the corner and basil is one of my favorite crops. It looks as wonderful as it tastes, with so many different varieties available to plant. So, enjoy this dish and think about the summer ahead of us.
Thai Chicken With Mushrooms, Basil And Green Beans
(Food & Wine)
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 pound green beans, cut into 2-inch lengths
3 scallions, white and light green parts only, cut into 1-inch lengths
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast cutlets, pounded thin and cut into strips
1/4 pound small mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
1/2 cup drained canned baby corn, cut into 1-inch lengths
2 large jalapeños—halved, seeded and thickly sliced lengthwise
1 cup torn basil leaves
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DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, mix the oyster sauce with the fish sauce and sugar.
In a wok, heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil over high heat. Add
the beans and cook, stirring occasionally,until crisp-tender, about 5
minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the wok and heat
until smoking. Add the scallions, garlic and salt and stir-fry until
the garlic is lightly golden, about 45 seconds. Add the chicken in 3
batches, waiting a few seconds between additions, and stir-fry until it
barely turns white, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, corn, jalapeños
and green beans and stir-fry until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 2
to 3 minutes. Add the oyster sauce mixture and stir-fry until the
chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes longer. Stir in the basil,
transfer to a platter and serve.
did you use string beans too, they are delicious!
Your baby corns remind me a WHB's post from Anh (not too long ago), she found 'fresh' baby corns!
Posted by: [email protected] | April 25, 2007 at 01:53 AM
oops, just to correct my name...
Posted by: gattina | April 25, 2007 at 01:55 AM
Mmmm...beautiful! I'd love to tuck into that!
Posted by: Glenna | April 25, 2007 at 05:02 AM
Oh Sher I love corns, all type! The baby corn is especially special - very delicate. When their season comes, we can find "fresh" baby corns at farmers market. These are to die for. :D
Posted by: Anh | April 25, 2007 at 05:25 AM
Hey! I love baby corn too. And I love everything about this dish, Sher. EVERYTHING!
Posted by: Ivonne | April 25, 2007 at 05:39 AM
This is just the kind of dish I'm growing 7 varieties of Basil in the backyard for.
Beautiful photo!! A perfect dish. Thanks so much.
Posted by: Tanna | April 25, 2007 at 06:18 AM
Sher, the chicken with basil and corn looks fabulous. And I missed the super round up of WHB! Each entry and your description is a treat. I'm going to come back to read it later.
Posted by: mandira | April 25, 2007 at 06:45 AM
This looks fabulous. My husband loves baby corns - he will eat a whole can of them in one sitting!
Posted by: Deborah | April 25, 2007 at 08:17 AM
That is one happy bowl o' greens... I can practically smell the freshness!
Oh, and I would kill to find fresh baby corns.
Posted by: s'kat | April 25, 2007 at 09:46 AM
I love anything with lots of basil. I planted some last week and I'm already out picking at them... And green beans...perfect for summer.
Fresh bsby corns? They exist? How wonderful!
Posted by: Katie | April 25, 2007 at 12:35 PM
beautiful photographs. this looks simply wonderful.
Posted by: Linda | April 25, 2007 at 12:40 PM
I love the little corns, Sher! So cute!
Posted by: Patricia Scarpin | April 25, 2007 at 01:12 PM
nice combination of ingredients and spicy!
Posted by: Callipygia | April 25, 2007 at 02:47 PM
Wow..I've never seen a "fresh baby corn" at the farmers market! When are they in season?
Posted by: Melly53 | April 25, 2007 at 03:15 PM
Gattina,
Love that Cat 3 name! I have never seen the baby corns for sale. If I had tons of land, I would grow them myself! YUM.
Glenna,
Thank you! Wish we could share it.
Anh,
How I envy you!!! What a fabulous Farmer's Market you have!
Ivonne,
Thank you so much--I certainly enjoyed it too! :)
Tanna,
7 varieties! That's fabulous. It must look beautiful!
Mandira,
Thank you!
Deborah,
I understand your husband's craving for the little corns! :):)
s'kat,
Me too! I've never seen them for sale--I feel so deprived! :)
Katie,
Yes--wouldn't it be marvelous to have fresh baby corns? That's on my wish list!
Linda,
Thank you!
Patricia,
Yes, it's so nice when we can get the cute veggies! Brings out the kid in me!
Callypygia,
Thank you, we really did like this one. I'll make it often.
Melly53,
I've never seen them before either. I always use the canned ones. Wish I could find them!!!
Posted by: sher | April 25, 2007 at 04:38 PM
That pic is absolutely beautiful, the fresh sprig of basil looks lovely
Posted by: Sandeepa | April 25, 2007 at 06:27 PM
It looks just fantastic! I'd love to have something like this for dinner. Reminds me that I need to find Thai basil for my garden this year.
Posted by: Kalyn | April 25, 2007 at 06:41 PM
That loooks delicious. I'm gonna cook that for dinner tomorrow! YAYY!=)
Posted by: Victoria | April 26, 2007 at 01:08 AM
It is almost lunchtime...chicken and veggies. I would much rather have this!
Posted by: Kristen | April 26, 2007 at 10:49 AM
What a nice dish! I love baby corn because they are so little and cute.
Posted by: Lannae | April 26, 2007 at 02:59 PM
You've done it again Sher. A fantastic recipe, wonderful ingredients and a beautiful photo!
I will try growing basil again this year - this time indoors on the sun porch!
Posted by: Christine | April 26, 2007 at 11:04 PM
Stir-fries are the best. I'll have to try basil in my next one!
Posted by: Teresa | April 29, 2007 at 03:50 PM
What a great dish. I love these baby corns, but have never seen them on the local market.
The fabulous photos make my mouth water.
Posted by: Helene | April 30, 2007 at 02:18 AM
Glad to see I'm not the only one who loves baby corn. I often eat it straight from the can! This chicken dish looks delicious. I can't wait to try it.
Posted by: Andrea | April 30, 2007 at 02:51 AM
yet again you got me with "ahs" and "oohs" while reading your recipes.
I love baby corn too and this stir fry looks very delicious!
Posted by: astrid | May 01, 2007 at 05:50 AM