April 27: Thai Chicken, Pork, or Shrimp with Basil

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/4 pounds chicken breast cutlets, cut into thin strips or 6 1/4-inch-thick pork loin chops, cut into thin strips, or 1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
   Salt and coarse black pepper
2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, quartered, and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
6 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths, then cut lengthwise into thin matchsticks
1/4 cup tamari
3 tablespoons honey
20 fresh basil leaves, torn or shredded
1 head of iceberg lettuce, core removed, shredded

Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the vegetable oil. It should smoke up a bit. Add the chicken, pork, or shrimp and season with a little salt and lots of black pepper.

Stir-fry for a minute to sear the meat at the edges, then add the ginger, garlic, red bell pepper, and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes more.

Add the scallions and stir-fry for another minute, then add the tamari and honey to form a sauce and glaze the chicken. Remove the pan from the heat and add the basil. Toss to wilt and combine.

Cover a platter with shredded lettuce, top with the chicken, pork, or shrimp, and serve.

4 SERVINGS

I had a little less than a pound of shrimp, so I halved this recipe. This is a variation of the Ginger-Soy chicken. RR says: "It's amazing how different the master recipe above tastes with the addition of the peppers and basil. To make it even more different, make one of the swaps below." (That would be swapping pork or shrimp for the chicken.) I used a yellow bell pepper instead of red. My husband and I and our daughters all agree that this would be better with rice instead of lettuce. It's supposed to be "low-carb," but we're not concerned about that, so we can make it with rice next time. This is a very easy recipe to make. It only took about 15 minutes including prep time. I like that about it.