Golden Mountain Sauce

I love making Thai food at home, and I\’ve always prided myself on getting that authentic Thai flavor, but if I’m completely honest, I have to admit it always seemed to be missing a little something.

Well, I have found out what that little something was. It\’s called Golden Mountain Sauce and it has been called the \”secret of Thai cooking\” and has been used in Thailand for over 50 years.

Use it as you would soy sauce, but mix it equal parts with fish sauce to get the real Thai flavor. Here is the perfect dish to try it out.

Gai Pad Prik Grapao/Chicken with Hot Chilies and Basil

Thais’ love fresh basil, and use many different types. Most of us are familiar with Sweet Basil, and this is easy to find in any market. However, it’s the “Holy Basil”, known as Bai Grapao, which is the most flavorful and authentic.

This basil has an anise type of flavor and gives this dish an amazing flavor and dimension that just doesn’t taste the same with sweet basil.

You should always use fresh basil for this recipe, as the dried variety will not give acceptable results, unless you can find the authentic dried Thai Grapao.

Ingredients

¾ lb. skinless, boneless Chicken Breast, coarsely ground and marinated in about 1 Tbsp. of fish sauce, and 1 Tbsp. of Golden Mountain sauce.

1 large Onion, Sliced

1 Sweet Red Pepper, sliced

2 Thai Chilies, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. of Peanut or another vegetable oil

3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped

1 Tbsp Fresh Ginger Root, Finley chopped

Handful of fresh Basil, pulled apart just before adding to the dish. Chopping fresh basil causes it to turn black while cooking.

Sauce, this will be added at the end.

1 Tbsp. Fish Sauce

1Tbsp Golden Mountain Sauce

2 tsp. white sugar, brown sugar or palm sugar

Start the heat under your wok, or a large skillet may also be used. Add the oil and then quickly add the ginger and the garlic. Stir-fry for about 1 minute.

Add the chicken and stir-fry until the pinkness is just gone. This takes only about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the onions and peppers, and cook until they soften slightly, then add the sauce and the fresh basil and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the basil starts to release its wonderful fragrance. Serve with steamed white or brown Jasmine rice.