Take 10 - 20 whole basil leaves (preferably Thai sweet basil), wash & dry them thoroughly, then deep fry a few at a time in the wok for 30-40 seconds, until crispy. Drain on absorbent paper & put aside.

Slice 4 whole plump garlic cloves. Deseed 4-6 Thai chilli's (UK spelling) (a mixture of red & green ads colour - obviously!), chop into chunks or slice lengthways into strips. Stir fry for a minute or so until the aroma rises, the garlic slices start to colour (& if you have no extractor you start to cough!)

Throw in the chicken, stir fry quickly until it starts to brown. Then add the fish sauce, a teaspoon of oyster sauce (optional - reduce the amount of fish sauce if you use it), & 1 teaspoon of sugar(there may be sugar in the fish sauce, in which case you won't need to add any) Reduce the heat & cook for a further couple of minutes.

Less than a minute before serving add a good handful or two of fresh whole basil leaves & stir in.

Serve garnished with the deep fried basil leaves & 2-4 whole Thai chilli's finely sliced. Accompany with Jasmine rice & a salad of cucumber, scallions & cilantro leaves, dressed with lime juice. And lots of cold beers.
This recipe has converted people who previously didn't like hot food;-)

From: Paul Richards. Via The Chile-Heads Mailing List
Posted By: Paul Richards
Post Date: Tue, 24 Feb 1998