Culinary Uses
Although Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Laotians also use the Asian varieties of basil in their cuisines, the purple-stemmed, licorice-flavored leaves have come to be identified as Thai basil. It may be mistakenly called anise basil or licorice basil, but it is different from the Western strains bearing these same names. Horapha leaves are a frequent ingredient in Thai green and red curry (แกงเผ็ด), while the basil used in Thai drunken noodles, and Thai chicken/pork/seafood with basil leaf is kraphao (Thai holy basil). Thai basil is also an important ingredient in the very popular Taiwanese dish, sanbeiji (three cup chicken). Used as a condiment, a plate of raw Thai basil leaves is often served as an accompaniment to phở (Vietnamese-style noodle soup) so each customer can season it to taste with the anise-flavored leaves.
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