Sweet Basil Omelette

This is a very simple omelette recipe with sweet basil. You can also use any basil available locally in you own country. This recipe has been in my family as long as I could remember. I love eating it with rice and some soya sauce ( I know I like to use soy sauce :-) but it's a versatile liquid and important ingredient in Asian region) which made me happy and content eating that way. The smell of Basil lifts my appetite anytime... :-) 

My Sweet Basil had been growing very happily (actually too happy!) in their pots that I had to trim and use the leaves fast before they turned yellow. The tallest of the bunch was about 2 feet tall now and nearly bent over due to the weight. I had to cut some branches off and replanted again in new pots. I had given away several pots to my neighbours as well. I hope they have good fertile homes...

Sweet Basil Omelette

2 cups Sweet Basil or any of your choice - fully packed

4 nos Eggs ( I used Large Eggs)

1 tbl Fish Sauce (optional)

2 tbl Soya Sauce

White Pepper

Sesame Oil

Oil for cooking

Method:

1. Wash the sweet basil throughly. Drain and set aside.

2. In a large bowl; break the eggs and whisk lightly

3. Add in the fish sauce and soya sauce to taste. If you don't have fish sauce you can use soya sauce through out and adjust the saltiness to your taste. Mix well the mixture.

4. In a medium size pan, heat enough oil to cook the amount of the egg mixture. When the pan is hot, pour the egg mixture in. Before the mixture sets, quickly add in the sweet basil leaves and distribute the leaves evenly around the omelette. (Before add in the leaves, bruise the leaves a bit with your hands to release the basil oil.)

5. When omelette is about to set, fold over a half portion of omelette over the other half (like folding pancake or Coin Purse Egg) carefully to form a half moon shape. Let the omelette cook for few minutes or until there's no more uncooked liquid oozes out when you press it with spatula.

6. Remove from pan and drizzle some sesame oil before serving.

Serves 2-4 portions.

Note: If the basil leaves are large, you can shred it to smaller pieces, chiffonade or chopped to smaller pieces. You can even eat it between 2 slices of bread like sandwich :-)

♪ Enjoy♬

Thai Sweet Basil (Horapa)

Thai Sweet Basil or 'Horapa' is one of the common cultivar group of basil. It's a common herb used widely in Southeast Asia region especially in Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. It's easy to grow them from the cuttings you purchased off the supermarket shelves. Just soak the cuttings in some clean water and change the water every 2 -3 days until you can see some rootings protruding from the stems. Then you plant it in quality soil in pots or garden. I planted in large pots with organic soil by itself because they root very fast and  agressively just like Lemongrass. Their roots will 'choke' other plants so, it's advisable to let them have their own territory...To have more leaves, cut the flowers off before they bloom or you can add the flowers to your Thai recipes or salad -  the colorful pinkish-white flowers add another dimension to your dishes! By the way, different species of basil has different color of flowers, smell/fragrance and leaf textures. For example, the Basilicum that is common in Europe has white flowers and broad green, soft leaves and lesser anise taste compared to Southeast Asian varieties.

Here's one my pots of Thai Basil with it's flowers and green-purple leaves...

The tiny seeds can be made into Basil Seed drinks (Nam Mangklak) like Falooda or Sherbet/Sharbat, you can mix it with honey or Bubble Tea... I also like mine added to fresh coconut juice with a little bit of rose syrup. It's also a common remedy for fever or during hot season to cool down the body heat and aids digestion. Besides it's important usage in various cuisines and in essential oils, basil plays important role in cultural aspects of ancient civilisations, even today, it's highly regard in religions and beliefs...

Another FUN part is... the basil seeds looked like frog's eggs because the seeds became gelatinous when soaked in water with its' tiny black dot in the centre, wobbly,oogly... ok, ok, ok no more details... :-D

Oh, have a read of Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron and John Keats' narrative poem Isabella or The Pot of Basil. 

One thing for sure, basil is always welcome in my kitchen and its within reach means I can enjoy my favourite Basil dishes anytime I want... from simple sambal or salad to fried rice! The choices are endless...