Thai Basil, Fresh

Add to cartNot Currently In Season

We will update here when nice quality fresh basil is available again

Ideal, large leaves and fragrant aroma. Excellent quality fresh Thai basil via 2 Day Express. You get a large bundle, approximately 14 oz.

Thai basil has a unique flavor unlike traditional basil. This is "Horapa" (sweet basil).

Horapa (Thai Sweet Basil). This variety has thicker stems, is heartier and lasts longer after you received it. It is less expensive than Krapao basil, on a per-pound basis, but much of the weight is in the stems. The aroma of sweet basil is strong, has a sweet, peppery flavor slightly reminiscent of star anise, and it comes with hearty stems and often purple flowers. Sweet basil is added to a variety of soups and curry, see links below, as well as a popular garnish to be eaten fresh. Vietnamese cooking uses this abundantly as well.

The bunch weighs approximately 14 ounces, and has about 24 stalks, each sprig with 25-30 leaves.

We also offer instant Thai Basil Seasoning Paste.

Saveur Magazine recommends our fresh Thai basil in the October 2013 issue

We ship fresh Thai basil via Fedex 2 Day, quick delivery straight to your door. Packaged well and should be refrigerated promptly. Please Note: Checkout with Ground shipping and we will upgrade 2 Day at no extra charge. We also offer a Fresh Thai Produce Kit.

Squid Pad Ki Mao

Squid Kee Mao is a popular dish served throughout Thailand and it should be served with a high level of chile heat, as we make it here. Use plenty of fresh Thai chile peppers.

For this we use butter to fry the paste, rather than vegetable oil, but you can use either.

Any fresh basil works well, it doesn't have to be the Thai sweet basil variety.

View this Recipe

Fresh Krapaow (Hot Basil)

Hot peppery "krapao" variety is often added at the very end of a stir-fry, including the recipe below. Many customers over the years have requested krapao but we didn't have a good source until recently.

At left is a bundle of 1.5 oz, but what we ship to you is 6 oz. Krapao is delicate with light weight stems and feathery leaves, so 6 oz of krapao is a really big handful.

This is grown in Hawaii and is shipped within 24 hours of harvest, but it's very delicate so you should plan to use it promptly.

Add to Cart Krapaow Basil - Not In Season At This Time

Chicken Stir-Fried with Green Curry, 'Gai Pad Khiaowan'

This is an example of the popular 'fried curry' style that produces a dry result. It blends equally well with rice or noodles.

View this Recipe

We also recommend fresh Thai basil in the following ImportFood.com Thai recipes

Green Chicken Curry, "Gaeng Khiao Wan Gai"	Stir-Fried Fish in Red Curry, "Pad Ped Pla"
Stir-fried Catfish in Red Curry, "Pladuk Pad Ped"	Thai-Style Noodles with Peanut Basil Sauce
Spicy Thai Chicken with Fresh Thai Basil, "Gai Pad Grapao"	Thai Vegetarian Soup
Thai Curried Squid, "Plamuk Patpet"	Chicken Stir-Fried With Green Curry, "Gai Pad Khiaowan"
Penang Chicken Curry, "Penang Gai"	Thai Prawn And Pineapple Curry, "Kaeng Khua Saparot"
Thai Fried Clams in Roasted Chile Paste, Hoy Lai Ped	Deep Fried Fish With Garlic Sauce, "Pla Kapong Keemao"
Thai Style Wide Noodles In Thick Sauce, "Kuaytiao Radna"	Red Chicken Curry, "Gaeng Phed Gai"
Thai Vegetable Curry, "Kaeng Phak"	Drunkard's Noodles and Chicken with Tofu, "Gai Pad Kee Mao"
Thai Fish In Chili, "Pla Rad Prik"	Thai Spicy Catfish, "Pad Ped Pladuk"
Noodles with Fish Curry, "Khanom Jin"	Salmon & Green Salad Fresh Spring Rolls, Thai-American style
Red Curry Chicken with Bamboo Shoot
Sidewalk Chef in Bangkok Prepares Seafood Basil

Thai Green Curry Chicken, 'Gaeng Khiao Wan Gai'

This is a simple and authentic Thai recipe that we enjoy preparing with chicken and just a bit of fresh seasonal greens (in this recipe we used green beans). Our basic recipe a delicious green curry with nice flavors that a Thai purist would enjoy. The dish is also made with Thai eggplant or Tiny eggplant.

You might also be interested in our similar recipe for a red curry (Gaeng phed gai). We also have a slightly more complicated recipe for Green Curry with Fresh Chile, Chicken, Eggplant & Kaffir Lime, Gaeng Khiao Wan Gai.

View this Recipe

Here are testimonials received from customers about our fresh basil

"You guys really stepped up to the plate. Everything arrived just as I needed it and the product looked great. I teach a cooking class and everyone was asking me where I bought the great Fresh Thai Basil. I hope I can throw some more business your way. Thanks again for getting what I needed to me on time."
Chef Williams, Timberline Inn, Beaver UT

"I steamed some little neck clams with fresh basil and tom yum paste...what a powerful flavor! I then used the resulting broth on rice noodles and threw in some other seafood. I feel like there are no limits to what can be done with your ingredients -- I have an entire Thai pantry now! I am always happy to let folks know when I am pleased with products, especially when they are accompanied by terrific customer service...unfortunately the latter is extremely hard to come by these days, so when I find it I am that much more appreciative! Your website has been a culinary godsend...it is so hard to find stuff in Asian grocers sometimes because the labels are not in English...I love that you guys have such great descriptions of your products, they have enabled me to try so many different things! I am a real fan of the Pho paste...I can't image ever trying to make the real thing myself, but this is so darn close, especially if you through some star anise in while it is simmering...I have bought it for friends who are huge, but finicky Pho fans and they too have been pretty impressed."
Christine, Gaithersburg MD

How to Keep Your Thai Sweet Basil Fresh

Fresh Thai sweet basil will hold up well in the fridge for at least a week, but you might try keeping it at room temperature in a pot of water for longer storage, as long as it arrives in excellent condtion and looks vibrant.

Place your fresh Thai basil in a jar of water, then set on the countertop not too far from a window for indirect light. Freezing the basil is not nearly as good as keeping it fresh in water. The Thai basil you see at left has been that way for 3 weeks and still looks like it was just harvested. Simply remove leaves as you need, and save the rest for later. A good batch of Thai basil will keep this way for 6 weeks or longer.

Note: we received this email from a customer in January 2009: "I recently ordered some Thai ingredients, including some fresh basil. Following your suggestion, I placed some in a jar of water on the counter. Within a couple of days all of the basil in the jar had wilted. I had placed some in the plastic and damp towel (as it is shipped) and put in the fridge. This looks like it is still fresh. Just thought I'd pass along these results.

Also, this email was received from a customer in November 2011: I tried putting my fresh Thai basil in a vase on a sunny window sill and it worked great.....My basil lasted about 2 months......I was very happy."

Fresh, Fragrant Thai Basil Ready For A Vase

Anyone who has ordered our Fresh Thai Sweet basil is familiar with the wonderful fragrance of our product. Our Hawaiian-grown fresh basil is usually shipped less than 24 hours after harvest..

You might not know that fresh Thai basil keeps fresh for weeks in a vase with water, just put it on your windowsill, pick the leaves you want to cook with, and it continues to grow.

Thai basil is known for a the wonderful fragrance and lovely sweet flavor. There are sometimes purple flowers starting to form.

Our nice large 14 oz bundle is enough to fill up two flower vases. Edible fragrant flowering herbs that you can enjoy in your kitchen