This year I am trying a very wide range of basils in my garden. My lime basil, though rather smaller than some, is producing quite well and I am now in need of ideas as to what to do with it! The scent and flavour are distinctly lime, and I am thinking I'd be correct in saying that it's not something I'd really want to add to a large batch of pesto. Phew, this basil is really strong!
So... What do folks do with lime basil? Or other unorthodox basils such as lemon or cinnamon? I'd love to hear your ideas! (And I'd also love to use up my leftover lime basil pinchings that are sitting in a glass on my kitchen counter :-) )
Lime Basil... What do people do with it?
I particularly like the lemon and lime basils in chicken or fish dishes. They're also nice in salads. I haven't tried them as teas, but don't see why they wouldn't work in an herbal blend.
I'm having rotten luck with basil this year. They seem to either drown, get fried in the excessive heat, or get eaten by bugs before they get big enough to use.
Has anybody tried lime basil in salsa? I may give it a whirl once our peppers & tomatoes start coming in.... seems like it would be a good thing. And like McCool said, the different basils are nice in salads and in marinades for grilling. Thai basil is lovely in stir fries, with curry or garlic & ginger.
My thai basil is having a very tough time this year, but I'm hoping to have a bit of a harvest sometime next week. What's the best way to use it in stir fry? Let it cook with the veggies, or toss it in at the last minute?
Lime basil does in fact sound like it might be tasty in salsa. One of my roma tomatoes is starting to ripen (just a hint of yellowish-orange!) so we're getting close! I just wish I'd planted more peppers!
Remember, if there are more than 2 sets of leaves on a branch, it's time to pinch!
I would add whole leaves of Thai basil near the end of a stir fry, although when I freeze cubes of it (Basil plus Thai chiles, garlic & ginger all minced in the food processor, plus a little veggie oil, frozen in ice cube trays & stored in a freezer bag), I toss it in with the onions at the start of things.
Thai chilis you say?? I will have to find some of those around here. No spicy peppers growing this year for me, just little bell peppers. I love the idea of making frozen cubes for flavouring. I will try that for sure when the harvest starts.
And yes, I have been pretty diligent about pinching my other basils, but this poor Thai has been munched... and munched and munched and munched... by some kind of bug (we finally broke out the big pesticide guns a few days ago because our beautiful Snowball Viburnum tree was getting eaten too) so I haven't had the heart to put it under any more stress. I do have loads of Lemon and Lime basil pinchings to prove I've been a good girl and to show that I've been taking better care of most of my other basils :-)
LOL... I was just mentioning it because some folks think they can't pinch little plants, and sometimes they benefit from pinching most when they're still small. :-) It does seem that you really have to keep after lime basil -- it tries to bolt every time I look sideways at it!
I hear you about the munchers... there are a few plants in my garden that got really picked on this year too!
What about cinnamon basil? How to use in cooking?
We use our lime basil on fish when we are baking it. We just put a little salt and pepper and butter on the fish and put the lime basil on the fish while baking and then remove them before eating. It is heavenly.
JF, that sounds divine!
The only use I've found for cinnamon basil is putting a few leaves in salads... but it's such a pretty plant, so I like to grow it in my landscape beds, and I don't worry if it flowers.
I use it for Tuna Salad, Tarter sauce for fish instead of the pickles, chopped in butter for roasted corn, in mixed sald to serve with fish or chicken. If grilling or baking a whole fish put lime basil inside. Don't like it for pesto. It grows like crazy. It's a basil but in it's heart it thinks it's a mint! ;-)
Thai basil is, of course, used in Thai cooking. I will give you the url's of some great Thai recipes from a great Thai cook:
http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/recipes/baschi.html
http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/recipes/roastduck.html
http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/recipes/basrice.html
http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/recipes/greencurp.html
http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/recipes/gaengped.html
I also have a great recipe that can be used with green beans and hot pepper and lots of Thai basil and one for eggplant in hot pepper and lots of Thai basil. They are in Kasma Loha Uncit's book "It Rains Fishes". When Kasma cooks with thai basil she uses a cup or more usually.
Ooh, great idea about tuna! I've got a couple of cinnamon basil and haven't tried them for cooking yet.
I've pinched and just enjoyed the smell. :)
GrammysGardenAZ, I definitely agree, lime basil thinks it's a mint! It's doing the best, by far, of any of my basils this year. Lol, I just wish I hadn't put off asking what to use it in for so long! Thanks for sharing your wide variety of uses. I think that we will try it in tuna salad and for making herbed butter for grilled corn this weekend. I just love this time of year... So much corn to be eaten, so little time...
Pajita, thanks very much for the great links. That site seems packed with good information, so I've bookmarked it for future use :-)
Now that you mention it, the Lime Basil I grew last year took off like crazy, too! I didn't grow it this year because it was a little too strong for my tastes. (I'm kind of mising it now, though!)
Another great Thai basil recipe:
http://www.thaitable.com/Thai/recipes/Basil_Eggplant.htm
A Thai recipe using holy basil:
http://www.thaitable.com/Thai/recipes/Chicken_Basil.htm
Holy Basil...? That is one I'd never heard of before. I like the description on the site. Any idea how "hairy" it really is? :-) And is this something you've tried growing?
Holt basil is used alot in Aromatherapy. I've never seen it in a food recipe before! Might be worth adding to the garden next year!
Sequee, what makes that type of basil useful in Armoatherapy? What properties are considered useful? Is the scent very different from, say, standard sweet basil? I am sad to admit that I am woefully ignorant of Aromatherapy.
Here's the desctiption from Aromaland.com:
The aromas of the various Basils are so different that it has been suggested to classify them according to the aroma, instead of botanical relationship. This basil is quite different, not as pungent as the other two, but rather sweet, spicy and round, with notes that are even reminiscent of Clove/Cocoa.
Properties: Warming and toning. Restoring peace of mind and counteracting depression. Clarifying, uplifting, energizing. Can be irritating to the skin, so avoid high concentration.
History: Holy Basil originates in India, where it is considered a sacred herb. It is commonly planted around doorways and temples to keep evil spirits away. The botanical name "Ocimum" may come from the Greek "to smell".
Holy basil isn't hairy, at least not that I've noticed. Gorgeous smell, and very nice in pad thai of course.
Nice to find this thread as I came to ask about lemon basil. It smells wonderful, is growing well, and I haven't a clue what to do with it. Thanks for the ideas above. I'll have a careful look and try some.
Ann