Damned Rodan's Thai Basil Chicken

Thai food is about my favorite thing in the world, so I often try my hand at various Thai recipes. My most successful is probably Thai Basil Chicken, made Thai-hot, and I think I made the best-ever batch for dinner last night. Here's the recipe. Count on about 20 minutes prep time and 10–15 minutes cooking time.

What you need (serves two):

• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 6 hot chili peppers (Serrano are perfect); 2 thinly sliced; 4 finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. hot chili oil
• 2 tbsp. Thai chili sauce
• 2 tsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 bell pepper, thinly sliced
• lettuce
• juice from 2 limes
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup chopped basil leaves
• 1 cup fish sauce (half for cooking, half for two side servings of sauce)
• 1 cup Jasmine rice
• 1 lb. ground chicken
• 1 tbsp. crushed dried chili pepper

What you do:

1. To make two side bowls of hot chili fish sauce: into each small bowl, pour 1/4 cup fish sauce and add the two thinly sliced chili peppers. Stir into each bowl 1 tsp. Thai chili sauce, 1 tsp. soy sauce, and the juice from 1/2 lime. Now let the sauce sit and blend while the rest of the dinner is in the works.
   
2. Get the Jasmine rice cooking so it'll be ready when everything else is.
3. Place ground chicken in a bowl. Squeeze in the juice from 1 lime, and add sugar and the remaining fish sauce and Thai chili sauce. Knead thoroughly.
4. Heat skillet or wok on high until it's super-hot. Then pour in hot chili oil. When oil is smoking hot, add garlic and chopped peppers. Stir for about a minute and then lower heat to medium.
5. Add ground chicken mix and stir frequently.
6. When chicken is almost done, add the basil leaves. Continue to stir.
7. Before serving, drain excess liquid. (Careful!)
   
8. Serve over rice on a bed of lettuce. Sprinkle crushed pepper over the chicken and finally place the slivers of bell pepper on top.
9. Add desired amount of fish/pepper sauce. If you're like me, pour the whole damn bowl on there. And prepare to have your ass kicked.

If I'm really in the mood to have my taste buds hammered, I start this meal with a Damned Rodan's Dirty Firetini. Sake or a decent red wine also makes fine accompaniment; last night, we had a 2008 Mouton Cadet Bordeaux, about which I have no complaints.

Yeah, man.