the one that makes it
thai basil
not italian basil. it's anise, pepper and heat — the smell of a Bangkok wok stall at night.
watch it made
no wok theatre. just the build.
every component prepped from scratch, assembled cold to order. this is the actual bangkok bowl, start to finish.
the story
where it comes from
thai cooking balances four things in every bite — sweet, sour, salty, hot. get one wrong and the dish falls over. get it right and you can't put the fork down.
the street version is loud and fast: a screaming-hot wok, a fistful of herbs thrown in at the end so they bruise but don't cook. we chase that same freshness, cold.
the 97 / 3
what we changed
street basil bowls lean on fish sauce and chicken. ours stays fully veg — sweet-chili paneer and edamame carry the protein, lime and herbs carry the punch.
97% familiar · 3% you've never had
how it's built
cold-makeline, no frying
greens or rice, then a layer of charred broccoli for smoke.
sweet-chili paneer and edamame stacked over pickled cucumber.
crushed peanuts and a last spoon of sweet chili.
lil nuggets
things to say at dinner
thai basil (horapha) is a different plant from the italian kind — its flavour is closer to liquorice and clove.
thailand's cuisine is built on a 'yum' principle: every dish should hit sweet, sour, salty and spicy at once.
bird's-eye chilies are called 'phrik kee noo' — literally 'mouse-dropping chili', for their tiny size and big heat.
make it at home
a home version
2 bowls · 20 min
ingredients
- ·1 cup cooked rice
- ·150g paneer, cubed
- ·3 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- ·1 tsp soy
- ·juice of ½ lime
- ·1 cup broccoli, charred
- ·½ cup edamame
- ·handful thai basil
- ·crushed peanuts
method
- 1char the broccoli in a dry hot pan until spotty.
- 2toss seared paneer with sweet chili, soy and lime.
- 3blanch edamame; tear the basil at the last second.
- 4build over rice, scatter peanuts and basil, squeeze more lime.
the secret we keep
we make the sweet chili from fresh red chilies and palm sugar, not a bottle — that's what stops it tasting like a sauce packet.
what's in it
every dish is veg · swap paneer for chicken, same price · air-fried falafel on request
allergens
our kitchen isn't allergen-free — tell us what you can't have and we'll tell you exactly what's in it.
pairs well: a berry-hibiscus refresher for the sweet-sour echo.
the numbers
27g
protein
~420
kcal
- ·four-flavour balance
- ·plant + dairy protein
- ·zero frying
numbers approximate · base-dependent
why it's good
sweet and heat without the deep-fry — the crunch is peanuts, not batter.
edamame and paneer keep you going through the afternoon.
have it your way, or ours.
more bowls
