Easy Thai Chicken Stir-Fry

Combine all 'stir fry sauce' ingredients together in a cup or bowl, stirring well to dissolve the sugar. Taste-test it, keeping in mind that the first taste should be spicy-salty, followed by sweetness and the rich flavor of the coconut milk. Adjust these flavors to suit your taste, adding more lime juice if too salty or sweet (note that it will be less salty when combined with the chicken and vegetables).

Place chicken in a bowl and pour over 1/4 cup of the stir-fry sauce, or enough to coat chicken. Toss well and set aside.

Warm a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add oil and swirl around, then add the shallot/onion, garlic, ginger, and chili. Stir-fry until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Then add chicken together with the marinade. Stir-fry 5-6 minutes, until the chicken is cooked. Add more of the stir-fry sauce as you cook, keeping it moist rather than dry.

Add the mushrooms, snow peas, red pepper, and enough stir-fry sauce to just cover ingredients. Simmer 3-5 minutes, or until the vegetables have turned bright in color but still retain some crispness. (Note: this is a rather 'saucy' stir-fry that is never dry - the sauce is meant to also flavor the rice or noodles it is served with).

Reduce heat to minimum and do a final taste-test, adding a little more fish sauce if you'd like it saltier or more lime juice if too salty or sweet. Add more chili for more spice.

Top with a sprinkling of fresh basil and serve with plenty of Thai jasmine rice . Or, to bring out the coconut flavor, serve with Thai Coconut Rice . ENJOY!

Leftover Sauce: Depending on how many vegetables you're using, you may have leftover sauce. Store it for up to 1 week in a covered container in your refrigerator for future stir-fries, such as a vegetable side dish (stir-fried broccoli, green beans, and/or bok choy work well in addition to the vegetables suggested here), or shrimp or tofu stir-fry. Enjoy!