Evil Jungle Prince With Chicken (or With Mixed Vegetables)

Ingredients:

1/2 lb Boneless chicken breast
15 Basil leaves
10 to
(omit for veggie version)
based on personal taste
4 tb Fish sauce,
1 to
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 c Coconut milk
2 tb Oil
2 Kaffir lime leaves
1/2 Stalk fresh lemon grass
6 sm Red chile peppers
2 to
(see note below)
1/2 lb Mixed vegetables,
OR-
1 c Chopped cabbage

Method:

Thinly cut chicken into 2-inch strips.
(If doing veggie version, cut vegetables into thin strips.
) Grind together red chili peppers, lemon grass, and kaffir lime leaves in a food processor or pound in a mortar.
Heat oil to medium-high and saute pepper mixture for 3 minutes.
Stir in coconut milk and cook for 2 minutes.
Add chicken (or vegetables) and cook for 5 minutes or until cooked (same time for veggies).
Reduce heat to medium-low.
Stir in fish sauce (if using), salt, and basil.
Serve on a bed of chopped cabbage.
Note: ===== For mixed vegetables, choose from among bell peppers, string beans, water chestnuts, tomatoes (small cherry tomatoes are best), bamboo shoots, miniature corn, asparagus, cucumbers, zucchini, Japanese eggplant, and mushrooms.
I particularly like string beans or asparagus, a few cherry tomatoes, shredded (rather than sliced) bamboo shoots, miniature corn, and some straw mushrooms or slender (Japanese) eggplant.
(3-4 servings)