Holy basil was the name of my first food blog, because I adore the taste of this herb. It is different to Italian basil, with a clove-like flavour and mellow menthol aftertaste. Purists will tell you that if you can’t use holy basil in basil chicken (pad krapow gai), then you shouldn’t make it. But vegan cooking is, after all, about adapting and working with what you have. If you can’t find holy basil, Thai (or, as a last resort, Italian) basil works well in this dish, even though it won’t taste quite so peppery.