Holy Basil

Named for its prevalent planting around temples, the dark, small, rounded, slightly furry leaves are added to stir-fries, such as Thai Pad Ke Mao, and to curry dishes. There are two varieties. White holy basil has green stems and a milder flavor. It’s used mostly for seafood dishes. Red holy basil has purplish stems (similar to Thai basil) and matches well with meats, poultry and seafood. Thai: bai kraprow; Malay: selaseh; Tamil: maduru-tala