Thai chicken with basil (kra pao gai) is my favorite Thai dish. This spicy, aromatic meal is available throughout the country, but nobody makes it better than the woman in this video.

Her name is Emmy. She runs a modest but cozy outdoor restaurant across the street from my apartment in Pua, Nan. For 25 baht (85 cents) she’ll prepare any meal on her menu, dine-in or carry-out. Make it 30 baht and your Thai chicken with basil will include a fried egg. Cheap, fresh, quality Thai food is what Emmy’s place is all about. Now that’s an incentive to eat out every day.

Watching Emmy cook Thai food is one of the most relaxing things in the world. The click-clack of the utensils against the wok, the sizzling, popping sounds of seasonings and meat in a scorching hot pan. Music to my ears.

This is the first video of a relaxing series, Chef Emmy Cooking. Stay tuned and subscribe so you won’t miss the next part of the series (due to requests, all future Chef Emmy Cooking videos will include the ingredients). Thanks for watching!