How to Use Hairy Basil: Thai Dishes, Cooking Tips and Recipe Ideas

Search for Hairy Basil recipes online and you will often be shown dishes made with holy basil instead. The names are easily confused, but these herbs do not taste the same and they play different roles in Thai cooking.

Hairy Basil is known in Thai as bai maenglak (ใบแมงลัก), sometimes written bai meng rak, and is also commonly called lemon basil. Its smaller, soft green leaves have a fresh citrus fragrance with a gently peppery edge. It is particularly good at lifting light broths, fragrant curries and rice-noodle dishes.

This guide focuses on what to make with fresh Hairy Basil, how to prepare it and when to add it. If you are still deciding which Thai basil you need, begin with our guide to Holy Basil, Sweet Basil and Hairy Basil.

What does Hairy Basil taste like?

Hairy Basil has a noticeably lemony aroma without tasting sour. Its flavour is fresher and more delicate than the peppery, clove-like taste of holy basil, and it does not have the strong aniseed or liquorice character associated with Thai sweet basil.

The aroma becomes especially clear when a leaf is rubbed or torn. That fragrance is also why timing matters: long cooking can flatten it, whereas adding the herb near the end allows it to perfume the whole dish.

Five ways to use Hairy Basil

1. Finish Gaeng Liang

Gaeng Liang is the dish most closely associated with Hairy Basil. It is a light, peppery Thai vegetable soup commonly made with pumpkin or squash, baby corn, mushrooms, prawns and a seasoning paste containing ingredients such as peppercorns, shallots, dried shrimp, shrimp paste and fingerroot.

Hairy Basil is stirred through after the pan comes off the heat. The leaves wilt gently and give the broth its characteristic fresh, lemony finish. Use a generous handful rather than treating it as a decorative garnish.

2. Serve it fresh with khanom jeen

Hairy Basil is a classic fresh accompaniment to khanom jeen, soft fermented rice noodles served with sauces or curries such as nam ya. Diners add the leaves at the table alongside other vegetables and herbs, giving each mouthful a fresh citrus lift.

Rinse and dry the herb, pick the leaves and tender tips, then place them on a shared plate with vegetables such as bean sprouts, shredded cabbage, cucumber and long beans. There is no need to chop the leaves finely; tearing larger sprigs once or twice is enough.

You can find suitable options in our noodles collection, but check the individual product instructions because preparation methods vary.

3. Stir it through light soups and broths

Hairy Basil works well in clear, savoury soups where a heavier herb could dominate. Add the picked leaves once the other ingredients are cooked, switch off the heat and let them wilt in the residual warmth.

It pairs naturally with mushrooms, prawns, fish and mild vegetables. Begin with a small handful, taste the broth and add more if you want the citrus aroma to be more prominent.

4. Add it to fragrant curries and stews

Certain Thai and Lao curries and stews use lemon basil for a lighter herbal finish. The exact dishes vary by region, so use Hairy Basil when the recipe specifically asks for bai maenglak, lemon basil or Lao basil rather than substituting it automatically into every Thai curry.

Add it during the final minute or after removing the pan from the heat. For green, red and panang curries that call for bai horapha, Thai sweet basil remains the better choice.

5. Include it on a fresh herb and vegetable plate

Hairy Basil can be served raw alongside rich curries, noodle dishes, grilled fish and chilli dips. Its fresh aroma helps contrast with salty, spicy and deeply savoury flavours.

Keep the presentation simple: rinse the sprigs, dry them carefully and serve the leaves with other crisp vegetables. Browse our fresh Thai fruit and vegetables if you are building a shared vegetable plate.

The best way to prepare Hairy Basil

Hairy Basil is delicate, so it needs very little preparation:

1. Keep it unwashed until you are ready to cook.
2. Rinse the sprigs gently in cold water.
3. Dry thoroughly without crushing the leaves.
4. Pick off the leaves and tender upper tips.
5. Discard any thick or woody lower stems.
6. Add the herb raw or towards the very end of cooking.

Tender young stems are edible and can be added with the leaves. There is usually no need to chop them finely; tearing or lightly bruising the leaves releases their fragrance without making them disappear into the dish.

When should you add Hairy Basil?

The simplest rule is to treat Hairy Basil as a finishing herb. If you can smell its lemony fragrance clearly when the food reaches the table, you have probably added it at the right time.

What flavours pair well with Hairy Basil?

Hairy Basil works particularly well with:

• Fingerroot and peppercorns in Gaeng Liang
• Prawns, fish and other seafood
• Mushrooms and light vegetable broths
• Pumpkin, squash, baby corn and courgette
• Rice noodles and savoury curry sauces
• Fresh chillies, shallots and fish sauce
• The herb provides fragrance rather than acidity. If a dish needs sourness, add lime juice, tamarind or another souring ingredient required by the recipe instead of expecting the basil to provide it.

Hairy Basil leaves and basil seeds are not interchangeable

Hairy Basil leaves are used as a fresh herb in savoury cooking. Basil seeds, often sold dried for drinks and desserts, swell and develop a soft gel-like coating when soaked.

Although the names are connected, they perform completely different jobs. Seeds cannot replace fresh leaves in Gaeng Liang or khanom jeen, and leaves cannot create the texture needed in a basil-seed drink or dessert.

How to store fresh Hairy Basil

Use Hairy Basil as soon as possible, when the leaves are still green and fragrant. Until you need it:

• Leave it unwashed and keep it dry in its packaging.
• Avoid crushing the leaves beneath heavier groceries.
• Keep it refrigerated but away from the coldest part of the fridge.
• Remove any wet or damaged leaves before they affect the rest of the bunch.
• Expect some darkening if the leaves are bruised or kept too cold.

If the herb begins to soften but still smells fresh and shows no sign of spoilage, use it in a cooked soup or curry rather than as a raw accompaniment.

What can you substitute for Hairy Basil?

Another variety sold specifically as lemon basil is the closest substitute. Check the aroma if possible: it should smell distinctly citrusy rather than strongly of liquorice or cloves.

Thai sweet basil can be used if nothing else is available, but it will make the dish sweeter and more aniseed-like. Holy basil adds a peppery, clove-like character and is not a close match. For a dish such as Gaeng Liang, it is worth waiting for Hairy Basil because the herb is part of the dish's defining flavour.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best dish to make with Hairy Basil?

Gaeng Liang is the best place to start because Hairy Basil is one of its defining ingredients. The leaves are stirred through the peppery vegetable soup after cooking, allowing their citrus aroma to remain fresh.

Can you eat Hairy Basil raw?

Yes. Wash and dry it carefully, then serve the leaves and tender tips with khanom jeen, curries or a fresh vegetable plate. It can also be stirred through hot dishes at the end of cooking.

Can you use Hairy Basil in pad krapao?

It is not the traditional choice. Krapao refers to holy basil, which gives the stir-fry its characteristic peppery aroma. Hairy Basil would produce a lighter, more lemony basil stir-fry rather than the expected flavour of pad krapao.

Can you use Hairy Basil in Thai green curry?

Thai sweet basil is normally the better choice for green curry because its aniseed fragrance complements coconut milk and curry paste. Use Hairy Basil only when a particular recipe specifically calls for it.

How much Hairy Basil should I use?

For a four-person soup such as Gaeng Liang, begin with a generous handful of picked leaves. For raw accompaniments, serve enough for everyone to add it according to taste. The strength varies between bunches, so aroma is a better guide than an exact number of leaves.

Can I use the stems?

The tender tips and thin young stems can be eaten with the leaves. Remove thicker lower stems because they may remain tough after the leaves have wilted.

What can I do with the rest of the bunch?

Use it as a fresh accompaniment to khanom jeen, stir it through another light soup or add it to a recipe that specifically calls for lemon basil. Avoid dividing the bunch between unrelated dishes simply to use it up: its distinctive citrus flavour will not suit every recipe that calls for basil.

Start cooking with fresh Hairy Basil

Hairy Basil is not a general replacement for every type of Thai basil. It is a distinctive ingredient in its own right, especially good with Gaeng Liang, khanom jeen and light savoury broths.

Order Hairy Basil – Bai Meng Rak from Muay Supermarket, or explore our wider range of fresh Thai herbs and vegetables. Our fresh produce arrives at the beginning of each week and is dispatched shortly after arrival.