Holy Thai Basil's Top 10 FAQs

How to know the difference between Thai Basil & Thai Holy Basil | Thai-Foodie.com — Thai Basil is on the left and Holy Basil is on the right.

Are you just as confused as I’ve been about what’s Holy Thai Basil? Don’t worry, these top FAQs answered by a Thai cooking class instructor will help you out!

What is Holy Thai Basil?

Holy Basil in Thai is written,กะเพรา, and pronounced krapaw. There are two kinds, a red and “white”, but the “white” isn’t really white, but green. Confusing right?

The red variety has purple stalks and is more pungent, and the white version has green stalks and less intense flavor.
The leaves are pointed and jagged, and smell like cloves.
The flavor is sharp and hot, and even numbing to the tongue if you eat it fresh.
The white version is used most often in Thai dishes.

What does Holy Thai Basil look like and Thai Basil look like?

Holy Thai Basil’s leaves are jagged, and it has white flowers.
Thai Basil’s leaves are smooth, and it has purple flowers and purple stems on it.

What’s the flavor difference?

Holy Thai Basil has a peppery, with a hint of clove taste. Some people say it’s so intense that it almost has a numbing effect to your tongue like a Sichuan pepper.
Thai Basil has a distinct licorice or some say aniseed flavor.

Where did Holy Thai Basil get its name?

Hindus call Holy Thai Basil Tulsi, and their culture believes that it is a sacred plant.

“Tulsi” means The Incomparable One in Sanskrit. In Hindy mythology, Tulsi represents Lakshmi, wife of Vishnu, one of the most important Gods in Hinduism. In India, the holy basil plants are put in containers around Hindu temples to help cleanse visitors.

Where can you buy it?

Last summer, my Thai Hubby and I and our kids walked into a small stall at our local farmer’s market that was packed with any herb seedlings you could imagine that you could grow at home.

We were meandering around, enjoying the warm summer mountain air as our four kids slurped melting watermelon popsicles from a nearby stand, when all of the sudden, my Thai Hubby said, “Look!!” and pointed at a plant with a small handwritten sign that said, “Holy Thai Basil”.

Immediately we both did a happy dance as our kids gazed at us and wondered out loud why we were dancing at the farmers market.

You’d think it wouldn’t be a big deal because you can find Thai basil even at some local grocery stores and online, but Holy Thai Basil is hard to find at grocery stores.

The best place to find it is the farmer’s market (don’t forget to do a happy dance when you find it!), or online.

How do you grow it?

If you want to grow either one, they both do great in full sun or part shade. They need warm temperatures, so if you don’t live in a tropical or sub-tropical climate, then move it indoors during winter, like we have to. Keep it watered, but not soggy, like you would a sweet basil plant.

What are the health benefits?

Holy Thai Basil’s health benefits are crazy because there are so many!!! Check out this Healthline article to learn more, but here are some of the health benefits:

protect against infection
lower blood sugar
lower cholesterol
ease joint pain
protect your stomach
reduce stress and anxiety

What is a good substitute?

Before we grew it, I would substitute Holy Thai Basil with:

Italian Basil
Thai Basil

Can you freeze it?

Apparently yes! I haven’t tried it yet, but we are going to harvest our crop from this year, and give it a try.

There are lots of different ways to freeze any kind of basil, and this helpful website tested them out and concluded that just washing and drying the basil, putting them straight into freezer bags, taking out as much air as possible, and then freezing was the best method.

I’ll give it a shot, and let you know how it goes!

How do you use it in Thai cooking?

Holy Thai basil is always put in at the end of cooking, usually right after you turn off the heat. You gently stir it into the dish until just wilted. If you put it in sooner it will wilt too much and lose its texture and flavor.

Thai basil is sprinkled on top of Thai curries, usually to add a pop of color and a hint of flavor. It’s more like a bow on a present, and doesn’t need to be mixed in until wilted.