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I got some holy basil seeds (via mail) from a guy on an internet forum. I planted them and they are growing nicely. They taste similar to thai basil. Would one use holy basil to make pesto sauce? Are there other culinary uses for holy basil?

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    Ok, everybody is thinking this so I will say it, "Holy Basil and Garlic Pesto keeps the vampires away."
    – Cos Callis
    Sep 7, 2011 at 14:20
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    @CosCallis Actually, my first thought was, "Holy Basil, Batman!"
    – Jolenealaska
    Apr 24, 2015 at 9:53

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Use it the same as you would thai basil, or even "normal" basil. It's a little more strongly on the licorice flavor side of things than lettuce leaf basil, but it still works nicely in conjunction with tomatoes, garlic, and other "italian" flavors.

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There was an article on pesto in the recent Saveur magazine. Here is what they wrote about Thai basil:

There are many varieties of Thai basil, which has a light anise flavor that doesn't dissipate when heated. Often used in stir-fries and curries, it makes for a gorgeously perfumed pesto.

Here is a link to the Thai basil reference: http://www.saveur.com/gallery/Many-Shades-of-Green/4 Here is the article itself: http://www.saveur.com/article/Kitchen/Glorious-Pesto-1000088723

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