Thai Basil Beef
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Thai Basil Beef is a flavorful meal that’s even better than takeout! Thin pieces of tender steak are seared in a hot skillet, then bright fresh veggies are sautéed and you’ll toss the two together along with a deliciously flavorful sauce. Then serve over steamed jasmine rice to complete the dish. A quick weeknight dinner you’ll love!
Thai Basil Beef Bowls
So I’ve decided I need more Thai food in my life. It’s so uniquely flavorful and it always leaves me craving more.
These hearty Thai Basil Beef Bowls are no exception to that! It’s a quick meal to throw together and it’s jam-packed with amazing flavors! You’ll love the way the sauce compliments the beef and the bold flavor of all the fresh basil used here (if you ask me fresh basil is one of the best ingredients known to mankind). You may also know this recipe as pad gra prow, pad kra pao, or even pad krapow depending on the restaurant and region.
If you haven’t tried much Thai food here is a great place to start. It doesn’t use loads of fish sauce, just enough to give it a nice depth of flavor, and it is an easy-to-follow straightforward recipe. This Thai Basil Beef recipe is gluten-free, but serving it over rice or noodles is delicious. Using a wok is best, but a large pan will suffice.
And once you buy the ingredients to make the sauce there are so many other Thai recipes you can use those ingredients for (like these Thai Chicken Tacos, or this easy Chicken Chow Mein, or this Chicken Pad Thai. All of them are delicious btw). Add this to your list of easy stir-fries that you can whip up on a busy weeknight, and don’t be afraid to mix up your meats—ground beef instead of thin steak, pork, ground chicken, or turkey. For a vegetarian option, go for tofu, mushrooms, zucchini, and a fried egg on top!
Then if you are into hot sauce, the Sambal Oelek is good on pretty much anything. Take a walk around your local Asian grocery stores to find ingredients like Sambal Oelek, tofu, and Thai holy basil (sweet basil), Add this recipe to your menu and try something new this week!
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Thai Basil Beef
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups jasmine rice or long-grain white rice for serving
- 1 lb top sirloin steak, ribeye steak or flank steak, sliced against the grain into thin strips
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp + 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded, diced into 2-inch strips
- 1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- 1 cup fresh Thai basil or Italian basil leaves (roughly chop larger leaves), plus more for garnish
- Sesame seeds (optional)
Sauce
- 3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 Tbsp Sambal Oelek, or more to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare rice: Cook rice according to directions listed on package.
- For the sauce: In a small mixing bowl whisk together soy sauce and cornstarch until smooth. Stir in water, fish sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, lime juice and Sambal Oelek if using, set aside.
- For the beef: Toss beef with 1 Tbsp oil and 1 tsp cornstarch. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over moderately high heat. Add half of the beef and cook until browned on both sides but still slightly under-cooked in the center. Transfer beef to a plate while leaving oil in skillet and repeat with remaining 1 Tbsp oil and remaining half of the beef.
- For the veggies: Reduce heat slightly, add bell pepper, onions and garlic and saute until crisp tender, about 2 - 3 minutes (if needed you can add another 1 tsp of oil to the skillet). Add carrots and whisk sauce mixture once more then pour into skillet.
- Allow sauce to simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 1 minute. Return beef to skillet along with basil leaves, toss until basil has just wilted. Serve immediately over cooked rice garnished with small basil leaves and sesame seeds if desired.