Super in love with the Thai red chili and basil combo! In this Thai Red Chili Basil Beef recipe, the two come together beautifully with garlic in a yummy flavourful dish seasoned with soy and topped with a carrot and basil salad! ALL THE NOMS!
Can you tell I’ve been a little obsessed with Thai red chilies and basil lately?! Honestly though, what an AWESOME flavor combination! I don’t usually have Thai red chillies in the fridge, but since I wanted to try and make this yummy Thai Chilli Basil Beef and bought all the ingredients specifically for this dish – way too much in fact, which is typically my case especially when it is ingredients I love a *cough* basil *cough*. However! Having a surplus turned out for the better since I made a coordinating drink! If you ever think of serving this dish for dinner party or just wanna spice up a weeknight dinner, make some Thai Red Chilli Basil Fizzes! Or even just Basil Fizzes if you don’t want the heat… because, who doesn’t love basil?
No one I’ve ever met.
1) the dish I want to make with the products I don’t typically use and;
2) another list with the ingredients of a staple family favorite recipe (like the Fricasséed Chicken with Bay Leaves recipe – usually I only need to buy the chicken and have everything else!).
Why do I do this?! Sometimes a recipe needs only one teaspoon and it only comes in liter packages! Huge NO BUY in my book unless I want to get creative and use it for a bunch of things: case in point this Thai Chilli Basil Beef and the corresponding drink. For me, buying tones basil wasn’t a problem, more the number of red chilies I had to buy when I only wanted to use two! FYI it was totally worth it for this recipe!
The inspiration for this recipe comes from Bon Appètit’s Thai Beef with Basil recipe. Much of it is the same except for one main ingredient: Fish Sauce. If you use it often, GREAT! I’ll put how to use it in the notes of the recipe… but for those who don’t stock more exotic ingredients, albeit still available at most grocery stores, buying a jar of fish sauce can be jarring – especially if you only want to use a tablespoon and have no other dish ideas that require it in the near future.
Now for the best part: the recipe only takes 25 to 30 minutes to make!!! YES! All the yummy aromatic flavor of the chilies, basil and garlic (of course it’s in there too!) make this SO GOOD and SO DELICIOUS. Added bonus if you are suffering from allergies like me, the aromatics of the chilies while cooking the beef clear congestion right up! WOOT!
Hope you enjoy!
Thai Chilli Basil Beef
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil divided
- 6 garlic cloves sliced
- 2 Thai red chilies sliced thinly (remove the seeds if you want less heat!)
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup chicken broth low-sodium preferably; soy has a lot of salt already!
- 3 cups fresh basil leaves divided
- 2 medium carrots coarsely grated
- 2 scallions sliced
- 4 tbsp. lime juice divided
- 3 tbsp. soy sauce preferably low sodium if you have!
- 1 tsp. sugar
- Your favorite rice I like jasmine! and lime wedges for serving!
INSTRUCTIONS
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Prepare the carrot and basil salad by tossing the carrots, scallions, 1 tbsp. lime juice, 1 cup basil, and 1 tbsp. oil in a bowl. Set aside.
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In a large sauté pan, heat remaining oil over high heat. Add garlic and chili and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
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Next, add the beef and cook until nicely browned, about 8 - 10 minutes.
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While the beef is cooking, mix together the soy sauce, sugar and remaining lime juice. When the beef is cooked, add the chicken stock and remaining basil and cook until wilted.
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Next, add the soy sauce to coat and flavor the beef.
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To serve, top rice with beef and carrot/basil salad with some lime wedges!
RECIPE NOTES
If you're feeling adventurous and want to incorporate fish sauce in this recipe, use only 1 tbsp. soy sauce and 2 tbsp. fish sauce for the beef!
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