Thai Basil Stir Fry Beef - Pad Krapow

ground meat

🥗Healthier: tofu

💰Cheaper: chicken

Tofu is plant-based and lower in calories.

oyster sauce

🥗Healthier: soy sauce

💰Cheaper: hoisin sauce

Soy sauce is lower in calories and easier to find.

Thai basil

🥗Healthier: sweet basil

💰Cheaper: regular basil

Sweet basil is more commonly available.

bird's eye chili

🥗Healthier: jalapeño

💰Cheaper: red pepper flakes

Jalapeño provides heat with a milder flavor.

Make a sauce by mixing 1/3 cup fish sauce, 10 sliced bird's eye chilies, and 2 sliced cloves of garlic in a bowl. Add the juice of 2 limes and mix well. Set aside to infuse.

In a mortar and pestle, add 10 more chopped bird's eye chilies and 5 chopped cloves of garlic. Add a pinch of salt to help grind and make a rough paste.

Heat vegetable oil in a wok until hot.

Fry a fried egg in the hot oil until the edges are crispy and the yolk is runny. Set aside to keep warm.

Add the chili and garlic paste to the hot oil in the wok and stir-fry quickly to infuse the oil with flavor.

Add 500 grams of ground beef to the wok and cook until browned, breaking it apart with a spatula.

Stir in 1 tablespoon of sugar and 3 tablespoons of fish sauce. Mix well to combine.

Optionally, add a splash of beef stock to create more sauce and cook for an additional minute.

Remove from heat and stir in a couple of handfuls of Thai basil leaves until wilted.

Serve hot, drizzling the prepared chili and garlic fish sauce over the dish.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens