Thai Basil Beef
No need for take-out when you can whip up this easy Thai Basil Beef stir-fry that comes together in about 30 minutes. With just the right amount of spice, using ground beef makes it easy, fresh crunchy vegetables make it healthy, and the bold sauce makes it craveworthy!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup soy sauce preferably low-sodium, regular or gluten-free
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 1 medium lime)
- 2 tablespoons water or beef, chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce or to taste
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha hot sauce or to tolerance
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon canola oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 1/4 pounds ground chuck
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Fresno chiles halved lengthwise, seeded and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup julienned carrots
- 1 cup snow peas strings and stem ends removed, cut in half
- 1 bunch small/thin scallions white and light green parts only, thinly sliced diagonally, divided
- 1 heaping cup fresh basil leaves sweet or Thai
- Cooked brown rice for serving
- Lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Combine the soy sauce, lime juice, water or broth, fish sauce, Sriracha and brown sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, reduce heat to medium and cook for 3-4 minutes or until beginning to soften.
- Increase the heat back up to medium-high, crumble the ground beef into the skillet, stir in the onions (so they don't burn in the following step), and cook, undisturbed, until slightly crisped and browned on the bottom, 2-3 minutes.
- Stir the beef and cook until completely cooked, 4-5 minutes, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon. Add the garlic and Fresno chiles and cook briefly for 25-30 seconds.
- Drain off any excess fat in the skillet.
- Add the soy sauce combination and bring to a boil.
- Add the carrots and snow pea pods. Cook, stirring often for 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and the pea pods are bright green.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the basil until just wilted.
- Spoon over cooked brown rice, garnish with remaining scallions with lime wedges on the side.
Notes
SUBSTITUTIONS:
- Can also use ground turkey or chicken.
- Substitute red bell pepper or mini sweet peppers for the Fresno chiles if you don't want it hot. Also, cut back on the Sriracha.
- Green beans are a suitable substitute for the pea pods.
- Most of the heat in any chile pepper will be in the seeds and the white fleshy membrane. Remove them to cut down on the heat.
- It's a good idea to wear gloves when handling hot chile peppers and be careful not to touch any sensitive areas of your body--like your eyes.
- Thai Basil Beef is a quick stir-fry dish, so have all your ingredients ready to go before you start cooking.
- Basil is a delicate herb that wilts quickly. Add them to the stir-fry last to retain their freshness and aroma.
- Can be made ahead, but the basil loses flavor as it sits, and the snow peas will turn a drab green. Thai Basil Beef is best served fresh from the skillet.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 475kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 1359mg | Potassium: 595mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3041IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 4mg