Thai Beef & Basil Stir Fry

This week’s recipe for Spicy Thai Beef and Basil stir fry came straight from Danny’s yen for the heat of Thai cuisine and the peppery goodness of fresh basil. Thai food harmonizes Eastern [Chinese] and Western [European] dietary preferences, and is said to be as much as 1,400 years old. It synthesizes flavors that are sweet, sour, spicy and bitter into some of the most popular dishes in the world – such as my favorite, pad thai.

“I love Thai food and it’s a quick meal to get my Thai fix,” Danny said. “I love heat, I love basil and I love fish sauce. So I serve it with a side of fish sauce with sliced serranos to add on top.”

Westerners brought meat and heat to Thai dishes, and the Chinese lent stir-frying and deep frying to the cuisine.

“While original Thai cuisine had much in common with dietary practices of the Szechuan province of China, perhaps the first influence that changed Thai cooking was their neighbors on the subcontinent,” the Thai Ginger website wrote. “Curries that included ghee from India became very popular, but the Thai people altered the recipes to use native ingredients such as coconut instead. After the European discovery of the Americas, the Portuguese brought chili spices to the region, and these became a component of the famously spicy dishes that remain immensely popular to this day.”

This stir fry has remained a favorite of Danny’s and he has perfected it over time. “I’ve had it and made it in many different versions many times,” he said. “If you prefer thicker sauce to stick to the meat and veggies, whisk in a teaspoon of cornstarch to the mix while it’s cooking.”

As always, all ingredients are available at Stewart’s Food Store.

Ingredients:

1 lb beef - sirloin, flank, or skirt steak cut against the grain in thin slices

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sabal oelek [chili paste]

5 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp sugar

1 jalapeno, chopped

1 serrano, chopped (seed peppers for less heat)

6 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 shallot, thinly sliced ½ inch of thinly chopped ginger (optional)

2 tbsp of oil

1 cup of fresh basil Juice of 1 lime Cilantro for garnish

Preparation:

Step 1: Combine beef, soy sauce, fish sauce, chili paste, and sugar in a bowl. Marinate, if time allows.

Step 2: In a large pan or wok, heat oil and cook vegetables over medium heat for 3 minutes. Then push to one side of the pan or wok.

Step 3: Turn up heat and add meat and sauces. Sear meat and cook to your preference of doneness.

Step 4: Stir meat and vegetables together.

Step 5: Add basil and cook until wilted. Stir in lime juice.

Step 6: Serve over steamed rice. Garnish with cilantro.