Spicy Thai basil beef is always one of our favorite dishes to get when we go out for Thai food and this was the first time that I have tried to make it. It turned out to be pretty easy and was really good, and since it was made at home, the portion was much bigger and cheaper than you would ever get out at a restaurant.
These are the veggies that were used and that is Thai basil. I sauteed them in their own pan to begin with in sesame oil. I started these up, minus the basil and had them going while I got started on the beef.
For the beef, I used flank steak which is not the usual type of cut that you would use for a dish like this. Usually, a cheaper cut like top round would be used, but the flank was amazing! We were so glad that I used flank because it was so much more flavorful and more importantly, it was so much more tender. Sometimes the beef can be the weak spot in this dish, but with the flank it was the highlight.
Cut into thin bite sized strips
I got another pan with sesame oil heated up and lightly coated the beef in cornstarch and pan fried it for a few minutes. This was the first time that I had ever used cornstarch and the consistency of the cornstarch itself freaked me out a little bit! It was like finely powdered styrofoam the way it would grind against whatever it touched.
Once the beef was just about fully cooked, I added it to the vegetables and added the Thai basil also.
It was close to done at this point. Fish sauce and beef broth were added and allowed to simmer and thicken for a few minutes. It was served over brown rice that was cooked in a half and half mixture of water and beef broth.
It was excellent and I even got a “one of the best things you have made in a while” quote! I can’t emphasize how easy it was to make what would seem like a more complex dish.
Recipe for Spicy Thai Basil Beef
Greg
We got some new toys for Christmas that we did not ask for but were very glad to receive – an electric pressure cooker and a deli slicer! This is the first of many possibilities that these new pieces will lead to. They both debuted on this dish which is mostly inspired by Travel channel type shows about Chicago Italian Beef Sandwiches like Al’s. I have never been to Chicago but would love to visit and seeking out one of these sandwiches would be one of my first stops. These toys made this a really quick and easy dish because we had the right tools!
Starving Kitten 