This is weeknight cooking at it’s best. Super easy and super delicious. Nothing better than that. A bit more work than takeout maybe but you can say you did it yourself. And the house will smell great.
Thai basil beef – pure and simple
There are a lot of convoluted recipes for Thai basil beef out there. Not sure why. Some need to clutter this dish for some reason. But I won’t do it. No oyster sauce here. Or red bell pepper. Or lime. Forget the stock. Just the basics. Clean. Simple. Pure. Like the guy with the street cart in Bangkok is doing I like to think.
All red chilies are not the same
This is important. There are chilies and there are chilies. The bigger ones tend not to be super hot. I’m not saying that’s a hard a fast rule. I don’t know what every chili in the world is like. But for sure those little red Thai chilies are hot. Screaming hot. Blow a hole in the back of your head hot. So be careful. Check your chilies. If you like the heat from the larger ones stick with those. If you want hotter then mix in some of the smaller ones. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
All soy sauces are not the same either
Get to know your soy sauces. There are big differences between them. Chinese is strong. Assertive. In your face. Great for Chinese. Not so great for anything else. Japanese soy is just as you’d expect. Refined. Subtle. Delicate. Thai thin is the right one here. It’s a lighter soy. Has hints of fish sauce without the fishiness. I know that doesn’t make sense but it’s the best I can come up with. I use Thai thin soy whenever I cook Thai. That and the Thai dark sweet soy. Depends what I’m making. It makes a difference. You need to try it to understand.
Grind the chilies with the garlic
That’s the secret. Grinding the chilies with the garlic. It changes the whole flavour profile of this dish Crushing the chilis releases juices. Those juices have flavour. The mortar and pestle really does make a difference. Enough that I do it when I make this dish. It’s a pain. But if you don’t feel like it Thai basil beef is still really tasty. Choice of beef is important. Any beef you would serve as a steak works here. New York striploin. sirloin, even flank. All safe bets.
Other than that there is not much to Thai basil beef. Get your wok nice and hot. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Make sure your rice is ready before you start cooking thai basil beef. Easy. Really easy. And so tasty. This Thai basil beef recipe is inspired by Hot Sour Sweet Salty by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. It’s my go to for guidance on southeast asian food. If you can get your hands on a copy just do it. It’s really good.
