Winter is just round the corner and with all the hustle and bustle around the FIFA World Cup, my finally “happening” workout regime and the festive vibes in the air… all I want to do is stir up a quick healthy meal, put my feet up and unwind with a match before hitting the sack (or better hit the procrastinator-me! :) So here it is “Thai Basil beef stir fry” (Pad Gra Prow) which is a quick popular Thai street food, that hits the right spots with its umami punches layered with aromatic Thai basil flavor. Believe me this is going to be that dish that is going to scream “pick-me-up” more often than you anticipated. You can try it with your favorite protein eg. try it with chicken and call it “Pad Krapow Gai”, or try shrimps which is a sure shot winner. My favorite part is the spice kick that comes from the red bird eye chilies. But, if you aren’t a big fan of these chillies you can always adjust the heat by reducing the number of chillies or using regular green chillies or by simply substituting it with more of red bell pepper slices.
Ingredients
- Boneless beef strips- 500gms
- Thai bird’s eye chillies- 4-5
- Garlic- 5-6 cloves
- Ginger garlic paste-1tbsp
- Onion sliced- 2 medium
- Thai basil leaves- 2-3 handfuls
- Red bell pepper sliced- 1(optional)
- Oil-2 tbsp
- Sauce for stir-fry
- Oyester sauce- 2tbsp
- Soy sauce- 2tbsp
- Fish sauce- 1tsp
- Brown sugar- 1 tsp
- Fried egg( optional)
- Oil- 1tsp
- Salt pepper
- Egg-1
Directions
- 1Rub ginger garlic paste onto the beef strips. Pressure cook it with a pinch of salt and 1/4 cup water until done.
- 2In the meanwhile crush garlic with the Thai bird’s eye red chillies. ( you can use a chopper too).
- 3In a skillet add oil and stir-fry the crushed garlic chilly mixture for a minute. Add the sliced onions stir-fry for another minute.
- 4Add the sliced bell peppers(optional) and the cooked beef strips and stir fry till the juices are reduced to desired consistency .
- 5Add the sauces and stir to coat the beef chunks. Check the seasoning.
- 6Toss in the Thai basil leaves and stir well for a minute. Take off heat and serve hot with a fried egg on top along with rice. Enjoy!!
- Notes:
- 1If Thai bird’s eye chillies not available, you can use regular green chillies.
- 2If you prefer mild spice, then reduce the number of chillies as per heat tolerance or add red bell peppers as substitute.
