Thai beef stir fry with basil, shallots, and red pepper is a quick & easy meal that combines sweet and salty flavours with chilli and garlic.
It's a recipe that takes around 30 minutes to prepare and cook, and less than 10 minutes of that is spent cooking!
Spicy Thai Steak and Basil Stir Fry
You gotta love a stir fry for a quick and easy meal, and steak is the perfect meat, because it cooks really quickly. It also has a big and bold flavour and a fantastic texture.
I've got "classic" Chinese takeaway versions like Szechuan beef stir fry and beef in oyster sauce, as well as Japanese versions like beef yaki udon noodles and spicy beef yakisoba.
This spicy beef and Thai basil stir fry hails from Thailand, and it is superb!
The steak is marinated in fish sauce, soy sauce and basil whilst you prepare the fiery sauce and veggies.
That preparation will take you around 20 minutes, which sounds like a while, but don't worry, cooking happens in the blink of an eye!
Even with a longer preparation time, this dish will go from your fridge to your table in under 30 minutes!
Frequently Asked Questions
What cut of beef should I use?
I use either rump steak, sirloin steak or rib-eye steak for this recipe. Your choice does not change the cooking times, and I choose based on what looks best when I am shopping.
Where can I buy Thai basil?
Sainsbury tends to be the best spot to buy Thai basil for me in terms of my local supermarkets.
Can I use regular basil?
You can, but it tastes a little different; however, it does work fairly well. Adding a little mint (20-25%) will change the flavour profile a little and get you closer to the flavour of Thai basil.
Can I use a mini blender rather than a pestle and mortar?
You can, but a mini blender chops the ingredients rather than "mashing" them. A pestle and mortar will get the oils flowing from the garlic, basil stems and ginger, which gives you more flavour.
Can I make this in advance?
In theory, yes, it will sit in the fridge for a couple of days and be safe to eat. However, reheating the dish will cook the beef even further and can make it tough.
So whilst it is safe, it is not the best way to eat this dish.
Serving Suggestions
I've served my Thai beef and basil stir fry with some simply cooked jasmine rice, that I added a little lime juice and loads of spring onions.
Coconut rice or Thai fried rice would also be superb with this if you wanted something packing a bit more "oomph".
Noodles are also a great option to serve alongside this dish. I would opt for something like a plain chow mein... yes, I know it's not Thai, but it works wonderfully!
If you wanted some veggies, then a simple Thai vegetable stir fry would work a real treat!
Equipment Used
I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/Stovetop.
- Wok.
- Stirring and serving spoons.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- Pestle and mortar or mini blender.
- A combination of weighing scales and measuring spoons.
Quick and Easy Thai Beef Stir Fry Recipe
Ingredients
For the Stir Fry:
- 350 g Thick-Cut Beef Steak 12oz
- ½ tablespoon Fish Sauce
- ½ tablespoon Soy Sauce
- ½ teaspoon Brown Sugar
- 1 Medium Echallion or Banana Shallot 50g
- 1 Small Red Pepper
- 20 g Thai Basil ⅓-½ Cup
- 4 Lime Leaves
- 2 tablespoon Cooking Oil
For the "Sauce:
- 4 Garlic Cloves
- 15 g Ginger ½ Thumb-Sized Piece
- 3-4 Red Thai Birds Eye Chilli Peppers
- ½ tablespoon Fish Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
- 2 teaspoon Brown Sugar
Instructions
- Slice the beef for the stir fry as thin as you can (across the grain) and add it to a bowl.
- Pour the fish sauce, soy sauce and brown sugar for the stir fry and massage it into the beef. Set it aside and allow it to marinate whilst you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Cut the shallot in half, peel it and then cut it into 1cm (½") thick chunks.
- Remove the stem and the seeds from the red pepper, then cut it into 1cm (½") thick strips.
- Cut the stems from the Thai basil, finely chop them and set them aside for the sauce (step 10). Then roughly chop the leaves.
- Strip the stems from the lime leaves, discard them, then finely shred the leaves.
- Peel the garlic cloves for the sauce, give them a rough chop and add them to a pestle and mortar or a mini blender.
- Peel and roughly chop the ginger and add it to the garlic.
- Remove the stems from the chillies and chop them, then throw them into the pestle and mortar.I like to chop them finely because they will break down quicker.
- Add the Thai basil stems from step 5.
- Add the brown sugar and start to grind the ingredients into a paste, adding the fish sauce and soy sauce a little at a time, to form a fairly smooth paste.
- Heat a wok as hot as it will go, add the oil, followed by the shallots and red pepper. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the marinated beef to the wok and stir-fry for 1 minute.
- Add the shredded lime leaves, reserved marinade and the garlic chilli paste, stir fry for 1 minute.
- Turn off the heat or remove the wok from the heat if you are using a "ceramic electric hob", stir the Thai basil through the stir fry until it has wilted and serve immediately.
