Thai Basil Beef Stir-Fry (Pad Krapow Neua)
Minced beef cooked in an aromatic stir-fry sauce with chillies and heaps of holy basil — the Thai street-food classic that takes just 15 minutes start to finish.
Ingredients
- 400 g beef mince
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 4 red bird's eye chillies, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 large handfuls holy basil leaves (or Thai basil)
- 2 eggs
- Steamed jasmine rice, to serve
Instructions
- 1
Have all ingredients prepped and measured before you start — this dish moves fast.
- 2
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok or large skillet over the highest heat possible until beginning to smoke.
- 3
Add garlic and chillies and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant but not burnt.
- 4
Add the beef mince. Do not stir immediately — let it sear for 1 minute, then break it up and cook for 2–3 minutes until browned.
- 5
Add oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar. Toss everything together and stir-fry for 1 more minute.
- 6
Remove from heat and fold in the basil leaves — residual heat will wilt them perfectly.
- 7
In a separate small pan, fry the eggs in the remaining oil over high heat until the whites are crispy and set but yolks are still runny.
- 8
Serve the beef over steamed rice topped with the fried egg.
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