This quick and easy Thai Basil Beef recipe takes less than 30 minutes to prepare, requires a handful of ingredients and is one the whole family will love. We added kimchi for a wonderful twist mixing the Thai flavors with a bit of Korean flare. Served this over a bed of long grain rice for a delicious wholesome meal!

When it comes to weeknight dinners it has to be quick, be somewhat healthy, have tons of veggies and packed with flavor. Thai basil beef is fairly simple to make and is a one pot dish you can easily add to your weeknight menu rotation.

HOW TO MAKE THAI BASIL BEEF STIR FRY

• Flank Steak: Very thinly sliced against the grain –the thinner the better because you want to fast fry the steak so it gets a nice crust and won’t be chewy. You can also use thinly sliced skirt steak.
• Red & Green Bell Pepper: Thinly sliced bell pepper for some added flavor and texture, any colour will actually work!
• Sweet onion: Thinly sliced white onion is also needed for the stir-fry effect
• Ginger: freshly grated ginger for an authentic tasting dish
• Garlic: lots of minced garlic, we love garlic and always add extra!
• Soy sauce: you can use coconut aminos if your following a specific diet and a mix of dark soy sauce and tamari
• Fish Sauce, Sesame oil & Oyster sauce: only a small amount of both to give us that yummy umami flavor, don’t worry it’s a very subtle flavor.
• Sugar: helps balance out all the saltiness you typically get in Thai/Chinese cuisine, feel free to use brown sugar or even honey.
• Chili paste: Adds a little bit of spice
• Fresh lime juice: The acid from the limes gives the dish just the right balance.
• Thai Basil: Don’t worry if you can’t find it simply use the sweet basil your used to buying at the store which is what we did. Thai basil is mostly found in Asian supermarkets and I just didn’t have the time to make the drive out. We suggest using Thai basil it has different flavour notes like anise and spice compared to Italian basil.

The Homemade Thai basil sauce is easy to customize to your spice level. We first start by sautéing the beef which takes a few minutes depending on your serving size. Once the beef is cooked set aside and start by cooking the onions, garlic, ginger, and bell peppers. Add the kimchi and let it fry for 2 minutes. Once the veggies are cooked its time to add the beef back to your wok and the sauce ingredients. Start adding the soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil. When you cooking in a wok you want to keep everything moving, use one hand to sir everything and the other to toss everything. Next add the chi li paste, sugar, freshly squeezed lime juice and basil. Let the flavours intensify and cook for 3-4 minutes.

To serve spoon beef over a bed of long grain rice in our case or jasmine rice, spoon some more sauce overtop and garnish with more fresh basil, cracked black pepper and green onion

Print Recipe

THAI BASIL BEEF

This quick and easy Thai Basil Beef recipe takes less than 30 minutes to prepare, requires a handful of ingredients and is one the whole family will love. We added kimchi for a wonderful twist mixing the Thai flavors with a bit of Korean flare. Served this over a bed of long grain rice for a delicious wholesome meal!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Weeknight Dinners

Cuisine: Thai

Servings: 4 -5

Author: the communal feast

Ingredients

• THAI BASIL BEEF
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 12 oz of flank steak sliced very thinly against the grain, feel free to pound the beef to thin it out and mix it with 1 teaspoon of oil and 2 teaspoon of cornstarch (Add everything to a Ziploc bag)
• 1 red bell peppers sliced
• 1 green pepper sliced
• 1/2 cup kimchi
• 1 small sweet onion chopped
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• Juice of 1 lime plus lime wedges for serving
• 5 cloves garlic minced or grated
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger grated
• pinch of black pepper
• 1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• ¼ cup chili paste
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves sliced or chopped plus extra for serving
• Toasted sesame seeds green onion + chopped roasted peanuts and fresh cilantro for serving

Instructions

To make the Thai Basil Beef:

• 1. Heat your work over high heat, and add the oil. Sear the beef until just browned, remove from the wok, and set aside. 
• 2. Add the garlic, ginger, red and green pepper to the wok and stir-fry for about 20 seconds. Add the onions and stir-fry until browned and slightly caramelized about 3 minutes. Next add the prepared kimchi and fry for about 2 minutes.
• 3. Toss the beef back in, along with the soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and sugar. Stir-fry for another few seconds, and then add the chili paste, sugar, freshly squeezed lime juice, stir. Let the flavours itensify and fold in the Thai Basil or regular sweet basil until it’s just wilted
• Serve over a bed of long grain rice or jasmine rice and top with extra sauce, chopped peanuts, sesame seeds,  extra chopped basil, chopped green onions and fresh cilantro