Beef Asian

Pad grapao neua (stir-fried minced beef with holy basil)

Name: Pad grapao neua recipe (stir-fried minced beef with holy basil)
Yield: 2
Cuisine: /asian
Ingredients: 40.00 ml oyster sauce; 20.00 ml light soy sauce; 20.00 ml fish sauce; 1 tsp caster sugar; 6 bird’s eye chillies; 40.00 ml chopped garlic; 1 tsp salt; 120.00 ml vegetable oil; 2 large eggs; 220g beef mince; 60.00 ml green beans, cut into 3cm pieces; 60.00 ml beef stock or water; 40g holy or Thai basil, leaves picked

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by John Chantarasak

AUTHOR

Jul 05, 2022

“This is the ultimate Thai comfort food, and is one of my go-to Thai meals. It’s highly addictive, so learning how to master it at home is a major blessing. The dish really encapsulates the subtle smoky flavour achieved from the wok-hei or ‘breath of the wok’ that cooks talk of when stir-frying. Pad grapao is deeply savoury, spicy and salty, with aromatic cassia notes from the holy basil leaves (bai grapao) used in the very best versions of the dish. In Thailand, this dish is commonly made with chopped beef, pork, chicken and seafood. It’s one of those ‘anything goes’ sort of dishes, which is one of the reasons I love it so much.”

2 tbs oyster sauce
1 tbs light soy sauce
1 tbs fish sauce
1 tsp caster sugar
6 bird’s eye chillies
2 tbs chopped garlic
1 tsp salt
6 tbs vegetable oil
2 large eggs
220g beef mince
3 tbs green beans, cut into 3cm pieces
3 tbs beef stock or water
40g holy or Thai basil, leaves picked

Method

1.

In a small bowl, combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar. This will be your seasoning sauce. It should taste savoury and salty, with a background sweetness. Set aside.
2.

In a pestle and mortar, pound the chillies, garlic and salt together to a coarse paste. This will be your stir-fry paste. Set aside.
3.

Heat the oil in a large wok over the highest possible heat until smoking hot. One at a time, crack the eggs into the hot oil and fry for 45 seconds until crispy on the bottom and edges. Spoon the hot oil over the eggs to cook the yolk, turning it opaque but keeping it runny. Set aside to drain on a plate lined with paper towels and keep warm while you cook the stir-fry.
4.

Pour off and discard all but 2 tbs of the oil, then heat over a medium heat. Add the stir-fry paste and stir vigorously for about 30 seconds, or until the paste becomes fragrant. Increase the heat to high, then add the beef and stir-fry for 3 minutes, or until the beef is almost cooked through. Add the green beans and seasoning sauce. Continue to move the ingredients around in the wok for a further 1 minute so that the vegetables are tender but retain a bite and the beef is cooked through.
5.

Add the stock and bring to the boil over a high heat. Check the seasoning; it should taste spicy and salty, with a slight background sweetness. If it tastes too intense, add a splash more stock. Add the basil leaves and toss everything together so the basil wilts. This is a holy basil stir-fry, after all, so be sure not to scrimp on the basil leaves. Serve immediately with the crispy fried eggs.