Thai Beef with Basil

(Picture Courtesy Bon Appetit)

I wish I could have shared the picture of what I actually made.. but silly me, I deleted ALL photos off of my camera.... Yep, you read that correctly... I deleted them ALL!  I had five meals on that card and they are all gone.... soooooo, unfortunately, what you see here is not what we actually had.  Oh, it was close, but yet not close.  I am heart broken and pissed off all at the same time.  I guess at least I have SOMETHING to share with you, right?

Per Bon Appetit - "what distinguishes this recipe from your typical weeknight ground beef dinner is the meat's wonderfully crisp fried texture".  And boy they are not lying.  Chris, who isn't always the fondest of stir-fry's, stated that this one a stir fry he could eat regularly.  It was flavorful and honestly different from anything else I've made with ground beef.  The crispy texture of the meat is a true surprise.   And, I'll be honest with you, I was a bit skeptical of that crispiness... but if you follow a few tips and are patient... it will work out perfectly.

The key is tart with beef that is 15 to 20 percent fat, so plenty of the fat will render.  Then, as the meat cooks, use the back of a wooden spoon or spatula to press it into the pan and up the sides a little, exposing it to as much heat as possible.   Simple as that :)

Thai Beef with Basil
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced or finely sliced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 lb. ground beef (you want to use 85/15 or 80/20)
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
1 small-medium carrot, julienned or coarsely grated
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon fish sauce
3 Tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Steamed rice (for serving)

Directions:
Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat.  Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, stirring about 30 seconds.  Add the beef, seals with salt and pepper and cook, breaking up with a spoon and pressing down firmly to help brown, until cooked through and nicely crisped in spots, 8-10 minutes.  Add carrots, jalapeno and onions, cooking 1-2 minutes.  Add broth and basil and cook, stirring, until basil is welted.  About 1 to 2 minutes.

Mix soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar together until sugar dissolves.  Pour into hot skillet, stirring to combine.  Remove from heat.

To serve, top rice with beef mixture and enjoy!

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