Thai Beef with Basil
This simple recipe can be made all year round, but I most love it in the summer when the peppers are sweet and ripe and the basil is fresh. It’s quick and light, doesn’t heat up the house too much on hot summer evenings, and I can make it after a long day in the garden without much effort. And it fills the whole family up. I discovered just a few years ago that you can freeze peppers raw and they cook up great in the winter, so I always slice some up and freeze them and now I make this all year. I also freeze basil blended with just olive oil and salt so that I can throw it into this dish. The combination of equal parts fish sauce, tamari, a bit of honey and something meaty is pure magic. I have used this sauce base as a stir fry sauce for chicken and veggies with a little cornstarch. Most importantly, my kids LOVE it; Avi always asks for extra sauce spooned over his so make sure not to cook it all off. Also I was scared the first time because cooked basil sounds kind of yucky, but it’s delicious in this and a great way to use up lots of basil without making pesto again.
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 large sweet onion, diced small
2 large sweet peppers, diced small
1-2 jalapeño or serrano peppers, diced (optional)
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1.5 pounds ground beef
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
2 teaspoons honey
2 cups basil, chopped (could use a small handful of Thai basil, but best with mostly italian)
To serve:
Rice or Coconut Rice
Limes
Cilantro
More hot peppers or hot sauce
Warm the coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium low. Add the onions and peppers (including optional hotties) and sauté until the onions are soft and it smells really nice in your whole house, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until it’s just fragrant, then add the beef. Chop it up with a spoon until it’s spread out over the pan, then add the saucy stuff (which maybe you mixed together in a bowl, but maybe you just add it right in if you don’t want another dish to clean…just mix it well) and basil. Smash up the beef really good so it’s all swimming in the sauce and put a lid on it a for a couple minutes until the beef is just cooked through. Serve over rice with all the things that sound yummy to you.