Thai basil beef (aka pad graw prow). The dish I order almost every time I set foot in a Thai restaurant, and one of my favorite things to cook at home. While we’ve posted a recipe for Thai Basil Chicken in the past, this beef version has a more intense flavor that comes from the darker, richer sauce used here.
As I sit here writing this post at 12:17 AM on my couch, I’m seriously thinking about getting up and making some thai basil beef right now. And if I gave into my weaker impulses and did end up going to the kitchen right now to start preparing it, I’d be back on the couch within fifteen minutes with a piping hot bowl. That’s how easy it is to make. It’s a fifteen minute recipe from start to finish and has been one of my go-to weeknight meals just for that reason.
If you’ve never tried Thai basil before, you can find it in some grocery stores nowadays, as well as Asian supermarkets. If you can’t find it, feel free to substitute regular Italian basil. You won’t get quite the same cinnamon-y flavor, but you’ll be in the same ballpark at least. On with the recipe!
(Note: I’ve been told by a couple commenters from Thailand that pad gra prow is actually made with a different kind of basil, called holy basil. If you can find it in your local Asian grocery store, by all means use it! But Thai Basil or, as I mentioned, regular Italian basil, can also work for this dish. At that point, it might not be a true pad gra prow, but it will still be good!)
You’ll need:
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 12 oz. beef, sliced thinly against the grain and mixed with 1 teaspoon oil and 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- ½ of a red bell pepper, sliced thinly
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves, packed
- Cilantro, to garnish.
Heat your wok over high heat, and add the oil. Sear the beef until just browned, remove from the wok, and set aside. For more complete information on preparing beef, see Bill’s post on How to Slice and Velvet Beef for stir fries.
Add the garlic and red pepper to the wok and stir-fry for about 20 seconds. Add the onions and stir-fry until browned and slightly caramelized.
Toss the beef back in, along with the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and sugar. Stir-fry for another few seconds, and then fold in the Thai basil until it’s just wilted.
Serve your Thai Basil Beef Pad Gra Prow with jasmine rice, and garnish with cilantro!
Thai Basil Beef (Pad Gra Prow)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 12 oz. beef (340g, sliced thinly against the grain and mixed with 1 teaspoon oil and 2 teaspoons cornstarch)
- 5 cloves garlic (chopped)
- ½ of a red bell pepper (sliced thinly)
- 1 small onion (thinly sliced)
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup thai basil leaves (packed)
- cilantro (to garnish)
Instructions
- Heat your wok over high heat, and add the oil. Sear the beef until just browned, remove from the wok, and set aside.
- Add the garlic and red pepper to the wok and stir-fry for about 20 seconds. Add the onions and stir-fry until browned and slightly caramelized.
- Toss the beef back in, along with the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and sugar. Stir-fry for another few seconds, and then fold in the Thai basil until it’s just wilted. Serve with jasmine rice, and garnish with cilantro.
Nutrition
Jennifer says
What kind of beef do you use? Thanks.
Sarah says
Hi Jennifer, flank steak works well. Skirt steak is also delicious! You could also use chuck if you’re looking to buy a less expensive cut. Just know that it’ll be a little tougher, and you’ll need to pay special attention to making sure that you’re cutting the beef against the grain.
Jennifer says
Thank you! This was so good, we had it two nights in a row. I’m very glad I froze all the Thai basil I could gather at the end of last summer. This was amazing.
Sarah says
You’re welcome! So amazing that you have a stash of frozen Thai basil. Wish I had thought of that!
Aniqa says
Hi! Any chance u have the old recipe for me?
Im using ground beef and i didnt use cornstarch the last time.
Thanks a ton!
Sarah says
Hi Aniqa, this is the original recipe we posted––not sure which old recipe you tried!
Britney says
I tried to double this recipe and it was WAY too salty. Can you think of what I did wrong?
Britney says
The first time I made it I didn’t double the recipe and it was amazing. The first Asian meal that my kids actually liked. It went fast and left them wanting more. So the next time I decided to double it and I totally messed it up. Help! My husband and I love Asian food and really want our kids to love it too. This was going to be our “gateway” dish.
Sarah says
Hi Britney, doubling stir-fry recipes can be difficult, because the dish ends up sort of steaming/boiling instead of stir-frying. I know it’s sort of annoying, but this dish comes together so fast that maybe it’s doable––it’s really best to cook in two batches if you want twice the amount!
Sarah says
Hi Britney, hm, that’s strange. Are you sure you had exactly double the amount of all the ingredients?
TammyRenea @SanPasqual'sKitchen says
What a delicious recipe!!! I made this the other night and it was a big hit. I added some Thai pepper but otherwise stayed true to the recipe. This will find its way to my table many more times, I’m sure. Thank you for sharing. :)
Sarah says
You’re welcome!!
SOCORRO says
ooopppsss so sorry! my rating for “Thai Beef Basil Recipe” is 5Stars!!! soooo delicious it goes well with bread.
Bill says
Hi Socorro, thanks for the rating and I totally agree!