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!)
Thai Basil Beef: Recipe Instructions
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 facts
Very nice Sara. Just what I was looking for. However instead of adding sugar may I suggest adding 1/2 teaspoon of Ceylon Cinnamon?. If you don’t have Thai Basil, subtle fragrant Ceylon Cinnamon adds that slight cinnamonny flavor and also makes for a great sugar substitute.
Interesting idea!
Fantastic!
We doubled the sauce and added to the onions; Thai & Japanese eggplant, zucchini & red peppers and started with several Thai dragon chilies, then added the onion and finally the other veges and garlic. Great way to use our veges from the garden!
Thanks so much, Carole! So glad you were able to use garden veggies in this recipe as well!
It was delicious! SO easy to make. We just added some spice to it.
By spice I mean HEAT, it was super flavourful with the ingredients listed:)
Nice! Glad you enjoyed it Kim!
It had no flavor, I mean seriously? A freaking teaspoon?
Hi Jacqueline, that is not my experience, or the experience of many other readers—did you use all the ingredients listed? That said, we all have different palates, so if you’d like you increase the salt, fish sauce, soy sauce, whatever, absolutely feel free to do so to your own tastes. Thank you for your feedback, though.
Hi Jacqueline
Have you been tested for Corona?
I hear it can impair your tastebuds
I eat alot of salty stuff and I find this packed with flavour, to be honest I don’t follow the recipe exactly but it’s a terrific starting point
Excellent recipe that was enjoyed by the whole family. Made a couple times now with rib eye beef, also added sliced red chilli and used normal basil. So easy to make and will certainly be making again. Many thanks
You’re very welcome, Daniel!