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.
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!
- 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.
- 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.
Nancy says
What cut of beef do you suggest using?
Sarah says
Hey Nancy, flank steak or skirt steak are both very good options. You could also even use chuck steak as long as it’s cut thinly against the grain.
Jordi says
Use chillies instead of the pepper. Not a pad gra prao without chillies! and a ‘khai dao’ with a runny yolk makes it extra special.
And I’ve never seen a beef one anywhere before but I would like to try it. But yeah you really need some chillies in there
Sarah says
Thanks for the suggestion, Jordi. Definitely feel free to add chilies! We made this recipe on the mild side, but any spice lovers can definitely add thai chilies to their liking.
Celine says
Hi! About to make this for dinner! So excited!
2 questions:
Can I use ground beef?
I dont have enough thai basil to make 1 cup, maybe just half. May i add dried basil? If so, how much?
Thanks so much! Love your recipes!
Sarah says
Yes you can use ground beef! If you don’t have enough basil, I would just add what you have and not substitute any dried basil. Dried basil doesn’t have the flavor you’re looking for in this dish. Hope you like it, Celine!
graham says
re your comments about “holy basil” the dish is called pad gra pow because the Thai name for holy basil is Grapow. So it means fred holy basil. Usually its chicken or pork but i will try your recipe with beef. Sounds interesting. I will let you know :) Graham
Sarah says
Yep, thanks for sharing, Graham!
Volker says
It is also one of my favourite thai dishes. It works also with any other kind of meat: pork, chicken, even very delicious with deer.
I myself take 1/3 “holy basil” and 2/3 “sweet basil (Horapa). I just like the taste of Horapa (โหระพา). If you want, try it
Sarah says
Love it, thanks for sharing!
Richard says
Hello,
I made this for some French guests at the weekend and got a very good reception. There wasn’t much in the way of leftovers, but we enjoyed that too.
Thanks for the recipe, Richard
Sarah says
You’re welcome, Richard!
seannnnnn says
my question is: could it be that the recipe calls for adding garlic too early? looks to me like it would get way overcooked by frying and then frying more while the onions brown up
Sarah says
Not necessarily in my opinion, but if you like a sharper garlic flavor, feel free to add it later in the cooking process!
graham says
I agree cooking them for longer makes them soft and a much sweeter flavour. Thai cooks always fry the garlic first in all recipes. Try standing next to a street vendor when they fry a huge batch of garlic. Takes your breath away and your eyes pour! :)
Sami says
Garlic always goes first in Asian foods! It will flavor the oil, which then flavors the entire dish. You can even dump the garlic after frying, you still get the taste out of it. Same with chili!