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This Thai basil beef stir fry is a fantastic dish that is bursting with flavour. I was inspired to recreate it after enjoying it at my favourite local Thai restaurant. Beef is stir fried in a delicious sauce with shallots, garlic, Thai chili, and Thai basil, and served on a bed of fragrant jasmine rice. Topping this dish with a crispy, Thai-style fried egg takes it over the top.
Who knew ground beef could be so exciting? This recipe is fantastic with ground pork, chicken, or turkey as well. You can easily modify it with any of these.
Thai basil stir fry in Thai is pad gra pow (ผัดกะเพรา). However, it is one of those foreign words that has many English pronunciations (or should we say, attempts at). You will also see it written as pad kra pow, pad kra pao, pad ka prao, and more. At least we can agree on the ‘pad’ part.
basil vs. thai basil vs. thai holy basil
The ‘regular’ basil that we use most commonly in North America is Genovese basil, also known as sweet basil. It tastes sweet with a hint of cloves. If you can’t find Thai basil or Thai holy basil, use sweet basil and this recipe will still taste great.
Thai basil tastes similar to sweet basil, but with an additional anise- or liquorice-like flavour. It also holds up better in high temperatures, making it a great addition to stir fries. This is the variety that I used for this recipe.
Thai holy basil is peppery with a hint of cloves. It is the most authentic variety for Thai basil stir fries, however, it can be difficult to find.
How to make Thai basil beef stir fry:
As with any stir fry, once you start cooking things move very quickly so it’s important to have everything prepped and ready to go ahead of time.
I also recommend that you mix up some traditional Thai sauce (prik nam pla). This sauce is so easy to make and it adds so much delicious flavour. It also allows you to easily adjust the spice levels of this dish to each person’s preference. It is a staple in Thai cuisine and is normally served with this dish. Check out my post on how to make it.
For the stir fry itself, mince the garlic and thinly slice the shallots and Thai chili. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set it aside for now.
Heat a large skillet over high heat. Drizzle in a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add in a pound of lean ground beef. Break it apart and stir fry it until it is just browned. Then transfer beef to a plate, setting it aside. Discard any juices from the skillet.
Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add in the shallots, garlic, and chili, stir frying until the shallots have caramelized.
Return the beef back into the skillet, along with a tablespoon of your prepared sauce. Stir fry everything together for about a minute while the sauce caramelizes.
Add in the rest of the sauce, stir frying for a few minutes until the sauce has cooked up into a shiny glaze on the meat.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Tear the Thai basil leaves to maximize their flavour and stir them into the beef until wilted.
Serve the pad gra pow with jasmine rice, a crispy Thai-style egg, some wedges of lime, and traditional Thai sauce (prik nam pla).
How to make a Thai-style fried egg:
Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a small pan. When the oil is very hot and you are just starting to see the very first wisps of smoke, crack in an egg being careful to not break the yolk. It will start bubbling aggressively. Allow it to cook until the bottom has just set.
Then, carefully loosen the egg with a spatula, shifting it around the pan while it continues to cook. It is finished when the edges have a light brown crisp, the white is set, and the yolk is still a bit runny.
For another delicious Thai stir fry, check out my Thai basil chicken.
Or, my super popular Thai crying tiger steak.
Thai Basil Beef Stir Fry {Pad Gra Pow}
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: Thai
Description
This Thai basil beef stir fry is bursting with flavour. Beef is stir fried in a delicious sauce with shallots, garlic, Thai chili, and Thai basil, and served on a bed of fragrant jasmine rice. Topping this dish with a crispy, Thai-style fried egg takes it over the top. This recipe is fantastic with ground pork, chicken, or turkey as well. You can easily modify it with any of these.
Ingredients
Pad Gra Pow:
1/3 cup (80 ml) beef broth *
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp white sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb (454 g) lean ground beef
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Thai chili, thinly sliced
1 cup (20 g) Thai basil leaves **
Thai-Style Fried Egg (per serving):
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large egg
Serve with:
jasmine rice
traditional Thai sauce (prik nam pla)
lime wedges
Instructions
Pad Gra Pow:
Stir the beef broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, and white sugar together in a bowl. Set aside.
Heat a large skillet over high heat. Drizzle in a tbsp of vegetable oil and add in ground beef. Break it up and stir fry it until just browned. Transfer the beef to a plate and set aside for now. Dispose of any juices in the skillet.
Add another tbsp of oil to the pan. Add in the shallots, garlic, and chili, stir frying until the shallots have caramelized.
Return the beef to the skillet along with a tablespoon of the prepared sauce. Stir fry for about a minute while the sauce caramelizes.
Add in the rest of the sauce, stir frying until the sauce has cooked up into a shiny glaze on the meat.
Remove the skillet from heat. Tear Thai basil leaves and stir them into the beef until wilted.
Serve on a bed of rice topped with a Thai-style fried egg, with lime wedges and Thai sauce.
Thai-Style Fried Egg:
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small pan. When oil is very hot and smoke wisps just begin to form, crack in an egg without breaking the yolk. The egg will bubble aggressively. Allow it to cook until the bottom has just set.
Carefully loosen the egg with a spatula, shifting it around the pan while it continues to cook. It is finished when the edges have a light brown crisp, the white is set, and the yolk is still a bit runny.
Notes
* You can substitute the beef broth with vegetable broth or water in this recipe. Or if you use poultry meat instead of beef, replace the beef broth with chicken broth.
** Thai basil tastes similar to sweet basil (the kind most commonly found in grocery stores in North America), but with the addition of an anise- or liquorice-like flavour. It also holds up better in high temperatures, making it perfect for stir fries. However, if you are unable to find any, this recipe will also taste great with regular sweet basil.
Keywords: thai basil beef, pad gra pow
This is going to be one of my favourite recipes. So easy to make and the flavour is out of this world.
Thanks so much!
My husband wanted thirds. He asked for the recipe lol.
Thanks for sharing, that’s so great to hear
Wow. A quick yet delicious meal. It’s a keeper.
Thanks!
My kind of recipe. Quick and good tasting.
Thank you 😀
This recipe is amazing. Great flavour.
Thanks so much
Great tasting. My family really enjoyed this recipe.
Thanks so much 🙂
Absolutely in love with this. So quick and taste amazing.
Thanks so much 🙂
I really enjoyed this simple to make delicious Thai meal. Will be making again and again.
Thank you!
Quick and easy. Enjoyed making and eating this meal. Thank you.
Thanks for the review 🙂
Great recipe. Thanks.
Thanks for the kind review 🙂
Great recipe. Will make again. Thank you.
Thank you!
My family was delighted with this meal When my teenage boys, who are picky eaters, ask for seconds you know it is good.
Well I appreciate their feedback. Thank you 🙂
Thanks. Made a delicious meal.
Thank you Rick, I’m so happy you liked it.
Delicious meal.
Thank you!
Wonderful recipe.
Thanks ❤️
Great recipe and easy to make.
Thank you! 🙂
Amazing meal. I could eat this everyday.
Thank you 🙂
I really enjoyed this dish; especially the sauce.
Thank you!
Enjoyed this meal.
I’m glad, thanks
Always lovely. Recommended any day if you are missing Asia.
Thank you! 🙂 Hopefully travel will be back to normal soon.