Basil Beef Stir-Fry

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 4 servings
  • Total: 35 min
  • Active: 35 min
This star of this meal is the barely tender basil that gets stirred into the umami-packed stir-fried beef after it has been taken off the heat. The basil adds a freshness with hints of anise that balance out the heavy soy flavor.
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Ingredients

1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

5 teaspoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 1/4 pounds ground beef

2 scallions, chopped

2 Fresno chile peppers, halved lengthwise, seeded and thinly sliced

1 cup snow peas, halved

2 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced

2 cups fresh basil leaves

Directions

  1. Cook the rice as the label directs. Set aside off the heat, about 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
  2. Meanwhile, combine the soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar in a small bowl. Whisk to dissolve the sugar.
  3. Heat the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, crumble the beef into the skillet and cook, undisturbed, until slightly crisp on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up the meat, until cooked through, 1 to 2 more minutes. Remove to a paper towel–lined plate with a slotted spoon. Discard the fat in the skillet and wipe the skillet clean.
  4. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add the soy sauce mixture. Bring to a simmer, then add the beef, scallions, chiles, snow peas and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the basil. Stir until just wilted, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
  5. Divide the rice among shallow bowls. Spoon the stir-fry on top. Serve with lime wedges.

Let's Get Cooking!

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Lorijaye2

This was absolutely delicious when using a few tips that I’ve learned along the way! Instead of soy sauce, I substituted the same amount of coconut aminos (Coconut Secret), a common substitute for soy sauce, which I highly recommend. This will help immensely with lowering the sodium content, which was mentioned in previous reviews. Also, I recommend using Red Boat fish sauce, a very high-quality fish sauce. Since it was a last-minute decision to make this recipe to use up some end-of-season basil in my garden, I had to make some comparable substitutes to avoid a trip to the store. I used onion instead of scallions, a cayenne pepper instead of the Fresno chiles, and frozen peas (thawed) instead of the snow peas, but since this recipe was so delicious, I can’t wait to try it with the scallions and Fresno chiles! I think I’ll stick with the frozen peas, however (can’t chew snow peas). My husband loved this recipe and went back for seconds! Another note, if you’re short on time, this was excellent served with Seeds of Change Quinoa & Brown Rice with Garlic.

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