I am almost always in the mood for Thai food. I’m constantly craving pad thai from a local Atlanta spot, Panita Thai Kitchen. And on any given Sunday, you can find me with a container of green curry and a HBO series. It’s a comfort food to me at this point, but for some reason Thai food has always been something I ordered, not cooked; however, when faced with the challenge of using all the basil from my overly fertile basil plant this summer, I had to get creative.
I stumbled upon a recipe from Bon Appetit online recently for Thai Beef and Basil and my mouth started watering. I had to make this dish. Turns out, making Thai food (at least this dish) is not that hard! Not only is easier than I thought, I had most the ingredients in my fridge already!
The beef (just ground beef cooked until it’s crispy with hot peppers, garlic, and of course, the basil) is spicy and savory. The sauce (made with soy sauce, fish oil, and lime) adds a salty sour flavor. To top it off, the slaw (made from shredded carrots, spicy peppers, green onion, and more basil) adds crunch and freshness to every bite.
The combo of the wilted basil in the beef with the fragrant fresh basil in the slaw adds complexity to this simple dish. Just add rice and you, my friends, have made yourself a Thai dish!
Pro Tip: Pair this with a Charles Smith Kung Fu Riesling and you may just find yourself staying in more often!
If you try Bon Apetit’s Thai Beef and Basil recipe, we’d love to see your photos! Tag us on instagram @fridgetofork, and be sure to let us know how it turned out in the comments below.
Cheers!
-Sara Ann
