Another super fast and yummelicious recipe for a busy weekday but have-got-to-have-asian-dish kind of day.
This basil stir fry will not disappoint, I promise.
Let's get woking!
Basil Stir Fry Made Easy
This dish is inspired by non other than the famous Thai basil stir fry, of course.
If you're living in South East Asian countries or have a magnificent Asian store nearby then you might find Thai basil very easily. But hey, not all of us are in those categories (me!).
So if you're like me, you can easily use the typical sweet basil that you typically use in your pasta or pizza. Yes, that one.
Since I've made this recipe before using Thai basil, so I will tell you directly that if you're looking exactly for that street food Thai stir fry taste, then you won't have it with this recipe.
Having said that, I'm also telling you that it's as close as it gets to that deliciousness dish, using sweet basil.
Why?
Because we're using the exact condiments or sauces in this recipe, as you would if you're cooking Thai basil stir fry. Which are fish sauce, soy sauce and oyster sauce.
And hey, I'm even using a wok for this. Haha!
The only thing that we're substituting is the basils.
I Don't Like Fish Sauce, What Do I Do?
Ok, sometimes people already decided that they don't like something even before tasting it.
That is a pity in this foodie world. Don't you think?
I mean, I do have my dislikes on food but it's because I've tasted them and yeah... nope, I don't like them. Which is totally fine since everybody has different taste.
If you have never tasted fish sauce in any dish before, I would really recommend that you do. Try it with this dish, you will be surprised on how invisible the fish taste is. I PROMISE!
But if you've tasted it and still don't like it, then no worries. Like I said, it's totally fine. Just substitute it with soy sauce.
Make It Your Own
Savoury dishes are not exact and precise like cakes, pastries and breads.
It's more of cooking according to your taste. It's the same with this dish also. The point is to have a balance of beautiful flavours like in this case, spiciness, saltiness and sweetness.
I like all my meals super spicy but most of the times when I develop recipes, I don't make the recipes super spicy. I like to use my husband as the test subject. Haha!
If he can take it then yep, that's how it will go in the recipe.
But you adjust it to your likings, alright? Add more chili, use Thai chilies, add more fish sauce, less sugar. Be happy. Make it your own.
Give this super fast stir fry a try. And hey, if you've made any of my recipes, do rate them in the comment section below by putting the rating stars. That will help give our little website a boost, thanks!
In Summary
This basil stir fry is:
- extremely easy Asian stir fry. oh yes, believe me.
- perfect for busy weekdays dinner or when you're craving some Asian food
- using sweet basil, which are way easier to find
- simply DELICIOUS! I know I say it a lot but it really is
Before You Go
Check out these other easy Asian meals:
- Stir fry noodles with peanut sauce
- Red curry laksa noodle soup
- Kimchi fried rice
- Stir fry glass noodles
- Ginger steamed fish
Video
Basil Stir Fry
Ingredients
The Paste
- ½ red onion , cut into chunks
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 red chili (or to your taste) , cut into chunks
Main
- 10.5 oz minced beef (300 g)
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce (substitute for soy sauce if not)
- ½ tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon osyer sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup packed sweet basil leaves (40 g)
Instructions
The Paste
- Put all ingredients in a mortar bowl and pound into a coarse paste using a pestle. Or you can simply use a chopper like this (my favourite chopper & grinder). Set aside
Cooking
- Heat a wok with some oil on medium high heat. Add in pounded paste and stir fry until it gets golden brown.
- Now add in meat and the sauces, including sugar. Mix everything well and continue cooking until meat is fully cooked. Turn the heat off and add in sweet basils and mix until the leaves are wilted. Serve immediately.
How To Serve
- Serve this delicious basil stir fry with some jasmine rice and fried egg.
- Since it's served with rice which is usually bland, it's always a good practise to season your dish a bit more than you would if you were to eat it by itself only.
Ann says
I am loooving all the recipes here! and this one is a must to try this week.Luckily,I have oyster sauce that I bought from my country Philippines so I am excited to cook this recipe. Best regards all the way from Italy!😄
Bea says
Yeay! Yes, oyster sauce is a must have in my kitchen. Hope you'll like it, thank you Ann! XO