Thai basil beef – pad gra prow – is one of the really great stir fried dishes from Southeast Asia. Garlic. Chili. Thai basil. Beef. A bit salty. The slightest hint of sweet. In wonderful balance. And it comes together in no time flat.

This is weeknight cooking at it’s best. Super easy and super delicious. Nothing better than that. A bit more work than takeout maybe but you can say you did it yourself. And the house will smell great.

Thai basil beef – pure and simple

Thai basil beef - pad gra prow - 1

There are a lot of convoluted recipes for Thai basil beef out there. Not sure why. Some need to clutter this dish for some reason. But I won’t do it. No oyster sauce here. Or red bell pepper. Or lime.

Forget the stock. Just the basics. Clean. Simple. Pure. Like the guy with the street cart in Bangkok is doing I like to think.

All red chilies are not the same

This is important. There are chilies and there are chilies. The bigger ones tend not to be super hot. I’m not saying that’s a hard a fast rule. I don’t know what every chili in the world is like.

But for sure those little red Thai chilies are hot. Screaming hot. Blow a hole in the back of your head hot. So be careful. Check your chilies. If you like the heat from the larger ones stick with those.

If you want hotter then mix in some of the smaller ones. Don’t say you weren’t warned.

All soy sauces are not the same either

Get to know your soy sauces. There are big differences between them. Chinese is strong. Assertive. In your face. Great for Chinese. Not so great for anything else.

Japanese soy is just as you’d expect. Refined. Subtle. Delicate.

Thai thin is the right one here. It’s a lighter soy. Has hints of fish sauce without the fishiness. I know that doesn’t make sense but it’s the best I can come up with.

I use Thai thin soy whenever I cook Thai. That and the Thai dark sweet soy. Depends what I’m making. It makes a difference. You need to try it to understand.

Grind the chilies with the garlic

That’s the secret. Grinding the chilies with the garlic. It changes the whole flavour profile of this dish Crushing the chilis releases juices. Those juices have flavour.

The mortar and pestle really does make a difference. Enough that I do it when I make this dish. It’s a pain. But if you don’t feel like it Thai basil beef is still really tasty.

Choice of beef is important. Any beef you would serve as a steak works here. New York striploin. sirloin, even flank. All safe bets.

Thai basil beef in black bowl with jasmine rice from above. - 2 Thai basil beef in black bowl with jasmine rice from above. - 3 Thai basil beef with red chilies and jasmine rice front view. - 4

thai basil beef - pad gra prow

Ingredients

  • 10-12 oz good quality beef - sirloin, striploin or flank, sliced thinly across the grain
  • 1 tsp soy sauce - I really like Thai thin soy here
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 5 cloves garlic - crushed
  • 3 red finger hot chilies - minced
  • 1 red finger hot chili - julienned
  • 0-2 thai red chilies - 0 isn’t hot, 2 is pretty hot
  • 1 Tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • a good handful of thai basil
  • 3 Tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

  • Combine the beef, soy and black pepper and refrigerate anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours.
  • Combine minced chilies and crushed garlic in a mortar and pestle and grind to a coarse paste. This isn’t essential and it’s a bit of a pain but it does help up the flavour.
  • Add the fish sauce and sugar to the chili garlic mixture and keep close to the stove.
  • Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat.
  • Add one Tbsp oil and add half the beef. Stir fry until no red colour remains, about 1 minute. Remove the beef. If there’s any liquid in the pan stir it around until it dries up.
  • Add the second Tbsp of oil and stir fry the remaining beef. Remove the beef and dry out the pan as you did above if needed.
  • Return the beef to the wok or skillet and add the chili/garlic/fish sauce/sugar mixture. Stir fry over high heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the thai basil and cook until wilted.
  • Serve with jasmine rice.

Notes

Nutrition

Keema is a delicious way to spice up ground lamb or beef. If you want to add some big Indian flavour to ground meat this is how.

Keema means ground meat in Hindi. It can be any ground meat. Lamb, beef, goat or even chicken.

So it probably doesn’t help that this recipe is named the way it is. Not so precise. But I didn’t name it. I just cook it.

Think hamburger helper done right. Beef or lamb with a nice dose of spice. Just enough to make sure it’s perfect when you use it in a curry. Or as a filling to some crazy tasty Indian appetizers.

Keema is incredibly versatile

You can serve keema straight up with Indian flatbreads. It’s a dry curry so it works. Makes a fun meal. A little spiced lamb and some cucumber salad on a paratha. That’s good living.

Or use it as an ingredient in dishes like aloo keema or keema matar . Mixed with spinach. As a filling for killer samosas. Getting the idea? So many ways to use it.

You could even use it as pre-cooked meat in most of the Indian restaurant style recipes on this blog. Keema madras or jalfrezi. Maybe not conventional. But tasty. Very, very tasty.

Jalfrezi really works well. Could become a thing. Peppers and onions mixed with savoury ground meat. Like an Indian twist on chili. Totally different flavours though.

Don’t bring it to a chili cook off. People won’t understand. Their loss…

Lamb keema in a copper bowl from the front. - 5

Restaurant style technique

This is an easy recipe. But there’s a couple of things to keep in mind. Be ready with your prep. Have everything ready before you start cooking.

Measure out your spices. Have all the ingredients by the stove. It goes fast. So be ready.

Blooming the spices is key. To Indian cooking in general. And to this recipe as well. Blooming spices just means frying the spices in oil.

Something wonderful happens when you do that. Everything opens up. You know the aroma you smell when you walk past an Indian restaurant? That’s what happens when you bloom spices.

So don’t skimp on the oil. You need it to keep the spices from burning. Frying spices is not the same thing as scraping burnt spices in a dry pan. You don’t ever want to try that. So add enough oil. Trust me on that.

Lamb or beef

This recipe works well with beef or lamb. I like lamb better. But go with what you like.

Lamb is a little richer tasting. More complex. Beef is just in your face delicious. Don’t make it with lean beef though. You need a bit of extra fat for flavour. Nobody wants dry, crumbly keema.

Whatever you choose, try not to break it up too much. Little chunks is way better than micro-grains.

How’s that for a description? Micro-grains of meat. Not appetizing sounding is it? I think I’ve made my point. Chunks good. Micro-grains. Not so much.

Lamb keema on a paratha - close up from the front. - 6

Spice your keema properly

This recipe is written to be used in another dish. As an ingredient. For samosas. Or in a curry. It’s a little under spiced to stand on its own.

If you’re using it straight up you need to up the spice. Maybe add some chili powder. Wake it up. That’s covered in the notes. Just up the quantities and you’re good to go.

You can take it even further if you want. Toss in a little green chili along with the garlic ginger paste. Cilantro. Diced fresh tomatoes.

Nobody will come to arrest you. The keema police are busy elsewhere. Do what works for you.

Have fun with this recipe. It’s hard to go wrong. So make it your own. You may surprise yourself.

Keema on a paratha with tomato cucumber salad garnish from the front. - 7

lamb or beef keema

Ingredients

  • 12 oz minced beef or lamb
  • 2 Tbsp oil
  • 1 bay leaf – Indian tej patta if you can get it
  • 1 black cardamom – whole, split
  • 1-2 kashmiri chilies
  • 2 inch piece cassia bark – cinnamon stick
  • 2 tsp garlic ginger paste – recipe link below
  • 1/2 tsp kasoor methi – fenugreek leaves
  • 2 tsp madras curry powder e.g Lalah’s brand
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp tomato paste – diluted with water to the consistency of pasatta
  • 2/3 cup water

Instructions

  • Pre-heat your skillet over medium heat.
  • Add the oil. Once it starts to shimmer add the bay, cardamom, kashmiri chilies and cassia bark. Cook until little bubbles form around the spices – about 30 seconds.
  • Add the garlic ginger paste and cook until the sizzling subsides.
  • Reduce heat to medium low and stir in the kasoor methi, madras curry powder and salt. This is called blooming the spices and it’s absolute magic. You should do this every time you cook Indian.
  • Cook, stirring constantly for about 30 seconds.
  • Mix in the tomato paste, stir to combine and cook about 30 seconds.
  • Add the beef or lamb, breaking up any big chunks and cook until all the meat is brown. If you are using it as a filling (e.g. samosas) break it up completely. If you are serving it in a curry consider leaving the chunks a little bigger. It’s a small thing but it does make a difference.
  • Add the water and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes until cooked through. The curry should be dry again. Almost all the liquid will have evaporated by this point.
  • Use a slotted spoon to remove the keema from the pan leaving most of the fat behind. Much easier than trying to spoon fat out of the pan with keema in the way.
  • Taste and adjust for salt if needed.

Notes

Nutrition

Keema is the first step to a delicious keema matar or aloo keema. - 8