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.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 35 min |
| Active: | 35 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
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
Instructions
- Cook the rice as the label directs. Set aside off the heat, about 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
- Meanwhile, combine the soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar in a small bowl. Whisk to dissolve the sugar.
- 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.
- 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.
- Divide the rice among shallow bowls. Spoon the stir-fry on top. Serve with lime wedges.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 580 |
| Total Fat | 17 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 6 grams |
| Cholesterol | 83 milligrams |
| Sodium | 1160 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 69 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 grams |
| Sugar | 5 grams |
| Protein | 35 grams |
Reviews
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.
This was very good and easy was I adapted it. I served it over rice with purchased California rolls and mini eggrolls on the side. Knowing I was going to eventually make this, I chopped some snap peas left over from a package I bought for a salad and froze them to use here. They worked great. I did not remove the meat from the skillet before adding the sauce, and I stirred 1 Tbs. cornstarch into the sauce mixture right before adding it to the skillet to help the sauce thicken a bit. I used 5 Tbs. of soy sauce and no fish sauce (we aren’t fans), and didn’t find it too salty as others mention below. I also added some chopped peanuts at the end for extra crunch.
It was very salty so the low sodium soy sauce is a must. It made a lot of sauce for the amount of stir fry so I would cut back on the fish sauce. I have a big Thai basil plant in my garden so I used that instead of regular basil and it was delicious!
Very salty! Would not add as much fish sauce. Flavor was good though