Beef with Red Chili

Beef with Red Chili 

This Beef and Red Chili Paste is from my friend Katie Chin’s new cookbook, Every Thai Cooking: Quick and Easy Family Style Recipes from Tuttle Publishing. A few months ago, I met Katie in person for lunch and we had a wonderful time chatting about recipes, food, cooking, and our life stories. I love Katie; she is fun, bubbly, and cheery. PWhen she sent me the preview copy of her cookbook, I immediately fell in love with this Beef with Red Chili Paste recipe.

Ingredients:

10 oz (330 g) beef tenderloin or top sirloin, sliced diagonally across the grain in ¼ in (6 mm) slices

½ teaspoon all-purpose cornstarch

¼ teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon + 2 tablespoons high-heat cooking oil, divided

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

1 small shallot, finely sliced

1 fresh hot red or green chili, preferably Thai (deseeded if you prefer less heat), finely sliced

1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tablespoon fish sauce (nam pla)

1 tablespoon Roasted Red Chili Paste or store-bought, (nam pla, optional)

2 kaffir lime leaves, cut into thin strips (optional)

2 teaspoons palm or brown sugar

¾ cup (15 g) fresh Thai or Italian basil leaves

Method:

1. Toss the beef with the all-purpose cornstarch, pepper, 1 teaspoon oil, and soy sauce. Cover for 10 minutes at room temperature.

2. Heat ½ of the oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and stir-fry until it’s brown, about 3 minutes. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside. Wash and thoroughly dry the wok or skillet.

3. Heat the remaining oil in the wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, shallots, and chili to the wok or skillet and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the red pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the reserved beef, lime juice, fish sauce, roasted red chili paste (if using), kaffir lime leaves (if using), and palm sugar; stir-fry for 1–2 minutes or until the beef is cooked through. Add the basil leaves and stir-fry for about 30 seconds or until wilted. Dish out and serve immediately with jasmine rice.