Chilli beef jasmine rice

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 400g/14oz beef mince
• 400g/14oz cooked cold jasmine rice (about 150g/5½oz uncooked weight)
• 1 Thai red chilli, halved or sliced diagonally
• 1 Thai green chilli, halved or sliced diagonally
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• ½ teaspoon caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 15 Thai basil leaves or regular basil

For the chilli paste:

• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 Thai red chilli, roughly chopped
• 1 Thai green chilli, roughly chopped
• A pinch of salt

For the nam pla prik (chilli fish sauce):

• 1 small red Thai chilli, finely chopped
• 1 small Thai green chilli, finely chopped
• juice of ¼ lime
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce

Method

This classic Thai street-food dish comes in all manner of variations. It is usually hot and spicy with pork, chicken or a fried egg served on top. This version is slightly different to the chilli beef we serve up in the restaurants, but wonderfully delicious for making at home.

1. First, make the chilli paste. Put the garlic, both types of chilli and a pinch of salt in a pestle and mortar and pound until it forms a paste. Alternatively, use a mini food processor or grinder. Set aside.

2. To make the nam pla prik, mix together all the ingredients in a small bowl, then set aside.

3. Heat a large wok or frying pan over a high heat. Add the oil and when hot, add the beef and stir-fry for 3 minutes, until browned. Stir in the prepared chilli paste and stir-fry for 2 minutes, until you can smell the aroma of the paste, then add the rice.

4. Using a wok ladle, flip the rice to keep it moving, then add both types of chilli, the fish sauce, sugar, oyster sauce and 2 tablespoons of water and continue to cook over a high heat for 3 minutes, until golden and thoroughly heated through. Stir in the basil and leave to rest for 1 minute, then serve in bowls with the nam pla prik sauce on the side.

Extracted from Bangkok Thai: The Busaba Cookbook (Sphere, £25) Photography by © Ape Inc. 2018. 

Visit our Asian recipes section for more delicious Thai recipes