Thai Steak Stir Fry

September 11, 2012

I love stir frys. They are quick, easy, flavorful and they can pack a really big dose of vegetables in one dish. I found this recipe in my Everyday Food magazine as part of thier Dinner on the Cheap feature. They boasted that they could make this for $13.20 and it would feed a family of 4. I was actually able to make it for $7.24, so just $1.81 per serving – and mine made enough for leftovers!

I was a little apprehensive about the basil – a whole cup in a stir fry? Isn’t that an italian herb? But, since I have a huge basil herb plant in my back yard that needs to be used I was game. Surprisingly, everything married very well together and even my four year old gobbled it up. If you are looking for a quick and easy dinner, this is it! The whole dish only has 1 tsp of oil so it is also very healthy if you watch your portion size.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon sesame or olive oil
1/2 lb skirt or flank steak cut against the grain into very thin strips
1 lb green beans (I used a bag of frozen whole fancy green beans)
4 tablespoons minced, peeled fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic minced (or pressed)
2 tablespoons fish sauce or organic tamari
1 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely torn or chopped
2 cups brown rice, cooked and kept warm

In a large pan, heat oil over medium high heat and saute steak for 1-2 minutes or until cooked through. Remove steak from pan into a bowl and set aside. Return pan to stove and add green beans, ginger and garlic and cook until beans are crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Return beef and any juices to the pan along with fish sauce (or soy sauce) and basil.