Thai beef with basil

From tacos to meatloaf to spaghetti sauce, ground beef is an old favorite of mine. I never considered how one could make an Asian-flavored dish with ground beef (it sounded kind of weird to me), so I was surprised when this one came out to be super delicious! It's also simple to make, especially when you don't bother to keep the "slaw" or rice separate and just mix everything together in the skillet.

Thai Beef with basil from Bon Appétit

   Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tbsp  vegetable oil, divided

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 red chiles, thinly sliced, seeded for less heat if desired, divided

1 lb  ground beef

salt and pepper
½ cup low-sodium chicken broth

3 c fresh basil leaves, divided

2 medium carrots, julienned or coarsely grated

2 scallions, thinly sliced

4 tbsp fresh lime juice, divided

2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)

1 tsp sugar

Steamed rice and lime wedges (for serving)

Directions

   Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add garlic and 1 chile and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add beef, season with salt and pepper, and cook, breaking up with a spoon and pressing down firmly to help brown, until cooked through and nicely crisped in spots, 8–10 minutes. Add broth and 2 cups basil and cook, stirring, until basil is wilted, about 2 minutes.
[For these final steps I just tossed the ingredients into the skillet rather than mixing them up separately]

   Toss carrots, scallions, 1 tbsp lime juice, and remaining chile, 1 cup basil leaves, and 1 tbsp oil in a small bowl.

   Mix soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and remaining 3 tbsp lime juice in another small bowl until sugar dissolves.

   Top rice with beef and slaw and drizzle with soy dressing. Serve lime wedges alongside for squeezing over.

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