Pad Krapow — Thai Basil Ground Beef

Ingredients

• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 2 cups basil leaves (holy basil if findable, Thai or Italian otherwise)
• 4 cloves garlic + 2 chilies, roughly pounded
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce + 1 tbsp soy + 1 tbsp fish sauce + 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp oil
• Rice + fried eggs with crispy edges
• Extra chilies for the brave

Method

1. Stir the sauces and sugar together; have everything within arm's reach — this dish outruns slow cooks.
2. Fire the garlic-chili paste in hot oil for 20 seconds until it crackles.
3. Add the Ground Beef and stir-fry hard, breaking it up, until browned with crispy bits (160°F for ground meat), 4–5 minutes.
4. Pour in the sauce, toss 30 seconds, kill the heat, and fold in ALL the basil — it wilts into fragrance on contact.
5. Serve over rice with a crispy fried egg on top. Runny yolk + basil beef is the national lunch of Thailand for excellent reasons.