Thursday, April 2, 2009

Drunken stir-fried beef with green beans

I love thai food, but sometimes I find that “thai-inspired” recipes don’t really taste authentic. This recipe for drunken stir-fried beef with green beans looks and tastes like it came from your neighborhood thai restaurant. Best of all, it’s relatively healthy and quick enough to put together on a weeknight.

I’m not really sure why this is called drunken beef, it doesn’t contain any alcohol! The recipe starts with a seasoning paste of garlic, ginger, chile, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and salt. I cut the amount of garlic in half, 7 cloves just seemed excessive to me. I only use the tender inner cores of the lemongrass, and I slice the ginger very thinly – that way, I don’t end up with a fibrous seasoning paste. If you can’t find kaffir lime leaves you can substitute lime zest, but it’s not quite the same. I don’t see kaffir lime leaves in the store that often, so when I find them, I store them in the freezer so I always have some on hand. If you’re in the Bay Area and want to know where I buy them, just let me know.

The recipe says to grind the seasoning paste in a mortar and pestle. I’m just not that skilled with my mortar and pestle, and since I was trying to get dinner on the table quickly, I used my food processor. That worked just fine.

Thinly sliced flank steak is quickly stir fried in the seasoning paste, with green beans and cherry tomatoes added to the mix. The dish is supposed to be finished with fresh basil leaves, but I used cilantro because I already had it on hand.

This was really delicious, and a great recipe to try if you’ve ever wanted to learn to make thai food. You could probably use a different cut of beef and try different vegetable combinations with good results. I served this over brown basmati rice.


67 comments:

Lyndas recipe box said...

This looks so tasty,Sara! I love Thai food, but have not tried to make it myself. Great picture too!

Maris said...

Looks delicious! I totally agree with you on the "Inspired" types of dishes. Usually they're a little halfhearted. You get the flavor but not the same bang as if it were authentic.

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

This looks so good and I agree that sometimes homemade is not like restaurant Thai.

teresa said...

So pretty, this looks divine!

Sweet Cheeks said...

sheesh, I love thai and this sounds lovely.

P.S. You really need to try the chili 9000, it isn't typical, which is what I love, it is sweet, (not sugar, just seasoning, ancho, and cocoa....mmm) it just knocked my socks off and really chili typically doesn't do that.

Heather said...

ohhh. nick and i will have to try this. we adore thai food.

Pearl said...

mmm :)

Claudia said...

I love Thai and did some tonight! I have a flank steak just waiting. It looks beautiful, Sara. And hearty enough for a MN spring.

LK- Healthy Delicious said...

mmm, this looks great. I love authentic thai too

Donna-FFW said...

This looks so perfect Sara! I have never made thai food, love to eat it out, should try it at home, sounds so easy!!

Anonymous said...

The beef looks excellent - a very colorful dish!

Unknown said...

Looks so healthy and delicious! Can you believe I've never had thai food?

Jennifer said...

God that looks so bright and delicious! cant wait to make it!

Wandering Coyote said...

I love Thai food as long as it isn't too spicy, but I have a hard time finding a lot of the ingredients where I am. I tend to rely a lot on curry pastes, which is OK, it just gets a little boring.

Cakebrain said...

woowoo! I love Thai food but have never been able to replicate the restaurant stuff! This looks so good!

Jessica@Foodmayhem said...

Now I'm curious about why it's called Drunken Beef?

Sarah said...

I adore thai food, and eat it when ever I can! I did not know that you can freeze kaffir lime leaves. I buy them when I see them, but like you said it's very infrequently!

Cathy said...

Kaffir lime leaves...oddly enough something I can find in Calgary ;) This is going on the list for after Easter for sure!

Foodie with Little Thyme! said...

Great picture. I've never cooked thai food. Maybe I should give this a try.

Sweta (My Indian Dietitian) said...

I love Thai food too-will try this but with chicken instead of beef :-)

Sara said...

Great looking dish! It sounds like it has great flavors.

Carolyn Jung said...

Great tip on freezing kaffir lime leaves. I might try growing a dwarf kaffir lime tree this year, too. My friends who have one say it's easy to grow, and the fragrance is just intoxicating.

Kerstin said...

Looks so delicious and pretty healthy for a thai dish! Now you've got me craving thai!!

Selba said...

There must be a story behind the name of drunken stir-fried beef... probably the cow was drunk when it got slaughtered? hehehe..

Anyway, it looks so yummy! :D

LaDue & Crew said...

Mmmmmmm!!Colorful and yummy looking!

Angie's Recipes said...

drunken beef without alcohol? It doesn't matter, as long as it tastes good, right?

FH said...

Drunken usually means marinated in some liquid, don't know why they say drunken and not get it drunk! :D

Looks delicious though, makes a brunch on weekends.
Homemade Indian never tastes like restaurant either but better and less fatty!

Judy said...

I love Thai food and this looks yummy. My neighbor is Thai and she has taught me how to make a few Thai dishes.

Netts Nook said...

Looks and sounds wonderful. I love Thai food. Thanks for all the helpful tips along the way.

stephchows said...

drunk without any alcohol?? suspicious indeed :D

vanillasugarblog said...

Mmmm. Sara, you're killing me with this one. We have no thai food places around here--have to go into boston for it.
I must try this recipe.

Pam said...

Healthy, tasty and full of flavor. Great recipe.

Kiezie said...

This looks so good -- beautiful and I can just imagine the great flavor!!! Nice!

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

The colors of the dish are so vibrant. I have to try this recipe.

Debbie said...

MMMMMM.....that looks terrific. Such a beautiful picture. I love Thai food but have yet to try making my own...

Diana said...

I love this! And I think the cilantro leaves sound better than the basil garnish! :)

The Duo Dishes said...

Easey peasey dish to make at home. It's on our list!

Leah said...

Beautiful dish Sara. Thanks for the post! Have a great weekend

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

I love Thai food and this look so scrumptious! I am going to try this!

Reeni said...

This looks so delicious! Thai is another cuisine I have not tried making at home. This looks easy and do-able!

Varsha Vipins said...

oh..yum..Beef in any form,drunken or normal..is great for me..:D..looks cool with the veggies on rice Sara..:)

unconfidentialcook said...

This looks just fantastic. We love Thai food, haven't had it for a while...until the other night when my daughter was off sleeping at a friend's house. We went to a restaurant called Buddah's Belly (love that!), and had such a wonderful meal with all sorts of Thai dishes. So happy to have a recipe I can make at home--thank you!

Anonymous said...

your asian inspired meals always sound delicious!

Lori said...

You always have such wonderfully "crisp" shots. The beef looks amazing.

Those potatoes you made with the mojo sauce have been on my mind. I saw some fingerlings at the store today. A little pricey. When I see them at the Farmers Market I know I will be making that recipe!

noble pig said...

It does sound good. I know what you mean about Thai food but it sounds like you captured it.

The Short (dis)Order Cook said...

Very nice recipe. I would love to be able to make something that would taste like a Thai restaurant. I've never been successful at doing so.

I have never found kaffir lime leaves anywhere in my area. I suppose if I shlepped into the city I could find them, but locally, they just don't seem to exist.

Creative Classroom Core said...

I love a title that includes the word "drunken" :) Sounds amazing! Perhaps you could make my beer bread with it, and have a whole booze theme :)
Thanks for sharing!

Dragon said...

I would love a bowl of this right now. :) Great job!

Chef E said...

Oh what a great pile of goodness you have there! I am making Tom Yum soup today, and stir fry for hubby, and hope mines as good as this sounds!

Elyse said...

Oh, I can't wait to share this recipe with my boyfriend Todd. He's totally taken advantage of all of the Thai and Asian groceries here in Berkeley. All summer, his specialty was drunken noodles. Now, he can mix it up with some drunken stir-fried beef! This dish looks totally fabulous!!

Suzy said...

This looks so fresh and healthy! Quick too. Thanks for sharing this great recipe.

Cakelaw said...

I love Thai food, and any dish with the word "drunken" in it has to be good!

Heather S-G said...

This looks so great...maybe you're supposed to drink while making and/or eating it...lol :)

The Blonde Duck said...

That looks delicious! I love the name.

Dewi said...

I always use food processor for a big batch of paste, I my mortar and pestle is too small for the big job.
Your stir fry beef look good Sara.
Cheers,
elra

Anonymous said...

I love the name hehe "wink" I am a huge fan of Thai food as well Sara. Your dish looks really fantastic.

NKP said...

That does look totally delicious. I am all for lots of garlic!

alexandra said...

I need to try this. I made a beef and broccoli stir fry recently and was so disappointed. i think my sauce need some fish sauce to add some bite. This looks yummy!

Lo said...

Great dish, Sarah. It not only looks delicious, but I can imagine all of those flavors together, and I'll bet it was absolutely delicious.

We love Thai food at our house, and I'm always looking for alternatives to the standard red/green curries. This definitely fits the bill.

Annie said...

That looks so good. I have never tried Thai food before, but now I think I am crazy for not trying it.

priscilla joy said...

Whoa, that looks amazing! So tasty looking!

Miette said...

It looks fantastic! This sounds very tasty! You're so gifted! I am really impressed!

Cheers,

Miette

Jan said...

I love Thai food, and have been lucky enough to experience it in Thailand. This looks delish.

Ana Powell said...

Hi Sarah
Your recipes are always breathtaking, so nicely presented.
Great photos x

Live.Love.Eat said...

You had me at drunken. I guess it's just drunken with deliciousness. And I just love Thai food.

Ashley said...

This looks fantastic! I don't know how I missed this one in the magazine!

Dazy said...

I'm making this tomorrow. I think I'll try to shoot it, but I don't think it will be as pretty as your picture!