SPICY MINT BEEF

By avpeters

Ingredients

• • 3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
• • 4 cloves garlic, minced
• • 3 Thai chiles, such as prik kee noo, or 3 serrano chiles, stemmed and thinly sliced*
• • 1 pound flank steak, very thinly sliced
• • 3 shallots, thinly sliced
• • 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, cored, seeded and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
• • 1/4 cup fish sauce*
• • 2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce*
• • 2 tablespoons black soy sauce*
• • 1 tablespoon chili paste in soy bean oil*
• • 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh Thai basil leaves*
• • 1 cup whole fresh mint leaves
• • *Can be found at specialty Asian markets
• • Serving suggestion: sticky or steamed white rice

Preparation

Step 1

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and chiles and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the steak and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the shallots and bell pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add the fish sauce, sweet soy sauce, black soy sauce and chili paste. Bring the mixture to a low simmer and cook, stirring frequently until the meat is cooked through and the vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the basil and mint until wilted. Transfer to a serving dish and serve over steamed white rice.