Thai Orange-Basil Beef

Another delicious recipe from Cooking With Booze!  Thai meals typically consist of either a single dish or it will be rice with many complementary dishes served concurrently and shared by all.  When it comes to taste, nothing surpasses the famous four Thai flavorings: spicy, salty, sweet, and sour.  With their Buddhist background, Thais shunned the use of large animals in big chunks. Big cuts of meat were shredded and laced with herbs and spices.  Traditional Thai cooking methods were stewing and baking, or grilling. Chinese influences saw the introduction of frying, stir frying and deep-frying.  Thais adapted foreign cooking methods and substituted ingredients to suit their own taste. The ghee used in Indian cooking was replaced by coconut oil, and coconut milk substituted for dairy products. Overpowering pure spices were toned down and enhanced by fresh herbs such as lemon grass and galangal. Eventually, fewer spices were used in Thai curries, while the use of fresh herbs increased.

The culinary traditions and cuisines of Thailand’s neighbors have influenced Thai cuisine over many centuries. Regional variations tend to correlate to neighboring states as well as climate and geography. Southern curries tend to contain coconut milk and fresh turmeric, while northeastern dishes often include lime juice. The cuisine of Northeastern Thailand is heavily influenced by Lao cuisine. Many popular dishes eaten in Thailand were originally Chinese dishes which were introduced to Thailand mainly by the Teochew people who make up the majority of the Thai Chinese. Such dishes include chok (rice porridge), kwai tiao rat na (fried rice-noodles) and khao kha mu (stewed pork with rice). The Chinese also introduced the use of a wok for cooking.

Serves 4
recipe from Cooking With Booze
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750g (1 1/2 lb) flank steak
3 cloves garlic, minced
125ml (1/2 cup) fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
500ml (2 cups) basmati or jasmine rice
50ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil
125ml (1/2 cup) triple sec
4 small red chilies, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 green onions, white and green part, sliced diagonally

Trim flank steak of any excess fat and slice across the grain into 1-cm (1/4-inch) strips.  Place strips in shallow baking dish.  Combine garlic, orange juice, zest, soy sauce and ginger and pour half the marinade over steak strips.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight, if possible.  Set aside remaining marinade.  Meanwhile, prepare rice according to package instructions and keep warm. 

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add steak, working in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan.  Cook, stirring constantly until lightly browned, about 8 to 9 minutes.  Add reserved marinade, triple sec, chilies and basil to steak mixture.  Cook until slightly thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes.  Serve over rice and garnish with green onions.

The Culinary Chase’s Note:  In my experience eating Thai food I don’t recall tasting orange juice in the food prepared from food stalls or restaurants in Bangkok.  Perhaps this appeals to a wider ‘westernized’ audience?  But in any case, the taste factor is huge and the triple sec does add a bit of sweetness to the dish.