An abundance of herbs and vegetables carry this stir-fry into the realm of a salad. An addictive Prik Nam Pla dressing ties everything together with a sweet, sour, and umami finish. In addition to satisfying your cravings for Thai, this recipe is faster than any delivery, clocking in at just 20 minutes. Feel free to customize this with other ground meats or even cauliflower rice as a substitute for beef. I often vary my crunchy vegetables according to what I have on hand. Blanched green beans and thinly sliced raw celery make for great substitutions or additions.
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 head of cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 carrot, julienned
- 2 ounces of sugar snap peas, cut on the bias
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- 2 cups basil leaves, divided
- 1/2 cup mint leaves
- 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
- 12 ounces ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- Mix together lime juice, fish sauce, and honey to make the Prik Nam Pla dressing.
- Toss cabbage, carrots, snap peas, and scallion with half of the Prik Nam Pla dressing and set aside. Just before serving, stir in half of basil, and all of the cilantro and mint.
- Heat oil, garlic, shallot, and chile (to taste) in a large skillet over high heat. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add beef and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, pressing occasionally to help meat make contact with pan, until underside is well browned, about 5 minutes. Break up meat into smaller pieces and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is cooked through but still juicy, about 2 minutes.
- Add remaining half of basil and remaining half of dressing and cook, scraping browned bits from bottom of pan, until basil is wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately over salad.
