If there’s one dish that I love, it’s Thai Kapow Beef with basil and chili sauce. This spicy dish is my barometer for good food at any Thai restaurant I visit. Sadly, I’ve drastically reduced my rice intake and thus have not been eating Thai food as often. Quite frankly, there’s not much that feels healthy when I eat Thai food at a restaurant. However, I was determined to make my own Kapow Beef and to ensure that every ingredient in it was healthy and organic.

I started off with browning some cubed beef that would otherwise be good for stewing. I did not use any olive oil, instead just adding a touch of water to help the meat keep from sticking.

I added the following spices which were added periodically to the vegetables I added also.

• szechuan seasoning
• Cavendars
• ground ginger
• ground mustard
• cayenne pepper
• cumin
• coriander

I then added some chopped tomatoes and thinly sliced chili peppers. The tomatoes need the longest cooking time because I wanted them to soften and help to form the sauce. The chili peppers are some of the hottest I could find. Before you prepare this dish, read my warning at the bottom of this post.

In addition to the hot chili peppers, this dish required some sliced green bell peppers also. The bell peppers add a touch of sweetness to an otherwise spicy dish.

On a green theme, I added some chopped green onions and fresh basil. As everything was cooking, I added a bit more seasoning as well as some soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, sesame oil, minced garlic, and chili garlic paste. These are the flavors that screamed Thai to me, more so than the Thai spice container I keep in my pantry. As all the flavors cooked through and the meat was done, my dish was ready in less than 30 minutes.

With all humbleness thrown out the window, I have to tell you this is some of the best Kapow Beef I’ve ever had. A heaping pile of rice would have made it perfect, but this dish was so tasty that I enjoyed it without any accompaniments. For leftovers, I even tried it with a whole-wheat, whole-grain wrap as a sandwich. The dish was delicious, healthy, whole, and simple.

NOTE: When preparing a dish that requires hot chili peppers, it’s important to take precautions while handling or cutting the peppers. In my case, I made the mistake of using my bare fingers to hold down the chili peppers while slicing them, and then furthermore, using my fingers to scrape out the seeds from inside. I can tell you before I even made the mistake of touching my face and transmitting the spiciness into my eyes and nose, I could feel the heat burning my throat just from breathing the air while cutting the peppers. Suffice it to say, the pain of getting these peppers in my eyes was excruciating, and no amount of scrubbing my hands with soap was able to get the fiery hotness off my skin. Seriously. Use more common sense than I apparently had, or spend your night soaking your face in water unable to open your eyes. Kinda puts a damper on a delicious meal…