Vegan Thai Basil Beef Stirfry + Lemongrass Brown Rice

It is not every day that one should dish out 40$ on takeout that can be made at home for half the price. In this recipe, I will be showing you how to make a simple vegan stirfry at home with fragrant brown rice to go with it. It is perfect for weeknight dinners and perfect for your wallet.

Lemongrass Brown Rice

If you have been following me for a while on Instagram, then you will know that I am the biggest brown rice skeptic. Yes, apparently it is better for you, but does it taste as good as white rice? Still to be determined. But one thing I have realized is that, for me to enjoy brown rice, I have to drown it in flavour! This is exactly what I did. To pair with my stirfry, I made lemongrass brown rice that not only provides the brown rice with a nice fragrance, but makes it delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp of coconut oil
• 2 cloves of garlic finely minced
• 2 tsp of fresh ginger finely minced
• 2 tbsp of lemongrass chopped
• 2 tbsp of whites of spring onion
• 1/2 cup of coconut milk
• 1 1/4 cup of water
• 1 cup short-grain brown rice well washed
• salt to taste

Directions

1. In a pot at medium heat, sauté the garlic, ginger, lemongrass for a few minutes
2. Add the brown rice and toast in the pot for a few seconds
3. Add the coconut milk, water and salt to taste
4. Bring the pot to a boil, and once it starts boiling, turn the heat down
5. Cook at low heat for 25 minutes or till rice is done
6. Serve with stir fry below

Thai Basil Beef Stir-fry

I am actually obsessed with Thai basil. I absolutely love the fragrance, and it can turn a boring stir-fry into a masterpiece. The herb is indigenous to South East Asia and is commonplace in a lot of Thai and Vietnamese food, providing a licorice, anise and slightly spicy flavour. Although the star of this dish is Thai basil, please do not consider this dish a Thai dish; I am just making a stirfry with ingredients I believe go well together.

The beef in this recipe is Farm Boy’s Beefless Tenders, which I absolutely love. You can substitute with any plant-based protein of choice or use mushrooms. No stirfry is complete without a mouthwatering savoury sauce and vegetables. For flavour, I used a combination of vegetarian-friendly oyster days, tamari, garlic, onion, and ginger. The vegetables were kept simple, based on what I had available. You can select any vegetables of your choice.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pack Farm Boy Beefless Tenders or 1/2 block of extra firm tofu chopped into half-inch cubes
• 1 cup of Thai basil (packed loosely)
• 1 Thai chilli finely chopped
• 2 sprigs of green onion roughly chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic grated
• 1/2 large red onion finely chopped
• 2 tsp of freshly grated ginger
• 2 small red bell peppers
• 4 baby bok choy roughly chopped
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 3 tbsp of vegetarian oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp light tamari (can sub with soy sauce but adjust for saltiness)
• 1 cup of water for the sauce

Directions

1. In a wok at medium-high heat, brown the beefless tenders till they are slightly crispy.
2. Then add in the grated garlic, ginger and chilli.
3. Next, add in the red and green onions and sauté briefly till soft.
4. Once soft, add in your vegetables and Thai basil and sauté till the bok choy starts to wilt.
5. At this point, mix together the oyster sauce, tamari, cornstarch and water and pour it into the sauté mixture.
6. Let everything combine for a few minutes.
7. Then it is ready.