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How often do you find yourself wanting to have one night off from cooking, and all you want to eat is take out Asian food?! That would usually be me! However, unfortunate, there’s likely little chance many of us can find a restaurant that serves gluten- and grain-free options, free of MSG, sugar, and soy, corn or other vegetable oils. I often wonder why there aren’t more Asian restaurants (and grocery stores) who recognize the farm-to-table concept, which is often utilized in restaurants serving up local farm-fresh food to interior design styles reflecting finishes of an earlier time when farming methods were likely free from all the industrial chemicals and processes we use today.

I do see more Asian grocery stores beginning to offer a handful of organic produce options so maybe there is hope. Personally, I think patrons have to shift their mindset from one of buying convenient tasty food to one that first acknowledges the poor health of our country and recognizes a quality meal often means cooking at home. But I digress. Let’s not be shaken up about our modern American diet (MAD) and our food dilemmas. We can’t control what others do. However, we can control what we put into our bodies and set our sights on learning something new in the way of cooking skills. 😉 Because an adventure in the kitchen can be fun, right?!

And, if you’re new to the idea of actually using your kitchen to cook, my biggest tip for you is to plan your meals! Not only does meal planning give you the opportunity to write down lists for your weekly grocery runs, but it allows you the time to plan into some of your lunch periods at home, evenings or even on the weekend, a time to prep many of your meats (such as boiling up a whole chicken to use during the week), or cutting up vegetables in advance so making daily salads or cooking the night of isn’t spent in 3/4 prep time each night! And, another goal of meal planning is to create leftovers. I know I am pretty thankful for each night I don’t have to cook!

Now, onto our dish! Spicy Eggplant Basil is one of my all-time favorite Thai dishes, among Drunken Noodles and a flavorful Green Curry with a lot of vegetables. And what I personally like about this dish is eating it with organic, grass-fed top sirloin (from Trader Joe’s)! Our household doesn’t eat red meat as much as organic, free-range chicken or wild-caught fish throughout the week so eating clean beef is a real treat! (The only downside, at least for now, is I haven’t grown my own organic Thai basil.)

Thai Spicy Eggplant Basil

4 from 3 votes

Recipe by J. Irish, Ketolicious Eats Course: Asian Dishes, DinnerCuisine: ThaiDifficulty: Moderately Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Enjoy making a clean version of Thai Spicy Eggplant Basil in the comfort of your own home, using quality ingredients (and perhaps your own home-grown vegetables and organic Thai basil.)

Macros will be posted soon. Expect that most of your net carbs will be coming from your vegetable ingredients.

Ingredients

Meat Marinade
1.5 pounds 1.5 organic grass-fed top sirloin beef (I like buying mine from Trader Joe’s), sliced into thin 2-inch lengths cut across the grain, or chicken breasts cut in 1/4-inch thick strips, cut across the grain
1 tablespoons 1 avocado oil for sautéing (organic avocado oil can now be purchased at Costco)
2 tablespoons 2 organic gluten-free Tamari sauce (coconut aminos may be used and will provide a sweeter flavor than fermented Tamari soy sauce.)
1-1/2 teaspoon 1-1/2 ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon 1/2 non-GMO xanthan gum or 1/4 teaspoon non-GMO glucomannan (gut healthy thickener), optional
3/4 teaspoon 3/4 crushed red chili flakes or 2 small chopped chili peppers, optional
Spicy Basil Sauce
1-1/2 – 1-3/4 cups 1-1/2 – 1-3/4 organic grass-fed beef (or free-range chicken) bone broth
4 tablespoons 4 organic gluten-free Tamari sauce (coconut aminos may be used and will provide a sweeter flavor than Tamari sauce)
4 tablespoons 4 filtered water
3 tablespoons 3 Shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine) or dry sherry will work
2 tablespoons 2 monk fruit sweetener (honey can be used as a paleo-friendly option)
1-1/2 – 2-1/2 tablespoons 1-1/2 – 2-1/2 organic sriracha sauce, use more depending on your preferred level of spiciness
1-1/2 tablespoons 1-1/2 garlic, minced
1 tablespoon 1 Red Boat fish sauce
2 teaspoons 2 organic sesame oil (I buy mine from Trader Joe’s)
.3 ounces .3 Thai basil, washed and stems removed
Sautéed Vegetable Items
3 3 long (or 6 short) Japanese or Chinese eggplant, cut into diagonal 1-1/2-inch lengths (I find organic ones at Jimbo’s Naturally here in Southern California.)
3 tablespoons 3 avocado oil for sautéing the eggplant
1 1 organic red and/or green bell pepper (red has the most Vitamin C), cut into thin strips and then cut in half
1 small 1 yellow onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 3 organic green onions or scallions, the white parts cut into diagonal 1-1/2-inch lengths and the green part cut into 1/2-inch lengths (the 1/2-inch lengths will be used as a garnish)
1 medium 1 carrot, cut on a diagonal into 1-1/2-inch long by 1/8-inch thick slices
1 tablespoon 1 avocado oil for sautéing the vegetables
Other
24 ounces 24 organic cauliflower rice; or
21 ounces 21 Shirataki rice or macaroni noodles, optional (shirataki rice seen in photograph) – I prefer buying shirataki rice directly from Thrive Market (through an annual membership) for best pricing.
Kitchen Tools
1 1 medium-sized (roughly 11-cup) baking dish for marinating your meat
1 1 large 12-inch stainless steel skillet with lid or 12-inch wok with lid

Directions

Prepare Your Rice/Noodles
Cook the noodles as instructed on the packaging, and cook off any excess water in the same cooking pot. Then, set aside.
Marinade Your Meat
After you have cut the meat, put it into a medium-sized baking dish, along with all the marinade ingredients, except the avocado oil, and set aside.

For a time-saving tip, you may prepare this the evening before, store in the refrigerator overnight, and remove an hour prior to cooking.
Sauté the Eggplant
Heat your large skillet or wok to medium-high heat, and evenly coat the bottom of the skillet/wok with 2 two tablespoons of avocado oil. Now, add the eggplant and sear for about 2 minutes covered. Then, turn down the heat to medium low, turn over the eggplant, and add 1 more tablespoon of oil. Now, sear the second side covered for the same amount of time until just tender. Then, remove the lid, turn the heat up to high, and allow the eggplant to get to a golden brown (another 2 minutes) before transferring to a plate.

Note: You do not want to over do the first part of sautéing the eggplant. Soggy eggplant just gets lost in this dish if not sautéed to a firm (holds its shape), yet tender texture. On the other hand, many folks don’t enjoy undercooked eggplant. But, practice makes perfect!
Sauté Your Meat + Vegetables
Add 1 tablespoon of avocado oil to the large skillet or wok you’ve been using to sauté the eggplant, and heat to medium high. Add the marinated meat, and sear it on each side for about 1 minute. Then, transfer back to your marinade dish.
With the heat still set on medium high, add 1 tablespoon of oil, and add the onions, bell pepper, white parts of the green onions, and basil. Stir fry for about 1 minute, and then add the meat and eggplant.
Prepare Your Sauce Ingredients + Serve
Now, add the cooking wine, and stir. Then, add the fish sauce, sesame oil, monk fruit sweetener (or honey for a paleo version), and garlic, and stir everything together.
Then pour in your bone broth and filtered water around the perimeter of the skillet/wok to deglaze any cooked on ingredients. This will add flavor to your dish. Stir fry until the carrots become tender and some of the liquid has been absorbed by the ingredients. Then turn down the heat to medium low or low.
Now, add the remaining green portions of the green onions, and stir.
Serve with cauliflower or Shirataki rice, and enjoy!

Notes

Whenever possible, I recommend using clean, organic ingredients.
Prep Tip: To make the beef easier to cut, put the meat into the freezer for about 2 to 3 hours.
Additionally, cutting your vegetables the night before or earlier in the day will reduce your total time preparing your meal the night it is eaten.