This recipe IS NOT for the faint hearted!
Ingredients:-
For the sauce
35ml fish sauce
2 bird’s-eye chillies, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, very finely sliced
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp coriander, finely chopped
For the beef
6 red or green bird’s eye chillies (fewer if you want it less hot)
4 small garlic cloves
3 tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for deep-frying the eggs
200g good-quality, coarsely minced beef
good pinch of caster sugar
about 2 tbsp fish sauce
big handful of Thai basil (or holy basil from specialist Asian shops)
2 large eggs
Method:-
(1) For the serving sauce, mix together the fish sauce, chillies and garlic and set aside for the flavours to meld.
(2) Meanwhile, for the beef, coarsely chop the chillies with the garlic and a pinch of salt.
(3) Heat about 10cm of oil in a saucepan (for the deep-fried eggs) while you cook the beef.
(4) Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a wok then fry the garlic and chilli mixture, but don’t let it colour. Add the beef and stir-fry for a minute, until only just cooked.
(5) Season to taste with the sugar and fish sauce but be careful not to make it too salty. Add 50ml water and gently simmer for a minute, but don’t let it boil or the meat will become tough. There should be enough liquid to make a bit of a sauce.
(6) Stir in the basil and remove from the heat.
(7) Fry your eggs. To deep-fry, have the oil really hot and crack in an egg so it’s submerged. Fry until the white is crispy and the yolk still runny. Drain well.
(8) Add the lime and coriander to the sauce and serve alongside the beef with Rice noodles and a fried egg on top of each dish.
