Thai Cashew Beef is a simple but flavorful stir fry style dish with Thai flavors that can be made using up just about any veggies you might have hanging out in the fridge.
I love Thai food. I've only had what I've been able to create from recipes myself, as there really aren't Thai places around here. Everything that I've tried has been delicious. What makes Thai food unique is that the dishes all have a combination of flavors - sweet, salty, sour and bitter. This dish wouldn't be authentic Thai food as not all of those flavors are covered, but many of the commonly used ingredients in Thai food appear in this recipe.
WHAT IS THAI CASHEW BEEF?
In this dish, flank steak is marinated in Thai sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, ginger and garlic. The meat and veggies are sauteed in sesame oil and then simmered in a coconut milk broth. The mixture is served over coconut rice and topped with roasted cashews and fresh basil.
WHAT ARE COMMON THAI INGREDIENTS?
- Thai basil
- coconut milk
- lime
- chilies
- fish sauce
- rice vinegar
- lemongrass
IMPROV COOKING CHALLENGE
The ingredients for May's Improv Cooking Challenge were meat and nuts. The #ImprovCookingChallenge is a monthly blogging event where two ingredients are assigned to a month. Bloggers can make any recipe they like as long as it features the two ingredients. If you are a blogger and would like to join us, please visit our Facebook page. You can also read more about the event on our our home page
If you’d like to see previous creations, check out our Pinterest board.
Check out what the other bloggers have made!
Improv Cooking Challenge: May 2020
Ingredients: Meat and Nuts
- Baked Sajji Chicken by Sneha’s Recipe
- Grilled Chicken Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Larb Lettuce Cups by Palatable Pastime
- Chicken Pad Thai by Making Miracles
- Ghanian Kyinkyinga Kebabs by Pandemonium Noshery
- Thai Cashew Beef by Cookaholic Wife
- Almond Chicken by Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking
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Recipe
Thai Cashew Beef
Ingredients
For the Marinade:
- ⅔ cup sweet Thai Chili Sauce
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
For the Cashew Beef:
- 1 lb flank steak cut into strips
- 1 bunch asparagus ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 zucchini cut into 2 inch strips
- 1 carrot cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 jalapeno diced
- 2 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon ginger grated
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- ¼ cup beef broth
- 1 cup cashews
- 1 handful Thai basil
For the Coconut Rice
- 1 ½ cups jasmine rice
- ~ 1 cup coconut milk
- 2 cups broth or water
Instructions
For the Marinade:
- Combine the marinade ingredients together and reserve ¼ cup for later.
- Add the sliced beef to a container or sealable bag and pour in the remaining marinade. Let marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
For the Cashew Beef:
- Heat a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil. Add the asparagus, zucchini, carrots, bell pepper and jalapeno and cook for 5 minutes over medium high heat, until the vegetables have softened. Add in the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute more.
- Remove the vegetables to a plate and add the remaining tablespoon of sesame oil to the skillet.
- Drain any remaining liquids of the marinade from the beef and discard. Add the beef to the skillet and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently to cook the beef through.
- Return the veggies to the skillet and add in the coconut milk and beef broth. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes.
For the Coconut Rice:
- Add the jasmine rice, coconut milk, broth or water to a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
- Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
- Drain any water and fluff with a fork.
To Assemble:
- Divide the coconut rice between four bowls. Add the cashew beef mixture on top and garnish with cashews and basil leaves.
Notes
- I made coconut rice to use the remainder of the can of coconut milk. Alternately you can cook the rice in broth or water.
Juli M
I love seeing so many Thai dishes on this one challenge! They all look so delicious, I have eaten a lot of Thai food and never tried cashew beef so this will be a fun one to add to the menu.
Sid
I think I need to try this, soon.