The 10-Minute Dinner I’ve Made Hundreds of Times

Beef krapow is one of my go-to weeknight dinners, especially when I’m in a hurry and craving something flavorful and fast. This Thai classic uses clever ingredients to produce a flavor-packed dish in record time. My version is super quick, easy, and adaptable.

Beef krapow is commonly served over a bed of jasmine rice with a fried egg on top. The rice soaks up all the extra sauce and flavors from the beef. My favorite part is piercing through the beautiful runny yolk as it coats and drips through the cracks of the beef and rice, giving it a creamy consistency.

Easy Tweaks to My Beef Krapow

This recipe is really versatile and adaptable, so if you prefer to use ground pork or ground lamb, you can easily swap it for the ground beef. Ground chicken tends to be a bit too lean for my liking. I love a little bit more fat in my ground meat, so for this recipe I’ve opted for 80/20 ground beef, which helps crisp everything up. Any residual fat will help the fried eggs crisp up nicely, forming a lacy skirt on the outer edges. 

How To Make My Easy Beef Krapow

For 2 to 4 servings, you’ll need:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 shallots, finely diced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound 80/20 ground beef 
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark or regular soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce 
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 3 sprigs fresh Thai basil leaves
• 2 Thai chilies, thinly sliced
• 2 cups cooked Thai jasmine rice, to serve, optional
• 2 large eggs, optional

Add the oil to a medium to large skillet over high heat and let heat up for 1 minute. Add the shallots and garlic and toss until aromatic but not burnt, about 30 seconds. Add the beef and break it up with a spatula. Stir occasionally until browned, about 6 minutes.

Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar. Stir until combined. Add the basil leaves and chilies. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Scoop the beef mixture with a slotted spoon over a bed of rice for serving, if using. 

If you’d like to serve with fried eggs, leave the residual grease in the pan and adjust the heat to medium. Crack the eggs into the pan and fry until the edges get crispy and the whites are set but the yolks are still liquid. Add the eggs on top of the beef stir fry. 

Simple Substitutions

This recipe calls for Thai basil, which has a minty floral aroma that is very distinctively delicious and iconic to this dish. If you cannot find it at your local Asian supermarket, feel free to use sweet basil since it is more readily available. 

The Thai chili peppers, also known as bird’s eye chili, are added at the end for some heat. Adjust the amount of chili to your spice tolerance or omit completely if preferred. If you cannot find Thai chili peppers, you can substitute with another spicy pepper of your choice.