This super simple Asian style dish is one of those easy, full-of-flavour recipes which you can easily adapt and change, adding more spiciness if preferred. It is also one of those dishes which kids love and you may find cooking on repeat.
I love Asian food- the flavours, the fresh spices and herbs and the fine balance between sweet, sour and salty, makes me always come back to this type of cuisine. With the current travel restrictions, cooking meals from a variety of world regions also helps me somehow feel like I for a short moment, leave my London kitchen and go somewhere to me, more exotic.
Turkey is an excellent source of nutrients and is particularly rich in B-vitamins and the essential amino acid tryptophan, which is a precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin and the hormone melatonin, which are crucial for mood and sleep regulation. With B-vitamins essential for energy production, mood, brain function and so much more, turkey really is a great food to include to support both body and mind. This dish also includes Thai basil which I would highly recommend using for this dish as it has such a distinctive flavour and really helps give an authentic Thai taste. However, if you can not find it, normal basil works nicely too. What really makes this dish come together, for me, is the pan fried egg (sunny side up) and my boys love it. We have definitely had a few meltdowns because of me by mistake breaking the yolk before it landing on the plate, but that usually resolves once they taste it and realise it still tastes great. Eggs are another great source of protein and is also a food particularly high in choline. Choline has been increasingly studied for its importance for normal brain development, particularly for babies during pregnancy, as well as during infancy and early childhood. So eggs really can be described as a brain food and I would highly recommend including it with this dish, if tolerated.
Do give this recipe a go and I really hope that you will enjoy it!
Thai style turkey mince stir fry with fried egg
Serves 4-5
Ingredients
750 g turkey mince (I use mix of turkey thigh and breast mince)
1 onion chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
250 g green beans, cut in half
2 handfuls of fresh spinach
1 small bunch of Thai basil
1 small bunch of coriander
Sauce
3 tbsp rice wine
6 tbsp tamari or reduced salt soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp brown sugar or coconut sugar
juice and zest of 1 lime
3/4 tbsp corn starch or potato flour
To serve:
Freshly sliced red chilli to taste
Fried egg
Steamed rice of choice
Slices of lime
Method:
Mix all the ingredients for the sauce and set to one side.
Fry off the onion and garlic in 1/2 tbsp coconut oil until soft for around 4 minutes, then transfer to a plate and set to one side.
Fry off the turkey mince until just about cooked through, then add back the onion and garlic mix and also the chopped red pepper and green beans and leave to fry for a couple of minutes.
Add the sauce and stir through and leave for another 4-5 minutes on a medium heat until mince is cooked through, peppers and beans are softened (but still with a bit of a bite to them) and the sauce has thickened slightly.
Add the spinach leaves and thai basil and stir through.
To serve, add plenty of fresh chopped coriander and more Thai basil, some freshly chopped red chilli and serve with some steaming hot rice and a fried egg.
Enjoy!