• 450 g (1 lb) lean beef steak
• 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon cornflour
• 3 tablespoons groundnut (peanut) oil
• 3 tablespoons finely shredded fresh ginger (ideally, krachai)
• 3 tablespoons finely sliced shallots
• 1 teaspoon shrimp paste
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce or light soy sauce
• 2 large fresh red Thai chillies, seeded and finely sliced
• handful fresh basil leaves

Put the beef in the freezing compartment of the refrigerator for 20 minutes. This will allow the meat to harden slightly for easier cutting. Then cut it into thin slices 4 cm (1 ½ in) long. Put the beef slices into a bowl and add the soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil and cornflour. Mix well, and let the slices steep in the marinade for about 20 minutes.

Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat until it is very hot. Add the groundnut oil, and when it is very hot and slightly smoking, add the beef and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Remove the meat and drain it in a stainless-steel colander set inside a bowl, leaving about 1 tablespoon of oil in the wok. Reheat the wok over high heat, add the ginger and shallots and stir-fry for 1 minute. Then add the shrimp paste and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Then add the water, fish sauce and chillies and continue to stir-fry for 1 minute. Quickly return the meat to the pan and stir for another minute. Toss in the basil leaves, mix well, turn the mixture onto a warm platter and serve at once.