THAI BEEF SALAD

 

This is a delicious and easy to prepare salad. This time, I didn't have time to do the Roasted rice powder, but according to the author, it is an essential ingredient in Thai cuisine, and it brings a bit of crunchiness to the dish. In the past, I also made it following a different recipe that uses noodles, but it is probably a bit too salty and the beef needs to be marinade for a while. Here is the recipe, though, if interested to see another version. 

Ingredients

1 rump steak (500g) or 2 sirloin steaks (250g each)

salt and pepper to season

1 tsp olive oil

3 Roma tomatoes, cut into wedges or a selection of small ones, cut in half

1 Lebanese cucumber, split in half lengthways, seeds removed and sliced

1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1 cup picked coriander leaves

1/2 cup picked mint leaves

Lettuce leaves to serve

Roasted rice powder

1 tsp uncooked jasmine rice

Dressing

50ml lime juice

2 tsp caster sugar or palm sugar

2 Tbsp fish sauce

1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

2 red bird's-eye chillies, thinly sliced (or to taste)

1 tsp grated ginger

1 spring onion, trimmed and finely sliced

1 tsp roasted rice powder (optional)

Preparation

If making the roasted rice powder, toast the rice in a dry frypan over medium heat until it turns opaque and begins to brown. Grind in a mortar and pestle to a coarse powder.

For the dressing, mix all the ingredients together. Reserve.

Put the sliced onion in a small bowl, add 1 good pinch of salt and about 1 tsp of wine vinegar and massage it with your hands. Let it rest for about 15 minutes. Discard the juices and it is ready to go on the salad.

Put all the salad ingredients in a big shallow bowl or divide it into 4 plates. 

Add the onion.

Season the steak with salt and pepper and barbecue or pan-fry with a little oil in a heavy fry-pan over high heat until well browned and cooked to your liking. (Medium-rare is best for this dish). Rest for 5 minutes in a warm, draught-free place and then slice on a plate to collect the juices.

Serve the beef steak on top of the salad and add the dressing and the collected juices from the fry-pan and from slicing the steak. 

Serves 4