Thai Beef Salad
A hearty main meal salad, this combines tender strips of steak with a wonderful chilli and lime dressing.
Ingredients
- 2 sirloin steaks, each about 225g / 8oz
- 1 lemon grass stalk, root trimmed
- 1 red onion, finely sliced
- ½ cucumber, cut into strips
- 30ml / 2 tbsp chopped spring onion
- juice of 2 limes
- 15-30ml / 1-2 tbsp nam pla (fish sauce)
- Chinese mustard cress or salad cress, to garnish
Preparation
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- Pan-fry or grill the steaks for 6-8 minutes for medium-rare. Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, cut off the lower 5cm / 2in from the lemon grass stalk and chop it finely.
- When the meat is cool, slice it thinly and put the slices in a large bowl.
- Add the sliced onion, cucumber, lemon grass and chopped spring onion to the meat slices.
- Toss the salad and season with the lime juice and nam pla (fish sauce). Transfer to a serving bowl or plate and serve at room temperature or chilled, garnished with Chinese mustard cress or salad cress.
COOK'S TIP
Look out for gui chaff leaves in Thai groceries. These look like very thin spring onions and are often used as a substitute for the more familiar vegetable.
Serves 4.