Thai beef salad

A few weeks ago my mate Natascha Mirosch sourced some wonderful New Zealand grass fed Angus beef and shared it amongst her friends. The last slice of the piece was too big for a steak but too small to slice into two. My solution was to barbeque it in one piece and slice it after it was cooked.

A Thai beef salad was the perfect way to use it, so I sourced a recipe from taste.com.au

I like the recipe but I made a few changes. First I got rid of the red onion! I also used chillies that were not a hot as some but still added the red colour needed to lift the dish.

The palm sugar I found at Zone Fresh, Windsor and the kaffir lime leaves came from the tree in my backyard.

Next time I make it I may throw in some bean sprouts or some lettuce just to break up the intensity of the leaf flavours.

Although the recipe says it serves four, there wasn't much left after we finished.  We didn't have anything else with the salad but followed it with barbecued mango cheeks and half peaches topped with palm sugar and accompanied by yoghurt in deference to Mr Cholesterol (cream or ice cream would have been nice.)

Also will remember to have less wine before we take the photos so they look better :)


Thai Beef Salad
Ingredients (serves 4)
  • 1 1/2 tbs fresh lime juice
  • 1 tbs finely chopped dark palm sugar
  • 1 tbs fish sauce
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 (about 680g) beef rump steak
  • 1 x 200g pkt grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1 continental cucumber, halved lengthways, thinly sliced diagonally
  • 1 red onion, halved, cut into thin wedges
  • 2 long fresh red chillies, halved, deseeded, thinly sliced lengthways
  • 1 bunch fresh mint, leaves picked, large leaves torn
  • 1 bunch fresh coriander, leaves picked
  • 1 bunch fresh Thai basil, leaves picked, large leaves torn
  • 55g (1/3 cup) toasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
  • 4 kaffir lime leaves, centre veins removed, finely shredded 

Method
  1. Whisk together lime juice, palm sugar, fish sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger and garlic in a jug. Place the steak in a glass or ceramic dish. Drizzle with half the dressing. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge, turning occasionally, for 2 hours to develop the flavours.
  2. Preheat a barbecue grill or chargrill pan on high. Cook steak on grill for 2-3 minutes each side for medium or until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a plate. Cover with foil and set aside for 10 minutes to rest.
  3. Place the tomato, cucumber, onion, chilli, mint, coriander, basil, peanuts and lime leaves in a large bowl. Thinly slice steak across the grain and add to the salad. Drizzle with remaining dressing and gently toss to combine. Divide salad among bowls and serve immediately.