Thai Beef Salad

This is a fabulous dish for a crowd. It can be made hours ahead of schedule, in fact it improves if made hours ahead of schedule. I make Thai Beef Salad frequently in summer. The only cooking required is to sear the beef and this can be done outside on the BBQ grill.

The dressing made with lime, lemongrass, chilli and fish sauce, tempered with a little brown sugar adds a refreshing zing.

To serve 8

1 kg rump steak

100g dried rice vermicelli

1 large carrot

1 daikon

1 telegraph cucumber

4 spring onions

100g Snow peas

½ punnet snow pea shoots

2 sticks of celery

6 kaffir lime leaves

1 bunch coriander, about 1 cup chopped

dressing:

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 teaspoons sambal oelek ( choose a brand that contains fermented fish paste)

Juice of 2 limes

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar or palm sugar

4 cm root ginger, cut into fine julienne

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 stalk of lemon grass, finely sliced

;

for the beef:

Season the steak with salt and pepper , sear on the BBQ grill until medium rare. Remove and set aside to rest. Finely slice the steak then mix in the dressing and allow the meat to marinate for 1 hour.

for the noodles:

Soak the rice vermicelli in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain, then cut into easily managed lengths using scissors.

for the vegetables:

Cut the carrot, daikon and cucumber into fine julienne. I use a mandolin to make fine slices then use my sharp cook’s knife to cut the julienne. Slice the spring onion, celery, snow peas finely on the angle.Cut the lime leaves into fine julienne and roughly chop the coriander.

Combine all the vegetables together in a large bowl.

for the dressing:

Finely chop the ginger, garlic and lemongrass. Mix in the remaining ingredients until well blended.

construct the salad:

Tip the meat and the dressing over the vegetables, add the noodles then toss well to combine.

Garnish with extra coriander and a red chilli.

About ladyredspecs

I live in sunny Brisbane, Australia. My love of good food drives me as a cook, a reader, a traveller, an artist and but mostly as an eater. I cooked professionally for many years but have no formal training. Simply guided by a love of eating good food, respect for ingredients and an abhorrence of artificial additives, I cook instinctively applying the technical know how acquired by experience. I hope you enjoy what I share Sandra AKA ladyredspecs

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