Thai Grilled Beef Salad Recipe

This zesty Thai grilled beef salad recipe is seasoned with fresh herbs, lime and hot peppers. It is fabulously easy to make at home and great for parties. Toasted rice powder, which you make by toasting then grinding rice in Step 3, adds a pleasant, nutty flavor to the dish. Sliced cucumbers and tomatoes are a traditional cooling counterpoint in this Thai salad. For the best flavor, grind the peppercorns fresh for this recipe.

about 1/2 cup steak & 1/2 cup vegetables each

Makes: 8 servings
Serving Size: about 1/2 cup steak & 1/2 cup vegetables each
Active Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 2 pounds flank steak or boneless sirloin steak, trimmed
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce (see Tips), divided
• 2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
• 2 tablespoons jasmine rice (white or brown) or sticky rice
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1-2 fresh bird chiles (see Tips) or cayenne chiles, minced
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil, preferably Thai basil
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 European cucumber, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges

Preparation

1. Place meat on a large plate or in a wide shallow bowl. Drizzle each side with 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce and rub it in, then sprinkle with pepper and rub it in. Place shallots in a large bowl and cover with cold water.
2. Preheat grill to medium.
3. While the grill heats, place a small cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add rice. Toast, stirring frequently, until the rice is very aromatic (white rice starts to turn pale beige), 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and keep stirring until the pan has cooled a little. Transfer the rice to a clean coffee grinder or a mortar, let cool slightly, then grind or pound into a fine powder.
4. Grill the steak 2 to 4 minutes per side for medium rare, depending on thickness. Transfer to a plate; let rest for 10 minutes.
5. Drain the shallots and squeeze or pat dry. Return the shallots to the bowl; stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons fish sauce, lime juice, chiles to taste and garlic.
6. Thinly slice the meat across the grain and add to the shallot mixture along with any accumulated juice from the plate. Add basil, mint, cilantro and the toasted rice powder; mix well. Transfer to a large serving platter and garnish with cucumber and tomatoes.

Tips & Notes

• Tip: Fish sauce is a pungent Southeast Asian condiment made from salted, fermented fish. Find it in the Asian-food section of well-stocked supermarkets and at Asian specialty markets. We use Thai Kitchen fish sauce, lower in sodium than other brands (1,190 mg per tablespoon), in our recipe testing and nutritional analyses.
• Tip: Look for fiery hot Thai “bird” chiles or fresh cayenne chiles in well-stocked supermarkets or Asian markets. If you can’t find them, serrano or jalapeño chiles can be used as a substitute.

Nutrition

Per serving: 202 calories; 6 g fat (2 g sat, 2 g mono); 70 mg cholesterol; 9 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 27 g protein; 1 g fiber; 515 mg sodium; 607 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Zinc (32% daily value), Vitamin A (20% dv), Vitamin C (18% dv), Potassium & Iron (17% dv)
Carbohydrate Servings: 1/2
Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 3 1/2 lean meat